Week 12
Management Skills:  Manage to have fun

•    Video’s:

– Southwest airlines

– Outdoor learning and Management Development

– Ideo, “The Deep Dive”

– Humor at Work

– Managing to have fun

 

Readings on Playfulness, humor in the workplace:

•    What benefits were mentioned for specific companies?

•    Generalized benefits?

•    Integration with video’s?

•    Other?

Having fun at work is serious business

 

Why? 

Let’s explore the articles

 

 

 

1.Winning strategies

–C.J. Metcalf

–Atmosphere of caring

–Increases productivity

–Attitudes research

–Health research

–Digital Equipment

 

 

 

2.Out of the shoe box

         

Question: 

         

How does a company that depends on laughter and humor for its success create an environment that unleashes creativity?

 

 

3.Laughing matters

–Brain and laughter

•New discovery?

–Benefits of laughter?

–Chimps, rats and laughter

–Laughter as a signal

–Laughing clubs in India

 

4.A creative state of mind

  Questions:

•Why is innovation SO IMPORTANT to modern companies?

 

•What happens to our creativity over time, as we grow to adulthood?

•How many people RETAIN their creative edge into adulthood?

 

•What does the author suggest that we do in this article that seems to fit with the theme that we’re discussing?

 

 

5.Want to be a successful manager?

–Stress

–Involving effects

–Creativity is childlike

–Open versus closed systems

 

“Shortest distance between two people is a smile.”

 

 

•Victor Borge

 

 

6.A day at innovation U.

    Questions:

•What NEW information did you learn about Ideo?

•Reinforcement of prior learning?

 

What is your current view of playfulness, fun at work?

 

Did readings, video’s influence your thinking?

 

 

Managing to have fun

By Matt Weinstein

 

What GOOD is fun at work?

 

•   What is Weinstein trying to do with this book??

– Let’s brainstorm...

 

1.  Think about the specific people involved

•    WHY?

•    How does Weinstein illustrate this?

 

2.  Lead by example

•    WHY?

•    How does Weinstein illustrate this?

 

 

3.       If you’re not getting       personal satisfaction from       what you’re doing, it’s not worth doing

•    WHY?

•    How does Weinstein illustrate this?

 

 

4.  Change takes time

•    WHY?

•    How does Weinstein illustrate this?

 

 

$40 million questions:

•   Could fun add anything to your work climate?

•   Could some measure of fun at work really ever be BAD?

 

What is the DULLEST thing about your job?

 

Assignment:

•    How could you “Fun it up”?

•    Discuss with partner for 5 minutes

 

Which of the 52 “stories” that Matt told most impressed you?

 

Why?

 

 

 

 

“I am…” speaking assignment.

 

•      Think of what YOU can do to bring fun to your worldview.

•      Think of your own self image and identity.

•      Come up with a spoof on what you REALLY are.

–   What your heart sings to be!

•      Give yourself a new title that gets to the heart of who you are, much like Playfair staffers have done.

•      1-minute speech next time, with 3 steps.  Props are GREAT!

–   Begin with “I am…” 

–   I am_______ because …

–   Thank you.