Theory X in Sheep's Clothing
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It seems like a simple, harmless idea. We'll turn work into a kind of play. Then people will like it and work harder. This is nothing more than Theory X in sheep's clothing.
Theory X was coined by Douglas McGregor in the 1960s. It says that "management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they inherently dislike work." The latest variation is that people inherently hate work and need to be tricked into enjoying themselves at work with a program that turns work (bad) into fun (good).
People can have fun at work without the balloons and the badges. I know this because I've listened to them describe a "time when it was great to come to work." Many of them used the very word, "fun" and they weren’t talking about a special program, they were talking about everyday work.
People will have fun at work if they're doing important (contributing) work with people they like. They need goals that are clear and reasonable and frequent feedback so they know where they stand. They need to be treated fairly.
Those things are simply "good supervision." Good bosses create the kind of workplace where people are productive and morale is high, the kind where people have fun.
Improve the quality of your supervision and people will have fun at work. They'll reap those powerful intrinsic rewards you've heard so much about.
If you have great supervision, you can supplement it with well-designed incentive and rewards programs that build on what happens every day. Those programs are a great addition to good supervision, not a substitute for it.
Boss's Bottom Line
If you create a great working environment for your team they'll be productive
while they reap the intrinsic rewards that make work fun.
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Categories: Fun
Tags: Boss Fun Leadership Management Supervision
Great article, as usual. I have one addition to make. It is always nice to be able to work with people I like, but it is far more important to work with people I respect.
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I agree with the sentiment, Carl, but I find that most of the time in the workplace those two things go together. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
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I agree with Carl: "Respect" and "Like" are two very different categories in my working relationships.
I agree with Wally: the people I respect, I tend to like. And if I like someone, I tend to respect them.
I am now forced to face examples of respecting someone I do not like. (The reverse is also true.)
Is this something that could be discussed here? I'd like to hear the insights of others on this topic.
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I have two quick reactions, Kirk. The first is that you've just nudged me to think about this more deeply. More later.
The other is that if people pick up on that thread, we can sure discuss it here. I'll be back in a bit to add my .02, as soon as I figure out exactly what it is.
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Interesting thought Wally. Consider the role of flow in workplace enjoyment. Flow stems from task engagement, being hit by a nerf dart while trying to make your contribution to the world might just impede one's ability to get into a flow state.
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OK, David, you get big points for that one. I won't be able to shake the image of a nerf dart breaking the concentration of a scientist about to make a breakthrough. Bravo!
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So true Wally. I think the same line of thinking can be applied to team building. While I have done a good bit of team building work (e.g., high ropes courses)the best way I have found to foster great teamwork is to have a group take on a real project together - one that matters to the individuals and the organization. These activities are fun, but the experience of teamwork is more often than not fleeting.
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That certainly matches my experience, Susan. I even wrote a post titled "How Not to Build a Team." We know some things about great business teams, but we have no evidence that the "fun" team-building outing actually does any good. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
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Susan,
You're spot on. Those "simulations" are not quite the real world, where teamwork really matters. Those team builds are good for ice breaking and getting people to really know one another, but they don't put people in those real world situations where turf, fiefdoms, control structures and such come into play.
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Well said, Steve. There's no real substitute for the real world.
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