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A Software Developer’s Guide to
FUN in the workplace
(Hello Voxxed Milano!)
Holly Cummins
IBM Cloud Garage
@holly_cummins
Martijn Verburg
@karianna
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I’m from IBM’s Cloud Garage.
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I’m from IBM’s Cloud Garage.
(we are opening in Milan, by the way …)
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Is this a fun talk?
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Is this a fun talk?
No. It’s a talk about fun.
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Is this a fun talk?
No. It’s a talk about fun.
That’s different.
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Is this a fun talk?
No. It’s a talk about fun.
That’s different.
Obviously.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
20 step plan to achieve FUN.
1. Quantify and Qualify your FUN metrics
2. Create a Chief FUN Officer (CFO) role
3. Gamify your daily tasks to make them more FUN
4. Enthusiastically high five everyone each morning for FUN
5. Install a FUN ball pit
6. Inject a FUN word of the day into conversations
7. Wear FUN clothing, something with flair
8. Create FUN certificates with gold star systems - relive the fun of kindergarten!
9. Nominate FUN assessors for each team
10.Laugh Out Loud (LOL) once a day in the office, others will enjoy your FUN
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Let’s talk about your career.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
“Caro capo, you need to send
me to Voxxed Milano so I can go
to the session on…. FUN.”
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
“Caro capo, you need to send
me to Voxxed Milano so I can go
to the session on…. FUN.”
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
, Having fun at work
Are you brave enough?
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Are you brave enough?
I’m not :)
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Wait. Where’s “fun-loving”?
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We keep fun a secret.
Wait. Where’s “fun-loving”?
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What is Fun?
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A Fun Guy.
(Remember, fun means jokes.)
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"Fun is a point on the
intersection of engagement
levels and social interaction
for a given activity.”
Fun: An Exploration in its Relevance to Interaction Design - Elise Woolley, 2010
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Aside:
When is fun not-
fun?
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Aside:
When is fun not-
fun?
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Aside:
When is fun not-
fun?
When it's your job.
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Fun
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Fun
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How do you measure fun?
Excerpted from Elise M. Woolley, B.S.,
Fun: An Exploration in its Relevance to Interaction Design
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That was called the
Funtinuum.
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That was called the
Funtinuum.
If you remember just one thing from this talk …
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Exploration
focussed investigation
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Play
flexible
for its own sake
Exploration
focussed investigation
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Play
flexible
for its own sake
Exploration
focussed investigation
Puzzle
a goal and rules
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Play
flexible
for its own sake
Exploration
focussed investigation
Games
a winner and rules
Puzzle
a goal and rules
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Play
flexible
for its own sake
Work
a goal
Exploration
focussed investigation
Games
a winner and rules
Puzzle
a goal and rules
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Photo by Linearahandmade@etsy
Exploration
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Photo by William Warby
Puzzle
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Play
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Game
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Work
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Positive
affect
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Positive
affect
It feels
good
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It feels
good
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Programming is fun.
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Programming gives pleasure
to both types of thinkers:
• Creative
• Logical
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We get to control stuff when
we program.
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Photo by Linearahandmade@etsy
Exploration
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Photo by Linearahandmade@etsy
Exploration
> Hello, World
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Photo by William Warby
Puzzle
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Photo by William Warby
Puzzle
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException:
WhyWhyWhyIsThisHappeningNullPointerException
at StackTraceExample.method111(StackTraceExample.java:15)
at StackTraceExample.method11(StackTraceExample.java:11)
at StackTraceExample.method1(StackTraceExample.java:7)
at StackTraceExample.main(StackTraceExample.java:3)
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Game
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Game
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Katie Bouman,
discovering that her
algorithm for imaging
black holes worked.
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Katie Bouman,
discovering that her
algorithm for imaging
black holes worked.
It feels
good
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Why are most of our workplaces
Not Fun?
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The 1980/90's Management Model
Very hierarchical
Control favoured over
autonomy
Technology seen as a
cost centre
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http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk
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Puritan confronts ale drinkers
Howard Pyle
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the value of
fun in the
workplace
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@holly_cummins
IBM Watson IoT Centre, Munich
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IBM IoT Lab, Munich
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@holly_cummins
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“Pleasure in the job puts
perfection in the work.”
— Aristotle
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Research shows:
Fun is good for business.
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Research shows:
Fun is good for business.
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Studies have shown...
Employee fun
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Studies have shown...
Employee fun
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Studies have shown...
Employee fun
Less sick leave
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Studies have shown...
Employee fun
Less sick leave
Harder working
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Studies have shown...
Employee fun
Less sick leave
Harder working
More productivity
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https://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence
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“Your brain at positive is
31% more productive than
your brain at negative,
neutral or stressed. "
https://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence
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https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/eproto/workingpapers/happinessproductivity.pdf
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"Individuals [who just
watched a comedy video]
have approximately
12%
greater productivity."
https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/eproto/workingpapers/happinessproductivity.pdf
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Your brain needs breaks.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Breaks with exercise
are even better
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Practical example: Everyone loves lego trains.
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Info Support funded their employees’ lego trains.
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Thanks, @johanjanssen42!
Why? Good business.
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How much fun can you
expect to have?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulesson/3065570366
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How much fun can you
expect to have?
(Yes, this is a picture of
lots of fungi. You’re
welcome.)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulesson/3065570366
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Limits to Fun
• No one likes working on things that
aren’t valuable or useful.
• So if you take that to its extreme, and
only do activities if they’re fun and
enjoyable, will that work?
• Self-discipline is still needed.
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Just because it's fun, doesn't
mean it's good.
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Just because it's fun, doesn't
mean it's good.
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"I love the smell of napalm in the morning
.... smells like victory.”
Bill Kilgore,
Apocalypse Now
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"I love the smell of napalm in the morning
.... smells like victory.”
Bill Kilgore,
Apocalypse Now
Is everyone having fun?
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Fun. What could possibly go wrong?
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Fun. What could possibly go wrong?
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Fun. What could possibly go wrong?
2008: A developer had a lot of fun with Groovy.
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Fun. What could possibly go wrong?
2008: A developer had a lot of fun with Groovy.
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Fun. What could possibly go wrong?
2008: A developer had a lot of fun with Groovy.
2009: The others who had to maintain the code
had less fun.
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Enjoy fun.
Responsibly.
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_
How to achieve fun
Warning: This is our context and our experience of Fun.
Your workplace culture may be different.
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Step 1.
Find un-fun things.
Get rid of them.
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Step 0.
Stop prohibiting fun.
Obviously.
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“Please stop sending
emails telling people
you are sharing cake.”
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“If you’re in the office
after 5:30, you need
to be doing work.”
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“Why are you smiling? Work
isn’t a place to be happy!”
- a prowling project manager
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Step 1.
Find un-fun things.
Get rid of them.
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A process being unfun
is a red flag that it’s not
adding value.
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Step 1.
Find un-fun things.
Get rid of them.
... because they're probably waste.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Get rid of the stuff that stops
us doing what we enjoy.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Get rid of the stuff that stops
us doing what we enjoy.
“We’re short staffed. You’re going to
need to cancel all my meetings for a
month so I can do programming.”
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Get rid of the stuff that stops
us doing what we enjoy.
“We’re short staffed. You’re going to
need to cancel all my meetings for a
month so I can do programming.”
This worked!
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Interactions are fun.
Interruptions are not.
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Protect your coding time from
meetings.
“I’m sorry, since I’m pair-
programming, I can’t make
that meeting.”
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Pair programming
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
#noestimates
Estimates are rarely accurate.
Why bother??
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Can adding logging ever be fun?
Prototyping versus hardening
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Can adding logging ever be fun?
Prototyping versus hardening
Making a difference is fun.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Can adding logging ever be fun?
Prototyping versus hardening
Making a difference is fun.
Having a prototype become real is fun.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Can adding logging ever be fun?
Prototyping versus hardening
Making a difference is fun.
Having a prototype become real is fun.
Add the logging when you know it actually matters.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
"We don't want to be the
prototyping department.”
-- Head of Innovation, A-Client
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Testing should not be part of
the hardening phase.
TDD is fun.
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TDD
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TDD
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Automation
Computers don’t expect to have fun (yet).
Let them do the tedious tasks.
Bonus: Automating stuff is fun (yay!).
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Status for all to see.
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http://ibm.biz/bluemixgaragelondon
@holly_cummins @karianna
/* Discover. Collaborate. Deploy. */
Keep stories small, so
status is self-reporting.
Daily stand-up. Keep it
short.
Status for all to see.
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We all hate being told what to do.
Usually, because we know it’s wrong.
Let people make their own decisions.
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Step 2: Add fun
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TDD
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Build gamification
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Build gamification
(Strictly speaking, productization of build gamification)
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Build gamification
can be pretty serious.
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risks of gamification
• you may not be able to fool
users indefinitely
• it can start to feel an awful lot
like work
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risks of gamification
• you may not be able to fool
users indefinitely
• it can start to feel an awful lot
like work
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remember, you get what you measure
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Play
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Children learn through play.
Adults do too.
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Quirkiness
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Images: shawcomputing.net, computerhistory.org
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Images: shawcomputing.net, computerhistory.org
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Images: shawcomputing.net, computerhistory.org
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Images: shawcomputing.net, computerhistory.org
"Is 'Gullible' in the
Dictionary?"
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Quirkiness
How do a production-train slack-integration nicely:
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Feedback matters.
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_
Failing
at
Fun
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What if you got paid to do
something other people
would pay to do?
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No, not the best
job in the world.
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31% of us dislike team-
building activities.
http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/Meeting-Strategies/When-Teambuilding-Fails/
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How do you know you’re having
fun if you’re not measuring it?
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How to ruin an office party?
Take attendance.
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Failing at Fun
Forgetting to fix the other stuff.
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A layer of fun
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A layer of fun
… on top of a terrible
workspace …
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A layer of fun
… on top of a terrible
workspace …
is still terrible.
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_
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_
Fun is important.
Recap on achieving fun:
1. Get rid of un-fun things
2. Add fun things
Doing 2. without 1. is going to fail.
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Austin
Copenhagen
Dubai
London
Madrid
Melbourne
Munich
New York
Nice
Raleigh
San Francisco
São Paulo
Singapore
Tokyo
Toronto
Questions?
Holly Cummins
IBM Cloud Garage
@holly_cummins