Wall Street Journal – Fun and Play at Work:
Working a team of 6 students, we looked at the impact of Fun and Play at Work on a company undergoing significant change – the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) soon after the purchase by News Corporation.

Research and educated guesses identified a number of problem areas: worry over employees’ future at the company, the state of the industry, and feelings of isolation contributing to low morale at the WSJ.

To combat these challenges, a solution involving Fun and Play at Work was proposed. Fun and Play can help decrease stress and increase productivity among employees. Some common ways of incorporating Fun and Play include social events, award banquets, opportunities for volunteerism, friendly competition, and entertainment. In addition, playful design of the workplace can be beneficial, such as engaging employees to brainstorm about the future of the industry and where they can contribute and fit in. Lastly, a physical space that emphasizes collaboration and illiterates the company culture can improve the effectiveness of the space and the people.

The final proposal included three recommendations to increase a sense of well-being at work: a history wall to retain connection to the WSJ of the past; monthly “Wall Street Winddowns” on Friday afternoons as an opportunity to connect and socialize that includes a “Journal Jargon” presentation of 20 slides in 10 minutes, on the topic of the employee’s choice; a program of “vocation vacations” which encourage employees to spend a day, week, or month shadowing another co-worker outside of their department; and a new intranet that allows employees to connect with each other and see what stories they are working on.

This project was purely speculative, and included no official contact with the Wall Street Journal by the team.

Final report available upon request.

Date: Spring 2009
Class: Leadership by Design
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Ideation, Concept Development, Project Management