are working together on A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FESTIVAL IN THE WORKPLACE CONCEPT.

The purpose of their research is to study "festivals" to understand their transformational essence and apply this knowledge in the workplace to develop a model of a positive, productive and fulfilling workplace culture.

The idea of the Festival in the Workplace was first conceptualized in1997 to answer the question, "Why is it that many workers in countries such as The Bahamas, Trinidad and Brazil, are observed to be going at half or less of the expected pace at work, yet these same persons become involved in preparations for their annual festival and are transformed into creative, passionate, focused and productive workers who experience great joy and fulfillment in their festival work?"

Festival in the Workplace (FITW) is a transformation process designed to ignite the creative spirit and stimulate the development of a new organizational culture. This culture is characterized by joy, freedom of expression and freedom to be your "true" self, creativity, shared purpose and vision, collaboration, high performance, meaningful and fulfilling work, ongoing learning and a sense of community.

FITW is both an ongoing process and a series of festival events.

There are two basic objectives of this research:

CONDUCT:

1. An overview of the festivals of the Caribbean and the Americas focusing on their socio-cultural and economic impact.

2. An in depth study of the Junkanoo Festival of The Bahamas and the Carnivals of Trinidad and Brazil. The aim of this study would be to understand the essential characteristics of festivals that can collectively serve as a catalyst for personal and organizational transformation.

DOCUMENT:

1. The development of the basic concept and the design of a process of transformation that has applications for individuals, the workplace and schools.

2. The piloting of the process in the following organizations; a hotel, financial institution, hospital, government agency and school (in The Bahamas).

3. Highlight the lessons learned from the pilots and their implications for businesses, government agencies, and schools. It is expected that a model of a new workplace culture will emerge from the lessons learned from the pilots.