Introduction

Happy Computers is a happy looking place, clearly designed by and for human beings. The company s offices on the edge of the City of London are painted in bright colours and fitted out with comfortable furniture. Its website has a cheerful, homemade look that belies the depth of information contained in it, and its links to the many glowing write-ups the company has received from an admiring media.

As a business that aims to train people in using computers, Happy lives at the toughest interface the IT world has to offer: the place where the power of technology meets the fear of its users. The mission of learning influences every aspect of Happy s operations, and it is in the mechanics and mysteries of learning where the company s success in the Service Excellence awards is rooted. A 1999 finalist and 2002 Winner in the Business-to-Business category, Happy Computers was the Small Business Winner in 2003 as well as the Overall Winner of the 2003 Awards.

Understanding how we learn

The key to Happy s success lies in its understanding of how adults learn. This understanding not only allows it to design and deliver effective training materials, but also to develop and sustain a culture that prizes service excellence above bottom-line performance. One way of describing Happy s insight into learning is as a tolerance for, and indeed encouragement of, mistakes. Stewart points out that children learn naturally by trying things out, making mistakes and developing alternatives. They do not associate...