Nigerian-born Corporate Boardroom and C Suite Guru who recently pivoted into academia, Dr. Joke Coker and other selected US scholars have featured in a major book on Human Development, billed for launch in the United States of America on November 20.

The new book,Human Development Today, to which Dr. Coker contributed a chapter titled “Gratitude in the Workplace,” is published by Fielding Graduate University Publishers, USA.

Human Development Today features selected research that adds value to learners and practitioners in the field of Human Capital Development.

Dr. Coker’s chapter, in Chapter 10, Page 256, reveals that Gratitude goes beyond a “feel good” construct and is indeed a strategic lever for competitive advantage. The material was chosen by leaders in Human Development Education and instructors on leadership after the publisher invited the university to identify impactful research that bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and practice.

In her chapter, Dr. Coker explores how gratitude enhances employee behavior and workplace performance, bridging her PhD in Applied Psychology with her decades of success in the global corporate (Board and C-Suite) terrain.

Her contribution demonstrates the multidisciplinary relevance of gratitude—a key construct in positive psychology—and its practical application across diverse domains.

Dr. Joke Coker, a renowned global corporate board advisor, leadership coach, and corporate transformation strategist, leads the team at Constellation Group as Group Managing Director. She sits on various global boards, including ICF, Houston, the global benchmark for leadership coaching worldwide

Her research work, “Gratitude in the Workplace: A Strategic Advantage,” was selected for the book through a painstakingly thorough and rigorous process. The publisher asked university faculty leaders to select recent research that adds value to learners and practitioners in the fields of Human Development and Organizational Leadership. Dr. Coker’s material, previously written for academic publication on Organizational Psychology (published on ProQuest), was selected by the leaders of the Human Development department. Interestingly, an extract of this same research was also recently selected for presentation at the just-concluded annual conference for the Association of Psychological Sciences (APS), underscoring the broad interest in the field for levers (such as Gratitude) that can address employee engagement and wellbeing in the current polycrisis being experienced in today’s rapidly changing global economy.

The selection of Dr. Coker’s work is seen as an essential example of multidisciplinary use of research, especially for positive psychology constructs, such as Gratitude in the Workplace, which generates interest in various domains.

Top Corporate players and Human Development experts globally are unanimous in their contention that, given Dr. Coker’s vast experience, she could not have produced a work of lesser value.

Dr. Joke Coker has extensive board and C-Suite experience across banking, financial services, telecommunications, and coaching. She currently serves as a strategic advisor to international boards. She mentors women in corporate board and leadership positions across Africa and North America.

She was recently selected for an intergovernmental leadership coaching role by the Mandela Leadership Initiative at Arizona State University. She serves on the Board of the ICF Houston Chapter as Director of Programs and Professional Development.

Dr. Coker holds a PhD. in Organizational Psychology and is passionate about corporate leadership, strategy, teaching, coaching, and consulting.

The book Human Development Today brings together works from other authors, examining fascinating topics such as the transformative role of gratitude in the workplace (Dr. Coker’s Chapter), Developmental Stages of Hope, Migration and Mental Well-being, The Language of Hope, and much more.

On her contribution to this seminal work, Dr. Coker said: “The work represents what I’m passionate about: using research to drive real organizational change and leadership development.”

Human Development Today is an excellent reference material for achieving real organizational change and leadership development for many decades to come.

​