Is business always boring?
Kenexa, an IBM company, annually measures the organisational performance of many of New Zealand's top businesses. Last year, 70 per cent of the approximately 34,000 New Zealand employees whose organisations took part in Kenexa Best Workplaces 2012 agreed that their organisation is a fun place to work. Those who agreed were also more likely to be engaged - that is, emotionally, cognitively and behaviourally aligned with the organisation, such that they are willing to put discretionary effort towards accomplishing tasks necessary to achieving the organisation's goals. Does this mean managers should try to emulate the Google physical work environment (a tough ask!) or follow the advice of self-styled "fun gurus" and organise celebratory conga lines when sales deals are closed? No, because there are many kinds of workplace fun.
Organic fun is probably what most people think of when they think of fun. It develops spontaneously (such as inside jokes) and can be encouraged through the environment or organised events. Google does this well by providing opportunities for people to enjoy one another's company, with the hope that this will lead to greater opportunities for innovation and problem solving.
Managed fun involves situations which are typically organised by someone in authority, such as a shared morning tea. People are more likely to be cynical about this form of fun (eg. mandatory wearing of silly hats in meetings or a "joke roster"), but if everyone's on-board, these can be very successful.
Task-related fun involves aspects of the job which are specific to the work employees do, such as really loving the chance to talk to new customers or enjoying delivering presentations.
