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Benefit
#1
The more fun
we are having, the more we will accomplish. Skeptics exclaim, "Rubbish!
Nothing will be accomplished if everyone is focused on having fun."
Yet, numerous examples illustrate that fun increases productivity.
A few years
ago at the Thiokol Plant, an employee approached his foreman with
a proposal. He suggested that if the team achieved their quota by
Friday at 3:00 p.m., then they should shut down the plant for one
hour and go outside and fly paper airplanes. “No way,” the foreman
responded. This employee was not easily discouraged. After consulting
with his team members, he told the foreman they would produce 150
percent of their quota by Friday afternoon. The foreman first balked
but then reluctantly agreed to the deal.
Friday at 1:30
p.m., the team reached 110 percent of the quota; by 3:00 p.m., they
had surpassed 150 percent of the quota. Paper airplanes were airborne.
The employees began negotiating a game of volleyball for the next
week's reward if the team met the quota. The team hit record productivity
that next week, and continued to “barter” with the foreman for fun
in exchange for productivity.6
Productivity
also increases when everyone feels accountable for their role on
the team. If we feel responsible to follow through on our projects,
we are less likely to falter. Fun can make us more comfortable with
co-workers and supervisors thus increasing our commitment. A recent
study found workers who consider their supervisor a friend were
more likely to experience high job satisfaction than those that
don't (54 percent versus 30 percent) and less likely to look for
another job in the next two years (28 percent versus 45 percent).7
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