Interested in a Japanese bathtub?

Perhaps the most famous advocate of rituals and the role they play in society is John Lennon. He once observed that “rituals are important.” He then set a good example: “Nowadays it’s fashionable not to be married. I’m not interested in being fashionable.”

No matter where you are on the hipster scale, rituals strengthen the relationships that exist between people, whether the rituals take place at home, in the place of worship, in the workplace, or in the community at large. general. Here are three tried-and-true “richuals” that will serve to increase creativity, gain new ideas, and reduce stress in the workplace.

~ Put yourself in a Japanese bathtub mode

A favorite interview technique of Japanese companies operating in the United States is to put applicants into teams, give them five minutes, and ask them to list as many ways to improve a bathtub as they can. The resulting ideas are not only impressive in terms of quantity but equally impressive in terms of quality.

Periodically, bring together those facing a particular problem (and perhaps even those who will be affected by its solution). Set the timer for five minutes and ask the teams to generate possible solutions to the problem, posed as a question.
Hear reports from each team, record your ideas, and then vote to find the one most worth following.

~Start staff meetings with a question

It was Peter Drucker, known as the father of modern management science, who pointed out that exceptional leaders know how to ask questions, the right questions. Whether you’re leading or just attending the meeting, try to pose a thought-provoking question at the beginning of each meeting. These questions of the week could be published after the meeting, along with the interesting answers they generated. And take this observation from James Thurber, beloved American humorist: “I’d rather know some of the questions than all the answers.”

~ Remove warts of worry
You will need volunteers for this one, people willing to take the concern test. Here are the questions.

1) What percentage of the time does negativity creep into your conversations?
2) What percentage of the time at work do you feel stressed?
3) What percentage of the time do you have trouble concentrating?
4) What percentage of the time do you find yourself having a bad day?
5) What percentage of the time do you give problems more emotion than they deserve?

Once the volunteers have taken the test, they are asked to find a colleague to answer the questions in reference to the original examinee. Discrepancies and perceptions will be discussed.

Suggest those with responses in the 50+% range:
1) Do something physical as soon as stress hits: take ten deep breaths or lift weights for 60 seconds.
2) Identify the worst that can happen. Then write what you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen.
3) Talk about the situation with someone you respect.
4) Make a list of all the things that worry you. Then divide the items into two columns: those you can do something about and those you can’t do anything about. He resolves to give the second column very little time.

Prioritize the items in the first column based on the severity of their consequences. Make contingency plans for the five most serious problems. Once you’ve done this, make contingency plans for the next five and so on. Every three months, review and modify the list.

The Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran noted that “in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” The little things you can do to increase creativity, increase interpersonal understanding, and decrease tension will go a long way toward achieving harmony in the workplace.