What Is the Practical Value of a Fun Workplace?

What Is the Practical Value of a Fun Workplace?

Q: How could we create a workplace that is both fun and focused? And is it even desirable?

A: Your company can embark on both one-time events and build ongoing structures and processes that will generate short- and long-term fire, focus and fun. I call these "the fun and focused four."

1. Start by having people address the question: 

"Is it possible to have fun and improve performance?"

Stimulate both sides of the brain through a team discussion and team drawing exercise. Divide participants into diverse groups of four or five and have each group grapple with the following: "What are the sources of workplace stress and conflict and what are the barriers-from the personal to the organizational-to having fun and being creative, passionate and risk-taking (CPR)." After 10 minutes of discussion (with a tape recorder rolling), the groups are then challenged to come up with a thematic group picture or a logo that captures and unifies the individual stress and CPR issues into a visual metaphor.

Consider this example: Years ago, a burnt-out CEO was running his engineering company into the ground. Actually, he was hardly running the company; more likely, he was off flying his small airplane.

Finally, he hired a vice president who called me for some help with stress and team-building. In the workshop, one group drew a picture of a menacing creature, calling this big stalking dinosaur a "Troublesaurus." All the little people in the plant are scattering in fear. However, one person, bigger than the rest, is totally oblivious, has his back to the dinosaur with his head in the clouds while watching a plane fly by. Helps you get the picture, doesn't it?

2. Recognize humor, laughter and creativity connection.

A workplace that encourages fun likely will free up creative juices, and an imaginative and innovative work environment surely blends a sense of individual and team purpose, passion and play.

3. Encourage ongoing team structure and spirit.

Regular meetings provide an ideal time to cultivate and sustain the "fun and focus" approach. Here are some tips:

a) Supervisor wears two hats: Encourage the supervisor to be a team player as well as a member of management. The challenge will be both helping the supervisor loosen the leadership reins and encouraging employees to take more meeting responsibility.

b) Facilitator rotation: To help members take more initiative for running the meeting, including setting the agenda, have employees facilitate the meeting. Consider rotating the facilitator positions every month or two.

c) Wavelength section: Leave 10 minutes or so at the end of your team meeting for extra-ordinary connections-i.e., continuing to solve issues identified earlier, having team members check in with each other around areas where people are bumping heads or around uncommon mutual support or goal accomplishment, etc. And, of course, you can start or end a meeting with a fun story.

d) Team competition: Consider contests among teams or departments with "Organizational IRAs"-Incentives, Rewards and Advancement opportunities-for the most innovative and helpful ideas and procedures.

4. Plan for food, festivities and fun.

I like how a branch manager at the National Institutes of Health connected with her team. Twice a year she invited the members to a barbecue at her house. The agenda: "How can I, how can the branch, how can the institute help you advance your career?" While having fun and strengthening employee motivation and loyalty, she was really generating everyday, long-range and global ideas for being more productive and creative as a team and an organization.

References:

Fun and Finances, OD specialist, engineering, Lansing, Michigan