Why Books@Work?
"One team member said that this was the most genuine form of community building and culture creation that they have experienced."
Dr. Susan Sweeney
President, GGB Bearing Technology
It starts and ends with social connection
Today’s organizations run on communication, collaboration and innovation. No industry is exempt: colleagues – from management to the front line – must work together to consider diverse perspectives, address challenges and solve problems collectively.
But working together is hard. In an age marked more by digital communication than human interaction, we are losing the ability to speak up, to discuss challenging topics, to learn together and from each other.
Books@Work starts with social connection. In facilitated discussions of narrative literature, participants connect as human beings across hierarchies and functions, breaking down barriers of difference and building up cultures of openness, respect and belonging.
Books@Work increases social connection to foster diversity & inclusion, undergird team effectiveness, nurture social wellness, catalyze culture change, and adds value simply as an unparalleled interpersonal experience.
Communication
Collaboration
Innovation
What makes Books@Work different?
Diversity & Inclusion
Without a robust mechanism for authentic inclusion, companies cannot leverage the full value of a diverse workforce.
True inclusion is a business imperative – critical but elusive.
- Companies that prioritize fairness and inclusion outperform their peers by 80%. [Forbes]
- Although 71% of companies strive for an inclusive culture, only 12% meet that goal. [Forbes]
When employees do not feel welcome to share ideas, make mistakes or challenge colleagues – or simply, when employees feel excluded or isolated – diverse perspectives are silenced.
In a Books@Work programs, the text is a springboard for respectful discussions on otherwise sensitive topics. Colleagues revisit paradigms, find common ground and jointly develop a culture of mutual respect.
A group at an urban medical center read Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns. One participant, who grew up in a rural environment, shared that he had never heard of Jim Crow. His colleague was shocked. “You know, she looked at me and said, ‘Did you grow up under a rock?’ I said, ‘Yeah. I did.’ So we got into a discussion. . . I’ve never been a prejudiced person, but it’s allowed me an even deeper understanding of the people I speak with now.”
Participants say that Books@Work improves their:
Team Effectiveness
Books@Work is “a loosening and stretching exercise” that hones effective team dynamics and capabilities.
It’s common sense: Successful organizations must have strong teams. But it’s not a one-time fix. Team effectiveness is a muscle to be conditioned and exercised regularly. Effective teams emerge from a constant process of collective discovery and learning.
We work with teams of engineers, restaurant workers, healthcare providers, machinists and more, using literature to encourage empathy, active listening, critical thinking and creativity. Our programs provide a safe space for groups to practice team dynamics in a low-stakes environment.
A corporate leader at a manufacturer has enthusiastically embraced Books@Work as a team building tool. “It gives us a platform to discuss ideas that are not threatening in the work environment. I think there’s a real, key benefit to that. There’s no right answer, and there’s no connection to your work performance. It’s strictly an exercise to better your communication skills amongst each other, just in terms of the group and the team dynamic.”
Participants say that Books@Work improves their:
Wellness
Social connection is one of the strongest predictors of workplace well-being. But the statistics are sobering:
- Only 30% of employees have a best friend at work and only 5% of employees strongly agree that their organization helps them build stronger personal relationships. [National Business Group on Health]
- 71% of employees are not fully engaged. [Dale Carnegie]
- 80% of workers feel stress on the job. [NBGH]
Books@Work addresses wellness at its roots. By providing a safe environment for colleagues to share and discuss literature, Books@Work encourages social, mental and emotional wellness, important steps toward a healthier and more inclusive work environment.
Two diverse groups of participants met weekly as part of a wellness initiative to encourage community on a university campus. One participant commented that “feeling connected to the larger campus and others contributes to a sense of belonging.” Another viewed her Books@Work sessions “as a weekly respite from the stress and rigors of my job. It was a lot like social therapy.”
Participants say that Books@Work improves their:
Culture Change
The most productive workplace cultures are founded in high-quality connections among colleagues.
Books@Works invites employees from every level of the organization, engaging their perspectives, demonstrating their value and fostering deeper interpersonal connections across hierarchies and functions. This barrier-breaking work develops a safe, inclusive work environment and a strong sense of community.
In short, Books@Work encourages employees to build – together – the kind of workplace culture they want to inhabit day-to-day.
A Books@Work program at an independent school included faculty, administrators, kitchen workers and maintenance staff. One participant noted how the program encouraged community among staff who don’t normally work together. “It helped me feel part of the school. . . It was quite therapeutic to talk about some of the issues that we all face and say, ‘That happened to me too.’”
Participants say that Books@Work improves their:
Just Because
Books@Work is more than a diversity & inclusion, team effectiveness, wellness or culture change intervention. In fact, many employers offer Books@Work just because the program serves as a unique opportunity to:
- Build critical thinking, communication and other personal and interpersonal skills
- Encourage self-reflection
- Nurture trust and mutual respect
- Discuss the “undiscussables”
- Create opportunities to build high-quality social connections
We work with employees from the shop floor to the management suite, within natural teams, or across hierarchies and functions.
One engineer explained why Books@Work allowed her to use a different part of her “nit-picky” and detailed-oriented engineering brain. “Using your brain in a different way allows you to be creative and think about things in different ways. Your brain is a muscle [and we need to] exercise it. And if you can have an outlet to be creative in a different way. . . It just gets you thinking in that mindset.”
Want to learn more about the research and learning principles behind our work? Visit our Science page or check out The Notebook for more in-depth posts written by Books@Work team members, professors, participants & more.