A New Approach to "The Game"

What is the Phonothon game for? The conventional idea is that the game provides incentive, an economic concept that explains that someone will offer more effort for a perceived increase in utility. There is also the idea of a reward. There are many things to consider on this subject, i.e. I might post on this again. Here it goes.

Should "the game" be sparking competition between good workers (we'll get to this later)? Hell, yes. Undoubtedly. You get a prize! Should the prize be uniform or given based on its winner? Tougher question. I would say to vary it but that would be a cop out. Make it uniform. That doesn't mean the prize should be unremarkable. You should want to come home to your roommates and say, "look what I got!" Just as commission pay works for Billy Mays, prize incentives work for Phonothon callers.

Is that the only reason to play "the game"? Of course not. If only one person 'won', it would not be a game. It would be a jealousy contest. So what can be fun about "the game" if you are not winning? The experience. It's enjoyable. You like guessing the letters or shouting names of states (maybe). But is this fun going along with the job experience or taking a break from the job experience? Chances are...the latter. Sorry, but that's just the way it is (things will never be the same). So make the game more engaging without making it more distracting. Move where the board is. Bring in darts, balls, a balloonist (ok, maybe that's pushing it). Re-scripting the work environment is one of the main things that keeps workers from going postal.

It's not time to think of new games. It's time to think of new ways to play the games. It's time to think of new ways to incentivize performance. It's time to keep both the callers and the supervisors accountable. And, lastly, it's time to think of revitalizing the "job experience." Just because the Phonothon is not your career doesn't mean that it has to be just another job. "The game" has been a staple of the Phonothon working place. Tweaking it a little makes it a remarkable and essential part of the experience.