Hack:
C.O.F.F.E.E. Anyone?

October 13, 2011 at 12:03pm

Moonshots

Summary

Who wants to join me in a cup of C.O.F.F.E.E. and transform the typical workplace from one that dehumanizes people and focuses on control, monotony and regulation to one that establishes a Culture Of Fun For Engaging Employees? Cultures of fun, humor and play attract and retain top talent and so, why are there so many bland and even toxic work cultures out there? We need to smash the paradigm of bureaucratic and controlled work environments and start a workplace revolution oriented to human beings and our innate desire to have fun and be happy! C.O.F.F.E.E. anyone?

Problem

The problem is that our modern work culture is still an offshoot of Henry Ford's Black Model T assembly line that depended on control, rules, regulations and strict procedures. Having robotic people who were asked to check in their brains and wash themselves free of personality, passion and play before entering the assembly line room might have worked 100 years ago - but not now. The most effective way that a modern organization can establish a long term, sustainable competitive advantage is to attract and retain happy and passionate people who are connected to a higher organizational purpose and who are allowed to be human - to tell their stories.

Solution

1. How about having an in-house TV station where employees can go to tell their personal stories that brings out their humanity? Let them tell great stories of leadership, innovation, teamwork and success that are captured on video and distributed throughout the organization using multimedia resources?
2. How about workshops that focus on celebration - celebrating individual contributions to teams, team accomplishments and milestone events? This is particularly relevant in the current environment where all we hear are depressing stories focused on the depressed economy, political divisiveness, terrorism, etc. Let's celebrate our humanity!

Practical Impact

Higher productivity,
Winning the war for talent,
Enhanced innovation
Increased employee engagement and retention,
Lower health-related costs,
Establishing a unique, sustainable competitive advantage,
Increased profitability

First Steps

Creating a community of movers and shakers who are willing to take this challenge on, collaborate with each other and identify opportunities to get the ball rolling.

Credits

My name is Robert Paris and I run a company, Groupe Synapse (www.groupesynapse.com), that develops leaders with the right blend of individual skills, talents, attitudes, behaviours and desire to make a positive difference and contribution to their organizations and to the world at large. I also write comedy - I recently self-published a book called "The Misfortune 500:Pundamania" - a hilarious satire of the worlds of business, entertainment and sports (www.pundamania.com). I have just created my C.O.F.F.E.E. program that focuses on creating workplace cultures of fun, play and humor that bring out the humanity that resides in all of us (see the websites above for a description of the program).

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November 17, 2011 at 11:16am

Katherine Laumas

Employees are the backbone of a company and should be in alignment with the mission of the company. Engaged employees are generally more productive and are more motivated. Zappos is a great example of employee engagement where the atmosphere is fun but there is still great work being accomplished. If more companies can let go of the old ways and put more focus on employees then employee satisfaction will definitely increase, thus benefitting the company.

November 17, 2011 at 7:21pm

Robert Paris

Excellent example of Zappos! Thank you for bringing this up. We really need old guard managers to start letting go of old paradigms and waking up to the realities of the 21st century and an economy where a long term sustainable advantage can only come from highly engaged employees who are allowed to innovate and drive change. We are no longer in the highly controlled management environment of Henry Ford in the early 20th century.

November 17, 2011 at 4:27pm

Tapaswinee Das

This article emphasizes that management should encourage personal growth of the employees by recognizing them and celebrating victories often. It takes a simplistic view of the world where making work fun activity or bringing fun will increase employee engagement and hence, productivity.

Reality is, nowhere in the world - there exists a work which will be fun for all the employees at the same time. Services constitute a major chunk of industrial employment in US, however in third world countries - the command and control is still the de facto principle. As societies move towards interconnectedness and have higher GDP per capita, the command and control still works. Sometimes it is tacit understanding and not a written policy. It is noteworthy, passion is in-born and cannot be generated within employees by any kind of training. The other alternative could be to hire the right kind of people for the job and retain them in the first place.
Let us take some examples - A doctor can be amiable but he cannot take his work funnily - he has to do the due diligence with precise details and deliver with exactness. So are lawyers, brokers, pilots and other critical jobs. It would be difficult to mix fun with the job. And sometimes it can backfire. Imagine teachers (or military) being funny!! Creative jobs would be better performed if the environment is easy going and yet, there is always a strict discipline and/or moral control is followed. Organizational policies should enforce values which bring the best from each employee and occasional activities are .

November 17, 2011 at 7:16pm

Robert Paris

No one is suggesting that a doctor be funny when treating a patient or that a pilot start cracking jokes when landing an airplane in turbulent weather. I've worked with riggers in theatrical productions who, during the shows, are responsible for the safety and lives of the on-stage performers - nobody wants them in hysterics when the show is live. But it is precisely these types of professionals who operate best when they live in a culture that allows them to let loose, have fun and work for and with others who respect and recognize them for performing so admirably under stressful circumstances. Doctors who work in health care institutions work best when they're allowed to have fun and let loose somewhat, not in the operating room, but in their administrative environments. Furthermore, doctors with optimistic, upbeat attitudes have a more positive impact on their patients than those with discouraging attitudes (anyone ever hear of Patch Adams?) Ask any pilot who he/she would prefer to work for and he/she will mention Southwest Airlines (and their culture of fun) - and Southwest has consistently ranked as the most profitable American airline. And why shouldn't teachers be funny - who says education has to be droll, serious and boring (ask any university student how they feel about sitting through 4 hour PowerPoint lectures). The riggers who I have worked with in theatrical productions actually perform better on the job during the shows when they're allowed to let loose, celebrate and have fun with each other between shows. And the same goes for lawyers, brokers and other high stress occupations. Corporate cultures that integrate fun (Google, Cirque du Soleil, Zappos, Southwest Airlines,SAS Institute etc.) have very hard working employees who are dead serious when performing their tasks - but it is their companies' cultures of fun, celebration and recognition that allow them to fluorish in their jobs - creating a win/win situation for both the employees and their employers.