Can KM Be Fun? – Part 2 of 2
In Part 1 of this topic, I provided some background and definitions, notably that “fun” is not the same as play or enjoyment or funny. What I am suggesting is brief, impromptu, even unexpected things that surprise, amuse or cause a laugh…yet reinforce and acknowledge certain desirable behaviors with minimal cost. The purpose is to reward good KM behaviors among the people who have important knowledge and need to share it better. My point of view is that if one reinforces right behaviors in a memorable (positive) way, there will be a good payback for a small effort, because the individual will feel acknowledged, and it will generate buzz around the office that will further reinforce KM objectives.
Here are a couple of Internet resources that you might find interesting to review (note: I have not included sites that rely heavily on computers, for example, virtual worlds, gaming or social science sites). The following sites focus on old-fashioned, face-to-face human interactions:
1. Volkswagen’s “The Fun Theory” initiative. The premise of the video and the site is something as simple as fun can change behaviors for the better. Once video hypothesizes “we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do so.” They turned the staircase next to the escalator in Odenplan, Stockholm into a functional piano keyboard. Stair traffic increased 66%, and you can see the joy many people got from the unexpected experience.
2. Fun at Work. Those crazy Brits come up with great ideas for all price ranges. Even if you don’t have a budget, you can still get some great ideas.
3. Playfair. Some good ideas for fun, but skip their home page, because the sound of the zooming airplane will make you crazy!
4. The Fun Department. Good list of resources supporting why fun at work has value and good results, in case you need to build a case or convince someone.
Having Fun with KM at Work–Premises
An important point that was raised in the discussion I referenced was that the premises for the “fun” need to clearly laid out for everyone. Here is what I suggest (additions are welcomed!):
KM Fun Premises
* The purpose of “fun” activities is to reinforce or acknowledge desirable behaviors related to the knowledge management program.
* A “fun” activity doesn’t have to cost money.
* Fun is positive for all.
* Management supports the fun concept (at least verbally, and participating in some way is even better).
* People can opt out if they wish.
* Failure to participate does not (or does) have consequences for the people in the group.
* Fun is often a matter of personal or cultural taste.
Along the lines of the last point, Matt Moore made the distinction that in one organization, the staff promotion ceremony involved a “knighting” with cape, crown and sword. In another, a glass of wine and a cheese cracker event at 5 pm on a Friday was considered scandalously wild. True. And of course, what’s funny to a Frenchman might be shocking to someone from China.
Here are some suggestions for the kinds of fun activities that might help motivate participation by workers who haven’t yet gotten on board with the KM Program. They might even result in positive benefits for everyone in the organization (but I’m reluctant to make any such claims).
Having Fun with KM at Work–Examples
Here are some suggestions of my own and some gathered from other sources.
1. How about a fictional KM consultant by the name of “Kay M”? (Fred Nickols) Is she a witty animated figure featured at the next company meeting? Is she an impertinent chatbot on the company intranet? Is she a psychic with a turban and crystal ball prowling the halls and handing out fortune cookies? You decide.
(reinforcement for desired behavior of remembering to participate in the KM program)
2. Management Zoo. Set a group goal for the department/team/company related to a KM target. Have the department head or other senior company official agree to put on/wear a silly costume around the office for a day if they achieve it. Takes the right sort of management, but hey, wearing a gorilla suit or dressing up like a zombie is not all that outrageous…
(reinforcement for desired behavior of showing management support for the KM program’s requests)
3. Project Debriefing. A person may give an AAR or debriefing to a group of interested colleagues about the completion of a project, and a box containing a gift card or an Attaboy from the company president descends upon them from the ceiling at the end of his/her presentation. Or a person dressed as the company mascot unexpectedly runs into the room, shakes the speaker’s hand and slaps them on the back, says “Well done!” and then runs out again.
(reinforcement for desired behavior of providing AAR/debriefings on projects to key people)
4. Toy Story. A person enters X number of entries into the company’s “knowledge base” and a foam rubber stress toy in the shape of a light bulb (printed with an appropriate message) appears miraculously at their desk over night. Or perhaps instead, a cool little gun that shoots nerf arrows imprinted with “Have some of my knowledge” or another slogan printed on them. One can imagine the arrows being shot over cubical walls at neighbors.
(reinforcement for desired behavior of adding information to the knowledge base and reminding others of the need to share one’s knowledge)
5. The Winner! A small raised platform is installed in the elevator. The platform is raised about 8-10 inches and painted a vivid color, with stenciling on top saying “#1 in knowledge sharing”. People who perform certain designated KM activities could be given a pin/ badge/ ribbon to wear in the office, and be encouraged to stand on that “winner’s platform” when they ride the elevator. (I know this is silly, but I’m stretching, okay?)
(reinforcement for desired behavior of completing certain defined KM activities)
6. Knowledge Sharing Wall of Fame. Find an empty wall, and call it Knowlege Sharing Wall of Fame. Create three categories (Major/Captain/Lieutenant or space objects like Moon, Star, Galaxy or whatever would work in your organization). Find a staff person with a camera and have them go around to each person who completes certain designated KM activities at different levels and snap pictures of them at their desks, and then post the photos on the KM wall of stars. Put a colored background as a frame around the pictures of any who really excel.
(reinforcement for desired behavior of meeting certain KM goals)
7. T-shirt Fashion Day. Set aside a casual day where people could wear a KM or company T-shirt to work, recreated into a “fashion” item (like a head scarf or necktie or jeans patches), that you could then give prizes for. That’s getting further away from the purpose of reinforcing a desired behavior change, but it does help to create a more informal and friendly work environment, which can also help break down the usually rigid knowledge silos in a conservative company.
(reinforcement for desired behavior of making people aware of the KM program)
8. Hand written Thank You. One could arrange for the president to send a hand written thank you note through interoffice mail to someone who excels at some aspect of KM, but that would be ordinary. To have it delivered on a scroll inside a balloon by a monkey…now that is memorable, and fun!
(reinforcement for desired behavior of management supporting the KM program)
9. Skits. (Don’t skip this one, I’m serious!) Whatever happened to skits? Maybe they only work in organizations that are willing to poke a little fun at themselves. I remember in the 1980s when I worked for two very large public accounting firms. There was always a Friday in late May (after the annual tax filing deadlines) at the end of “busy season”, where there was an all day outing at a big country club. Spouses and children were invited, barbeque, beer, dancing, tennis, swimming, golf…everything you can imagine. But the highlight of the day, which no one missed, was the skits. Right after lunch, the first year people (called fyps) and a group of partners took turns presenting secretly-rehearsed skits about the year and the firm. The fyps, of course, always noted the idiosyncratic behaviors and terms that they learned in their first year. So one skit was always a humorous slant on inhouse jargon and things they had found strange when they first encountered them. There were also departmental skits. The young auditors parodied the audit partners and their recognizable personal behaviors. The young tax professionals featured quirky things about tax code and their partners. The young management consultants had a field day with emerging buzz words and concepts, and usually reenacted some specific client situations that had occurred. The partners, when it was their turn, did ridiculous (for them) things, like pretend to be fyps and ask dumb questions, or speculate on what the world would be like if everyone did things exactly as they should. They would even wear costumes if needed. Why not have an afternoon of skits, with no sacred cows? You wouldn’t need a country club, just an auditorium and some ice cream.
(reinforcement for desired behaviors of management support for the KM program and sharing organizational stories and culture)
There’s a zen saying, “The bow kept forever taut will break.” Fun provides a fresh and engaging way to reinforce the positive behaviors you want to happen in your KM program, and will result in many other positive benefits as well.
