Managing to Have Fun: How Fun at Work Can Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers, and Boost Your Bottom Line [Paperback]

Matt Weinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 1997

What's the best way to revolutionize the workplace? Forget restructuring and reengineering. Have a little fun!

Imaging sendig a pizza to your assistant's home after keeping her late at the office...or writing a "thank you" note to her spouse for being so understanding! It's not business as usual, but as management consultant Matt Weinstein makes clear, recognition and appreciation can play a vital role in boosting morale and productivity among stressed-out, overworked employees. Based on his success with some of America's best-known and most profitable companies, Weinstein presents a step-by-step plan for building an enthusiastic, high-performance team and offers hundreds of tried-and-true techniques for enhancing employee satisfaction and personal pride.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Founder of Playfair Inc., a management consulting firm, Weinstein has put into practice many of the innovative motivational techniques prescribed in this manual. The keystone of this approach for businesses interested in team building for increased profitability is "fun in the workplace." Extrapolating from the free-form corporate culture evidently prevailing at Playfair, Weinstein outlines programs, both short- and long-term, that incorporate the intentional use of fun and play on the job in a way intended to promote professional community and enhance productivity at all levels. In a sampling of case presentations, Weinstein demonstrates activities that soften initial skepticism of CEOs, suggest non-embarrassing ways for personnel to interact socially and utilize humor as a humanizing element. "The company that plays together stays together" is the motto of this creative approach to management style and job satisfaction.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Jack Canfield coauthor of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul Inspirational, upbeat, practical. I can't remember when I've had more fun reading a business book and learned things I could put into practice the very next day.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey Author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Provides practical, amusing solutions, using laughter as a common ground.

Patricia Holt San Francisco Chronicle A spirited and fun-filled book.

Ken Blanchard coauthor of The One Minute Manager Managing to Have Fun is a fun read, but don't let its playful tone fool you. This is an important book about a serious subject, a must-read of any manager.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 219 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (January 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684827085
• ISBN-13: 978-0684827087
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Advantages of Fun at Work and How to Grasp Them!, June 12, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Managing to Have Fun: How Fun at Work Can Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers, and Boost Your Bottom Line (Paperback)

I was delighted when I found this book. I have been thinking about how much better work would be if fun was deliberately emphasized. Wow! Then I found a book that not only subscribes to that idea, but is full of practical advice for how to pursue that liberating concept.

Weinstein is the self-described emperor of a company called Playfair. He and his colleagues give a lot of speeches, and only charge if they fail to get a standing ovation. So far, they've always gotten paid. So here are some people who know how to generate enthusiasm.

In the beginning of the book, Weinstein uses an example of Marshall Hall, a CEO who came to one of his speeches, to show how the ideas can be pursued. At first, Hall could not imagine how he could take any of the pressure off his people. With coaching, he began to make steady progress in adding fun in ways that are consistent with the trust he has established in his enterprise. Skeptical people on the subject of fun will find these examples helpful.

In the middle of the book are 52 examples (one for each week of the year) of ideas for adding fun. You don't have to follow them blindly, but they can stimulate your thinking. One of my favorites was paying the toll for the person behind you at the toll booth, and lingering behind to see the expression on the person's face when they catch up to you on the road. I've done that, and it can be a lot of fun.

In the end, Weinstein tells a story from his own organization about someone who was having trouble dealing with a lot of fears about flying in small planes. Playfair evolved some fun ways to help him that made all of the difference.

Beyond the fact that we would all like to have some fun at work, the book makes a decent case for the role of fun in team building, better customer service, morale, generating loyalty, and in reducing stress. For example, in one study, those who found coins in a pay telephone were 4 times as likely to help someone who dropped packages in front of them as they finished their call as those who did not find any coins.

One of my very favorite examples in the book was of a boss who put little candies and rewards into his memos to encourage his assistant to have fun typing them up. Then, he surprised her one day by inviting her into the office, closing the door, and dancing with her for one minute. He knew she liked dancing, and they do this once a month or so. Basically, it is an affirmation of his respect for her. It was this story that led to Marshall Hall feeling that he could never add fun to his company. He was sure his assistant would sue him for sexual harrassment!

Be sure to read the story about Aunt Jemima. It'll give you a good laugh as well.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making work more meaningful and satisfying for themselves and others. It is the essence of the fun part of the book, Nuts!, about Southwest Airlines.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!!, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Managing to Have Fun: How Fun at Work Can Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers, and Boost Your Bottom Line (Paperback)

These ideas are fantastic and transferrable to any work environment

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun in the workplace is not a lost art, April 21, 2000

By 

James Carroll "the Giant Geek" (Alabama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Managing to Have Fun: How Fun at Work Can Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers, and Boost Your Bottom Line (Paperback)

This book is highly valuable in a work culture that seems to uptight for its own good. This book gives wonderful ideas on how to make that stiff upperlip quiver into a smile.