Re: Incentives LO1387

Tobin Quereau (quereau@austin.cc.tx.us)
Fri, 26 May 1995 12:11:48 -0500 (CDT)

Replying to LO1341 --

Thanks for the thought, David, here are some ideas along that line....

On Sun, 21 May 1995 DavidM1225@aol.com wrote:

[...snipped material]

> I had a supervisor tell me one time that if I wasn't having fun, I wasn't
> doing the job right.

[...snip]

> And at any rate, I think good learning enviornments, (and I am not
> preaching I don't think) have a good sense of humor where people are able
> to laugh at themselves.
>
> What about a staff develpment program called "Laugh and Learn"? although
> this philosophy should not be confined to a staff development program. It
> should arise naturally in the organizational culture don't ya think?
>
> What is the role of humor in a learning organization?

The same as it is in life! Humor and play help to shift our habitual
perspectives and generate alternative perceptions, they encourage the use
of imagination and support creativity, they facilitate interpersonal
interaction, enhance morale, and uplift the spirit, they stimulate
intrinsic enjoyment, pleasure, and delight, aid in the release of tension
and increase the available energy and motivation. But mainly, humor helps
to make life liveable and rewarding.

I use humor quite liberally in my workshops and organizational learning
work, though I shy away from trying to "teach" people how to be funny. I
have been known to hold sessions such as "Juggling Your Stress", however,
that gets people out of their normal roles and into a radically new
learning situation.

Some resources I know of that capitalize on this perspective in work
settings are:

_You Don't Have to Go Home from Work Exhausted!_, Ann McGee-Cooper, et al.,
Bowen and Rogers, 1990

_The New Game Plan for Recovery: Rediscovering the Positive Power of Play_,
Tobin Quereau and Tom Zimmermann, Ballantine, 1992. (Especially
Chapters One, Two, and Seven. Available from the author--me!--for
$11.50. Send e-mail request or write to me at Tobin Quereau, 2882
Barton Skyway, #263, Austin, TX 78746. USA for more information.)

HUMOResources Catalog from The Humor Project, 110 Spring St., Saratoga
Springs, NY 12866. (Dr. Joel Goodman has been working on this
theme for many years and has annual conferences on the topic
which are outstanding.)

Anyone else want to share some favorite resources on humor and play at
work?

--
Tobin Quereau
Austin Community College
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.
Austin, TX 78752
Phone: (512) 483-7821
Fax: (512) 483-7820
quereau@austin.cc.tx.us