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Application of Fish Philosophy at Work:

Introduction:

The FISH! Philosophy is a workplace management system created by John Christensen. The system was first published as a film, with a spin-off series of books. The central concepts of the system were inspired by the observed work culture at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market, anecdotes about which are often used as illustrations in the film and books. On a visit to Seattle, Christensen observed how animated and happy the employees at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market were in their work. They filled orders by flinging fish to each other, inciting laughter from the customers and compliments about their throwing/catching abilities, or commiseration if they missed. Employees would often invite customers to join the fun. The Pike Place employees gave their complete attention to each of their customers and ensured each had an enjoyable visit. Christensen realized that not only were the workers making a routine errand fun for themselves and their customers, they also were selling tons of fish. He constructed the FISH! Philosophy from his observations of Pike Place employees, arriving at four key concepts:

Play- Have fun and make the customers feel as though they can have fun while they're there, too. Make Their Day- When talking to customers, make eye contact and if doing nothing else, making the customer your main focus. This also includes striking up conversation with people walking by your business place. Be There [for Coworkers] (Often referred to as "Be Present" This is more to do with giving your full attention to a task or individual.) - Oftentimes while at the workplace, people will be there in body, but not mind, meaning that while they are there physically, their presence of mind isn't. 'Be there' means to be at the workplace in mind and body; to be completely focused on your work and others around you, and how you can help other employees maintain a positive attitude as well. Choose Your Attitude- The philosophy says that you choose your attitude when you wake up in the morning, whether to be nice and friendly for the rest of the day, or to be mean and surly for the rest of the day. The philosophy advises to 'choose' to be nice and friendly every day, and that good feeling will spread to others.

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The resulting FISH! film was translated into 17 languages and spawned a series of spin-off book titles, including Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results which has been translated into 34 languages.

Report on Fish Philosophy Training Program:

Activity 1: Introductions: The program began with a brief introduction of the participants in a very innovative manner. The participants had to pair up in teams of two and introduce their partners by saying “Two Truths and One Lie” about them. The audience had to then identify the lie from the truths and thus get to know the person well. Activity 2: Ideas for Fun At Work: Next, the trainer asked the participants to think of various unique ideas through which they could make their workplace a fun place to be at. The aim was to help the participants cultivate Out-of –the- Box thinking ideas. And indeed Varied & Practical ideas like- playing soft background music, having recreational time, having a laughter club, decorating the cubicles with favorite things, having indoor sports facilities etc, were listed by the participants. Activity 3: The Twisted Rope: In this activity, the participants were paired and their hands were tied with a rope forming two entwined circles. The goal of each pair was to free their wrists without untying the knots, breaking the rope or by deliberately forcing the rope. Duration of the activity: 20-25mins. Solution: This activity demanded Out-of-the Box thinking, with the solution being very simple- just pass one end of the string through the wrist of the partner and gently pull it. The partners’ hands will get untangled immediately. Application at work: The trainer introduced the 1st Fish Philosophy- “Fun at Work/Play” by this activity emphasizing on doing things innovatively, enjoying one’s work, trying out different solutions and thereby breaking the mental set. Activity 4: Puzzle: This consisted solving a paper puzzle, in a team of 4 by arranging the pieces systematically. The teams could communicate only non-verbally with each other. But the catch here was that none of the teams had complete pieces of the puzzle. Duration: 20 mins. Solution: The solution was only possible if all the teams would collaborate with each other non verbally and exchange the missing pieces of the puzzle appropriately. Application at work: Thus, this activity focused on the importance of collaboration with other related departments in the organization and team-work.

--Lunch Break --

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Activity 5: The Blindfold Game: It consisted of blindfolding the partner and holding his/her hand to guide him/her and make them aware of the surroundings of the room by making them feel it. Also, the trainer introduced the 2nd Fish Philosophy- “Be There”. Duration: 20mins. Application at work: The aim of this activity was to make participants aware of the importance of being there for the co-workers- physically and mentally, giving 100%, not overdoing i.e. maintaining the say/do ratio and not taking things for granted. Next, the trainer showed a video on the importance of a smile and appreciation- ‘Validation’ followed by a short discussion of the same. After that, the trainer introduced the 3rd Fish Philosophy- “Make their Day Special at Work.” This emphasized the use of appreciation, importance of a good character, constructive feedback & importance of timely feedback. Next, the 4th Fish philosophy was introduced- “Choose Your Attitude” which focuses on having a positive attitude and spreading goodwill. Activity 6: Write a Message: This comprised of writing a sentence about all the participants on a paper which was attached to their backs. Duration: 20 mins. Application at work: The aim of this activity was to give a feedback to the person based one’s observations. It helped in understanding self better and also to understand what other’s think about us. Next, an inspirational video titled “Everyday” was shown which highlighted the importance of having a passion in life and overcoming all odds to achieve it. This was followed by a small discussion on the importance of other values besides the 4 philosophies of Fish like: Customer Orientation, Communication, Team-spirit, Engagement, Aligning one’s goals to the company’s goals etc. Activity 7: The Money Game: This was the last activity in which each person had to invest 100rs as a playing amount which was returned at the end of the game. This game began by dividing the participants in 3 groups, with each group given a starting amount of 300rs. Also, each team was to raise either a white flag (to win 50 Rs) & a black flag (lose 200 Rs), depending on which flag the other two teams showed up. Duration: 25-30 mins. Solution: The game ended when the trainer was left with no money to spare & the winner group was one with the highest amount earned. Application at work: This game focused on building trust, creating a Win-Win situation & the importance of group cohesiveness.

This was followed by introspection and a group discussion round focusing on personal goals, values & having a passion in life. Also, the trainer asked all the participants to talk about one take-away message learnt from the training. Lastly, the feedback forms were circulated and filled by the participants, followed by a thank-you note and a group photo taken.

Thank You.