Workers' Playtime?: Boundaries and Cynicism in a ''Culture of Fun'' Program
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science http://jab.sagepub.com/ Workers ' Playtime? : Boundaries and Cynicism in a ' 'Culture of Fun ' ' Program
Peter Fleming Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 2005 41: 285 DOI: 10.1177/0021886305277033 The online version of this article can be found at: http://jab.sagepub.com/content/41/3/285
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NTL Institute
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Fleming / WORKERS’ PLAYTIME? THE JOURNAL OF APPLIED 10.1177/0021886305277033 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCESeptember 2005 ARTICLE
Workers’ Playtime?
Boundaries and Cynicism in a “Culture of Fun” Program
Peter Fleming
University of Cambridge
This article examines the popular trend among management academics, consultants, and practitioners of prescribing “cultures of fun” to enhance productivity. This management approach suggests inter alia that organizations should break with the conventional wisdom of delineating work from play and instead craft an environment of fun and humor. Drawing on a field study of a communications firm, the article demonstrates how managed “fun” involves the symbolic blurring of traditional boundaries that usually distinguish work and nonwork. Typically nonwork experiences associated with family, lifestyle, consumption, and school are evoked to create a more pleasurable atmosphere. In the study however, this blurring had an unintended effect of fuelling cynicism among some employees. Although this cynicism probably has a number of sources, it is argued that its
Peter Fleming Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 2005 41: 285 DOI: 10.1177/0021886305277033 The online version of this article can be found at: http://jab.sagepub.com/content/41/3/285
Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of:
NTL Institute
Additional services and information for The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science can be found at: Email Alerts: http://jab.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://jab.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations: http://jab.sagepub.com/content/41/3/285.refs.html
Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010
Fleming / WORKERS’ PLAYTIME? THE JOURNAL OF APPLIED 10.1177/0021886305277033 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCESeptember 2005 ARTICLE
Workers’ Playtime?
Boundaries and Cynicism in a “Culture of Fun” Program
Peter Fleming
University of Cambridge
This article examines the popular trend among management academics, consultants, and practitioners of prescribing “cultures of fun” to enhance productivity. This management approach suggests inter alia that organizations should break with the conventional wisdom of delineating work from play and instead craft an environment of fun and humor. Drawing on a field study of a communications firm, the article demonstrates how managed “fun” involves the symbolic blurring of traditional boundaries that usually distinguish work and nonwork. Typically nonwork experiences associated with family, lifestyle, consumption, and school are evoked to create a more pleasurable atmosphere. In the study however, this blurring had an unintended effect of fuelling cynicism among some employees. Although this cynicism probably has a number of sources, it is argued that its
Citations: http://jab.sagepub.com/content/41/3/285.refs.html Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 286 Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 Fleming / WORKERS’ PLAYTIME? Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 288 Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 Fleming / WORKERS’ PLAYTIME? 289 1956; Perrow, 1986) Downloaded from jab.sagepub.com at University of Melbourne Library on August 7, 2010 290