HELSINKI, January 8, 2015

The researchers studying the power of compassion have received a seven-figure sum in research funding from Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation.

The University of Helsinki project asks what compassion means in the everyday life of an organisation and in its interactions with partners, how is it generated, maintained and strengthened, and how can it improve profitability.

The CoPassion project is being launched at the beginning of January. Its goal is to help companies and communities recognise the potential in immaterial value creation which can be made into a competitive asset.

Anne Birgitta Pessi, professor of church and society, who runs the Revolutionary Power of Compassion program at the University of Helsinki emphasizes the power of the immaterial asset – the power of compassion.

The researcher are studying the impact of compassion exercises on different communities, in relation to innovations and creativity, employee engagement, workplace wellbeing, sales, customer experience as well as an atmosphere and culture of compassion and motivation.

The three-year project involves researchers and steering group members from the University of Helsinki, the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Aalto University and the University of Jyväskylä. Other partners include an insurance company, art museum and television channel.

Source: www. unversity.helsinki.fi