Businesses

“Games teach that failure isn’t bad and that collaboration isn’t cheating.”

- Henry Jenkins (MIT Media Lab)

IN THE BUSINESS OF BETTER COMMUNICATION

You might say we’re in the corporate space by accident. But then, so are Post-It notes… What began as a toy for blind children evolved into something for education more broadly – and then an interesting thing happened. We discovered our toys and our approach were invaluable in business settings.

It makes sense, of course. We believe there are better ways to teach people how to think through problems, work together, be creative and resourceful and resilient in changing conditions… Stop us when we’re reminding you of the economy you operate in, or the last mission statement you wrote.

What does this have to do with Empathy?

A lot actually.
Empathy is the key to better communication. Without it, an organization can’t understand who it serves (both in terms of markets and stakeholders), how its own people do their work, or what the next steps are to advance a goal.

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Now what can we do for you?

Are you a Human Resources practitioner or in a leadership position at your organization?

You can make a pre-order of the CONNEXIONS™ Toy and run your own workshops. Our comprehensive Organization Package includes a 10-piece set with instructions on teaching Empathy and a number of activities to run in your workplace.
Or just leave it to the professionals and  order a workshop for your office, conference, or retreat here. (You can download a PDF of our Workshop Outline here.)

Are you a facilitator?

If you are a facilitator, contacts us about CONNEXIONS™ Toy workshop training.

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Continue reading . . .

Collaboration is the new Competition

It’s not just big-picture talk about globalization and corporate excellence that drives some theoretical conversation about sharper thinking or better communication. Businesses in the 21st century face a new landscape. The challenges are real, and they won’t be going away if we just apply an extra dose of 20th-century thinking.

Shall we run down the list?

1. Perhaps the most well-known for two decades now, the rise of globalized markets means that companies must communicate and perform across cultures near and far. But unlike in the cozy 90s, this game isn’t just for multinationals anymore. Businesses of all sizes must increasingly think about global markets, stakeholders, and supply chains from the start. If they don’t, global forces will eventually find them. So, then, how do we learn to talk –and listen– to the whole wide world? Who was teaching that in business school?

2. If your answer is something like a fancy segmented advertising budget, we’ve got a fax machine and a pager to sell you. Only one decade into the new century and businesses are operating with a new media environment that has no historical precedent – one where customers and communities control the majority of the message. More and more, success in the marketplace means engaging customers in a conversation – in a way that conventional advertising never did, and never even tried. How do we cultivate that skill set?

3. Internally, corporations are undergoing a lot of changes in organizational structure.
- Businesses must be more agile and units need to break down work silos in order to innovate.
- Organizations need to engage with external groups in a way that is seamless and uncluttered by the fear of vulnerability.
- With the Baby Boomers not retiring and Millenials entering the workforce, we all need to figure out how to make intergenerational teams function and thrive.
(We’ve barely got the hang of multicultural!)
- More than ever, employee recruitment and retention is a fierce undertaking. The most talented employees are expected to work hard, but in exchange they now look for work they find meaningful and organizations that treat them like friends.

Any ideas on how to develop a corporate culture that explodes with diversity, engagement, creativity, and innovation?

Yes, we’ve thought about this a lot. And we think the answer lies in being able to have productive conversations across (or despite) differences. Better communication leads to better collaboration, and collaboration is the new competition.