Science and technology firms are finding benefits to the bottom line when employees bond over their musical instruments. It turns out working together to master the complexities of a Schubert symphony inspires cooperation and creative thinking which applies to solving problems in conference rooms.
“There’s no activity in the world where you have to react so quickly to each other and work together so well as in an orchestra,” says Johanna Weitkamp, conductor of the symphony orchestra at the enterprise software company SAP.
Company orchestras can spring up around the water cooler, as in that ah-ha moment when the sales manager reveals she plays the viola and the graphic designer pipes up about his piccolo. Violinists, trumpeters, and cellists chime in and suddenly the obvious next step is “Let’s start an orchestra”.
Managers noticing the trend are supporting the extracurricular efforts of employees from providing rehearsal space to funding for professional musicians to work with their orchestras.
It’s good PR too! Company orchestras perform at charity events, school graduations, and corporate events.
So, if you’re looking for team building within your company, forget the baseball diamond. Order in some sheet music. Trade the baseball jerseys for a tie and tails. You can read more and see photos here.
