29th September 2019
Guest blog: We’re ‘Culture’ Jamming! A round-up of the EEA and Totem’s latest event
Last week I went to ‘Culture Jam’, hosted by the lovely folks at the EEA and Totem. As someone big into music and having the odd ‘jam’, the event immediately caught my eye and it didn’t disappoint.
First up was Ted from Totem talking gamification and employee engagement. This is an area that really fascinates me – anything that can make work more fun and enjoyable has got to be a good thing. And of course the neuroscience backs this up – when we’re happy we’re better at most things.
Ted got us thinking about how many of us are playing games with companies we interact with, often without even realising: Fit-bit, nectar points, air-miles, uber-ratings, and strava to name a few. It was interesting to reflect on the types of games that engage us – for example some people love the competitive nature of a leader board, whereas for others it’s all about beating the clock or their personal best. Ted shared some interesting case-studies of companies who are embracing gamification to improve their employee experience and positively impact engagement. You can find out more about Totem here.
Deb Ward, CEO of Camm & Hooper was up next. I was chatting to Deb before the event and learnt that Camm & Hooper are all about extraordinary people curating iconic experiences. It was clear from talking to Deb that she is a CEO who really gets the people stuff, which is refreshing. Deb’s workshop focused on the power of strengths, and the difference this shift in perspective can make to success. This is something that we, at People Lab, completely endorse; our way of working and approach is grounded in positive psychology and taking a strength-based approach. Deb had us eating sweets to help illustrate her points, which is always a winner!
Finally, we heard from Sarah Meuer from Nestle who talked about how to differentiate your purpose with your people. Over recent years, companies have caught on to the idea that having a strong sense of purpose is good for business and for employees. Sarah talked about how Nestle are engaging their people to positively impact the circular economy – which is all about eliminating waste and finding ways to re-use resources, in this case plastics. To do this, Nestle recognised they would need a culture change and have embarked on a programme using viral change, workplace jams, hackathons and much more. I’m looking forward to hearing more about their journey at future EEA events.
I’d highly recommend going along to an EEA event if you get the chance, I always learn something new and have a great time with like-minded people.
Maybe see you at the next one…
Emma
If you’d like to download the slides from ‘Culture Jam’ you can do so here.