The Game of Work Charles A. Coonradt
In the Game of Work, Charles Coonradt shows us the parallels between business and sport. Scorekeeping and defining the field of play in business are some of the principles explained by the author through the use of instructions, worksheets and real life examples. The author shows how the manager as coach can be more than just a metaphor. The author states that there are three ways to manage; by observation, by judgment or by measurement. This book is about managing by measurement, keeping score.
The author notes the interesting fact that people will often pay money to work harder at recreation than they do at work. He notes several reasons for this (see notes below), one of which is that the scorekeeping is better in recreation. There are five characteristics that are used to explain why recreational scorekeeping is better business scorekeeping. These characteristics form the basics to be followed when setting up a business scorekeeping system. The Results to Resources Ratio (RRR) is the key to improving business results through scorekeeping.
A relatively short book, ~140 pages, The Game of Work is an easy read that is chock full of practical advice on how to use scorekeeping to improve your business. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their personal or business performance. I would love hear from anyone that has personal experiences in applying scorekeeping in their business they would like to share.
Notes:
Fifth edition, copyright 2001
All organizations rise or fall on the personal goals of the individuals in that organization.
3% of Americans are considered wealthy. The main difference between this group and the other groups is the people in the wealthy group have specific, written goals. That is, they keep score.
People often pay to work harder in recreation than they do at work.
Some reasons:
In recreation, the goals are clearly defined
In recreation, the scorekeeping is better
More objective
Self-administered
Peer audited
Dynamic
Allows the player to compare current personal performance with past personal performance as well as with an accepted standard
In recreation, the feedback is more frequent
In recreation, participants feel they have a higher degree of choice
In recreation, they don't change the rules in the middle of the game
Goals
Goals must be written
Goals must be your own
Goals must be positive
Goals must be measurable and specific
Goals are best stated in inflation-proof terms
Goals must be stated in the most visible terms available
Percentages are too vague, use something you can see and touch
Use pounds, units, calls, boxes, etc
Goals must contain a deadline
Goals must allow for personality changes
"You must first set those goals to become before you attempt to set goals to have." - J. Paul Getty, Being Rich
Goals must contain an interrelated statement of benefits
Idea - buy a cd when you reach a goal, write on the cover why you bought it
Goals must be realistic and obtainable
Individual goals are the foundation of corporate human-resource development and planning
Teamwork is based on great individual execution of assigned responsibilities.
Management by exception focuses on things that are going wrong.
When there is an absence of clearly defined goals and accurate scorekeeping, we are forced to concentrate on activity
Behavior precedes results
Spaced repetition is the powerful force behind conditioning of attitudes.
Success is the result of behavior, which is determined by attitudes, which are formed by conditioning, which takes place through spaced repetition.
The concept of defining the field of play shows us that in business, freedom is greatest when boundaries are clearly defined.
Hiring:
Look for coachability
Willingness to be accountable and scored
Explain the field of play (in detail), ask if they can play on this field
Assess past winning behavior, willingness to learn and grow
Don't abidicate the leadership to the people leaving by having them train the new guy
Motivation - motive and action - balance