More than twenty-five years ago, Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle had unhappy employees and was in financial trouble. Rather than close shop, owner John Yokoyama sought help from consultant Jim Bergquist to improve his leadership and energize the workforce. Rather than rule as a tyrant, Yokoyama learned how to actively involve employees in the business. Soon, staff felt more empowered and gained more enjoyment from their work. They also began to actively have fun at work, including setting goals as a game, throwing fish to each other as sport, and pretending they are "world famous". Today, thanks to these and other strategies described in this video case, Pike Place is world famous. The little shop has become a tourist attraction and customers from California to New York call in orders.

Discussion Questions

2. Explain how the changes at Pike Place Fish Market improved job satisfaction and reduced turnover. How did these attitude changes affect customer satisfaction? 
4. Goal setting is discussed as an important activity at Pike Place. Evaluate the effectiveness of this goal setting process.
6. How is coaching applied at Pike Place, and how does this coaching influence employee performance?
8. Howare the four organisational learning processes applied to the Pike Place Fish Market?