FISH! Philosophy of Teamwork Essay

FISH is a doctrine volume virtually the world be implementing in thrash gives and educational facilities to serve surrogate ma zero(prenominal)uvre and team upwork in their business. This philosophical system is interesting and has been self-made. The founders Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen pulled unneurotic to create three take fors on teamwork which argon named _ weight, lean Sticks and Fish Tales._ In these books they circulate pointers and tell stories of how making work pas era and work as a team creates success. (Lundin, Paul, & Christensen, 2000) The idea of this philosophy emerged in 1998 from a photograph produced by John Christensen.The film is active Seattles World historied Pike Place Market. John translated and depicted finished his film that redden in a piece of work where fishmongers spent smelly 12 min shifts stocking, selling, and packing fish that amazing things can happen when people learn the invitation to 1) Be There for their co-workers and customers, 2) Play, 3) Make someones day and 4) take on their attitude about how they show up for work. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) After the film appe argond the book _Fish,_ this has been on the best sellers list and translated into 17 diametric languages. Today the Fish doctrine has flourished among corporate and educational markets throughout the world. We argon not afraid to use words like love, soul, and spirit because those are an essential better of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businessesWe are on a journey together. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1)Lundin, Paul, and Christensen believe that on that point are four secrets and strategies for a better way to create fun and teamwork in businesses. First, be there for co-workers. The biggest ways to do this is by bright and acknowledging people while walking by them. Say hello, converse with co-workers, be friendly and function co-workers laugh. Take the time to listen to people around the workplace. When seeing a co-worker not happy, go up to them and give them a pat on the back and a compliment. Make an front and try to get to know everyone. Show up for work to help the team. A team is not a team with people missing. These are all some of the things we can do to be there for co-workers. These strategies are used worldwide and seem to help. The second strategy is to play at work. Playing helps energize the workplace.Some examples of play are telling jokes to co-workers, perchance even pass around appropriate jokes (no personal jokes), saying things throughout the day to help people laugh. Have theme eld where everybody dresses up differently. Having office disseveries helps unite play and team because everyone gets together. Create bulletin boards and illustrate the office with fun stuff ensuring everyones involvement. Making work fun helps work to get done and makes people want to participate in a team. Third, make someones day which is easy to do and makes the team run smoother. Several ways to make someones day are as easy as saying hello, complimenting their looks, take baked goods to work, having a candy bowl out for others to enjoy, thanking people for the excellent and often overlooked things they do for us, acknowledging others accomplishments, being nice, and by simply volunteering our time.When working as a team it is very important to remember team means we not I that is why it is so important to help the team work easier. (Morton, 2007) Fourth, aim your attitude. Attitude plays an important role in teamwork as well. The good thing about attitude is you can choose a new one. Some ways to keep a dictatorial attitude and help support the team are start each day with a personal positive thought, go to work with a positive attitude, put on a smile, start the day with a laugh or by being helpful, think positive. If you feel yourself acquire a bad attitude change it so it does not impinge on others, be pleasant even if your day is not going well, cave in home at home and last walk around, speak to co-workers and indirect request them a good day.Successful teams all over the world are using these strategies and making them work. Some of these teams are Ford Motor Company, rise Fargo, Sprint, the U.S. Army, the May O Clinic, Harley-Davison, the National Weather Service and Verizon wireless. (Lundin, Paul, & Christensen, 2000)An article about Verizon Wireless struck an interest to me. It tells about how the Fish Philosophy has helped the Southfield Verizon Wireless office. Call centers can be tough. Upset and angry customers impose with cathexis and service questions, even problems. They chew up whoever answers the phone and results can put up the company. They could have loss of customers, revenue, and employees. In a Southfield Verizon office receiving approximately 5,000 calls a day, you would probably expect it to be a stressful and frustrating place to work but due to them applying the Fish Phil osophy they say no. Instead the cubicles are decorated with cartoon fish and lessons for employees are attach on construction paper, employees can look forward to special days such as Mardi Gras, Black History and many others. Not lone(prenominal) are they just all around happy, out of 273 employees, most step to the fore happy. Verizon started using _Fish_ in 2002 and reported results have been excellent. There was a probatory decline in the call centers complaints. The Southfield Verizon center that uses this philosophy ranks top amongst the companys other 24 four call centers for solving customer problems on the first call. (Morath, 2005)How amazing that a philosophy developed from watching quaky workers at Seattles Pike Place Fish Market have fun, interact with customers and become a tourist attracter even though very smelly and not the cleanest place, tends to inspire, motivate, and engage employees through a system that makes work fun by rewarding creativeness empowering employees. Most of all they keep employees and even more important they work as a team. (Morath, 2005) These are just some of the many successful companies using the Fish Principles and this philosophy continue to grow. Teamwork is a vital part of life and we apply it everyday. We use it all over the place,why not have fun while doing it. (Tucker, 2007)Doing this research on _Fish_ not alone interested me but has taught me a great deal. I have knowing some very helpful tips in just this little time and if applied might truly help me not only in my job but with life and lifes struggles. Being part of a team is better than trying to accomplish tasks by oneself. I plan to keep learning and applying the Fish Philosophy and the four principles Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose the right attitude to enhance my life and work.ReferencesChristensen, J. (2007). _FISH Philosophy What is FISH._ Retrieved magisterial 15, 2007, from http//www.charthouse.com.Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., & Christensen, J. (2000). _FISH_ New York, NY Hyperion.Morath, E. (2005). Fish Philosophy catches on_._ _Michigan Live, 2005_, Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http//www.mlive.com.Morton, B. (2007, August 11, 2007). Team big concept in todays workplace (Final Edition). _Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask, 2007, August_, Pg. F.20. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID 1319529891).Tucker, C. (2007, March 21). Having fun at work and play Fish followers Fish Philosophy helps workers have fun. _York Daily Record,_ p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID 1240070001).