October 2006

Innovation Tips
...ideas for building collaborative innovation
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Having Fun at Work—Work Like a Dog

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."
   --Arnold Toynbee

Chances are pretty good that you are spending more time with your co-workers than with your family. Do you ever wish that you could be as relaxed in your work environment as you are at home? You can. The solution is simple: work like a dog.

Dogs don’t make a distinction between work and play. Everything is fun for them them. They thrive on fun and seemed forever ready for the next enjoyable experience. They wag their tales in a virtual nanosecond upon discovering their next playmate. We would all feel more successful and more relaxed if we could approach our work with the same enthusiasm, sensitivity, and optimism of a dog having fun.

And here is the best news. Not only do we individually feel better about our work when we are having fun, the organizations we serve do better as well. All of our experience with organizations suggests that productive creativity and cutting edge innovation travel with humor and fun like…well, like a pack of dogs.

Having fun at work strengthens the lighthearted bonds of cooperation between co-workers while it improves morale and reenergizes the workplace.

Playfair, “the world’s leading experts on fun and play at work” have made working like a dog a lot easier. The theme of their twelfth annual International Fun At Work Day conference is “Work Like Your Dog.” Among the tips listed at their web site (www.playfair.com) for working like a dog, they suggest bringing your dog to work; burying a bone—hiding little gifts around the office for co-workers to find; having a contest to guess which pet photo goes with which person; practicing positive reinforcement and praise; showing appreciation for little things.

Previous conferences have highlighted what various companies have done to generate fun at work. The Sprint headquarters in balmy Kansas City celebrated “Beach Day” transforming a parking lot into a beach complete with sand, live music, leis and sunglasses for "vacationing" employees.

The Global Service Center of MasterCard International celebrated Dress Your Manager Day, dressing supervisors as nuns, biker chicks, Elvis, a "used car salesman" and The Joker. Being friendly for their customers without was a lot easier when they were having fun within.

EDS in Buffalo, New York recognized leaders who created a fun environment with a "Manager of Mirth Award." Those who readily showed appreciation, gave timely recognition, created fun, fostered creativity and set a lighthearted example were acknowledged with the coveted award.

Creating a more relaxed and enjoyable work environment is a simple matter of working like a dog. Don’t let the stress of work be the tail that wags the dog of your well-being. Seize opportunities to enjoy yourself, pay attention to the opportunities to recognize others, anticipate the day with eager enthusiasm and optimism; before you know it, the whole organization will be wagging its tail.

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