I found the Flow book a much better "happiness model" than what you describe. It is less strict and concise, but gives the reader a lot of room for his own thoughts. Such simplifications make thing worse, (n-rules guides toward improvement,etc.) he really should discover his own way.
Flow is great, but it's a very different concept from happiness at work. Flow refers to one specific mental state, and different people want different amounts of flow in their lives. But it's completely possible to be passionate about what you do and love your life without ever experiencing flow.
I agree that oversimplifying can make things worse. There are really dangerous simplifications out there, such as "just follow your passion!" or "do what you love and the money will follow." But Self-Determination Theory[1] is a well-developed field backed by research and experimentation-not something pulled out of thin air like most happiness advice.
You're right, I was talking about Self Determination Theory. I just wanted to spend my post directly addressing the OP's concerns as much as possible, rather than write several extra paragraphs explaining the theory. "Freedom, Mastery, and Purpose" are also common terms used to explain SDT outside the Psychology community, even though they're not exactly the same as Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.
