Play, playfulness and organizational change

Do play and organizational change go together? Play offers a valuable perspective for change when the environment is dynamic and uncertain, and organizations want to prepare for the future.

What is play?

It is difficult to define play because a definition destroys playfulness. At the same time that is a characteristic of play: the moment you try to capture it in formal rules, there is no more play. That is why it is better to start with ourselves: Think about playing. What comes to mind? There is a big chance that words will come up like fun, energy, freedom, fascinating, voluntary, creativity, trust, connection, you play a role and forget about time. When you see children playing, you see spontaneous behavior. There is a lot of laughter, no matter how serious the play may be.

     Play has a number of characteristics that play theorists more or less agree upon.[1] Play is fun, it has no immediate use, except that you can have fun with it. Play is voluntary and once it becomes mandatory it is no longer play. Play is freedom and we keep on playing as long as we care or do not get tired. Play is relaxing and makes you laugh. Play is not ‘normal’ life, but it does offer the opportunity to escape from it. Play is spontaneous and intrinsically motivated. There are rules that arise during play and can be adjusted by the players. In play we often assume a role that gives the freedom to do something different. Play does not seem important, but it is. It is not reality, but almost is. Finally, for play there is a limit in place and time. Actually play evolves by itself and it may start over and over with the same or different people.

     Imagine that we can see changing organizations as a form of play making us feel free and allowing us to have fun. Play provides room to try new behavior and develop new ideas. This frees us from ingrained patterns and can contribute to profound changes in organizations and our culture.

Play and culture

Play is a way to deal with yourself and your fellow people. When playing together, people can express themselves and show their character and qualities, not only as individuals but also as a society. In play, people make choices about how they interact with each other. This creates social groups that together create and maintain cultural norms and values. In the play we discover and experience the world around us and we give meaning to what we see and find relevant.[2]

Playing is part of our culture. It is about what we consider valuable and how we interact with each other. In all cultures we see children playing, and usually they play the same games.[3] They experience freedom and fun and are not yet bound by the rules of the culture in which they are growing up. As we grow older, our cultural values start to influence the way we play. We fear that others may consider us immature, crazy, or wasting time. The fact that we think of playing as something childish is part of our culture, how we look at playing.

     Art is a special form of play. For a long time people devoted much time and energy on all kinds of art. It is quite probable that the earliest art forms played an important role in the social life of our ancestors and thus for their survival. By creatively playing and experimenting with all kinds of materials that were available, our ancestors made all kinds of discoveries, such as the fire, bow and arrow, and the wheel.[4]

     Play uncovers cohesion and promotes creativity and resourcefulness and gives us new ideas and solutions. Play thus contributes to survival and our collective consciousness.

Play and games

Children playing enjoy it because they create the play together, make up playing rules, challenge each other and have fun. They do not play a game just to win or to lose. The distinction between play and game is relevant.[5] The purpose of a game is usually clear. Play is more open-ended. Most games have strict rules and a referee seeing to it that the game is played according to the rules. A game is often extremely serious because there is a lot of money and prestige at stake. In play there is less competition than in a game. Play is about collaboration, not about opposition. In play there are no political games in which one tries to strengthen one’s position at the expense of others. There are rules in play, but they are used playfully and easily changed if that makes the play more fun and attractive. The rules in a match are strict and any violation punished. There is no aggression in play, as is often the case with a game. Someone who behaves too aggressively in the play is easily corrected by others because you make the play together while you play it.[6]

     Changing as a form of collaborative play is not about a competition with winners and losers, but about players who work together on a future and realize transformational changes.

The power of playing

Playing and learning are inextricably linked. While playing we learn best how to understand and handle reality. We learn from our mistakes and are invited to change our behavior. It is precisely when there are limits to space, time or materials that play gives us new ideas and solutions. Playing helps to prepare for the future and to deal with the challenges we face in our lives. We learn to deal with the unknown by trying something new.[7]

We are intrinsically motivated in play because we enjoy it. There is room for wonder and discovering how things come together. People have fun playing because they gain new insights and learn new skills.

Preparing for the future

All smart mammals play when they are young. There is a biological need to do so. When young animals are unable to play, they show strongly deviating social behavior and die earlier than peers are able to play. Playing allows young animals to prepare for the behavior they need when they are adults. Young lions jump at each other and practice for later when they catch a springbok. Young chimpanzees practice social behavior that allows them to function in a group. Grizzly bears that play the most in their youth have the greatest chance of survival.[8]

     People also need play to learn and socialize. The time children play goes together with the development of the frontal cortex in the brain. This part of the brain is relevant for cognitive skills, such as distinguishing relevant and irrelevant information, seeing patterns, recognizing their own feelings and emotions, and being able to envision the future. Compared to animals, people have an extremely long childhood. The longer your childhood, the more you can learn. The more you can learn, the better you develop into who you are. Although playing has no direct goal, playing as an exercise helps to deal with challenges.[9]

     People who play learn better how to deal with the world around them and respond better to unexpected events.

Learning to play together

Children who play together develop social skills that they need later in life and are better able to engage in social relationships. They learn to respect the needs of others and develop confidence in themselves and each other. Healthy collaboration involves taking each other into account, is based on openness and honesty towards each other, and generates fun and enthusiasm with each other.

     By playing, people can fulfill their ambitions together with others and continue to develop. Collaborative play arises in dialogue between people from different backgrounds who work together and challenge each other. They create new opportunities in an ongoing process. The fun of  playing grows when players know how to create space together and are able to influence their lives and well-being. Collaborative play may just be the most adequate way to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty in the world around us.[10]

     Collaborative play gives satisfaction when players create a new future together and can learn from each other.

Playfulness, creativity and innovation

Playfulness makes room to develop and apply new ideas. A playful attitude helps people adapt to rapidly changing circumstances by finding creative solutions to problems that arise. Playful behavior can generate radically new ideas and those new ideas can lead to new forms of behavior by which we approach the world. Playfulness is combined with a positive and optimistic outlook and an open view of the world.[11]

Creativity

Creativity is about developing ideas and creating new views and behaviors that can be applied in new situations. Creative people are original thinkers. They have many ideas, can quickly change mindsets and come up with new combinations. It is interesting that great thinkers, scientists, designers and artists often regard their work as play and take a curious and playful attitude in everything they do. Creative people are not prisoners of habits or what should and should not. They can play with changing habits and introduce new ways in which we work and live together.

     Groups are often more creative than individuals because more ideas arise in groups and those ideas are combined. The most creative groups consist of people with different backgrounds and a diversity of knowledge, experience and skills. They give each other space, every idea is valuable, there is no competition and there is a great willingness to play together. Diversity in a team increases the chance of refreshing and useful ideas.[12]

     Creative people are not necessarily innovative because often they do not come up with a practical translation of their ideas. Innovative people usually rely on the ideas of creative people and translate them into practical applications.

Innovation

Innovation starts with curiosity about how something works. Curious people are interested in new concepts and experiences, and try to avoid boredom. By playing, they try out new ideas and learn what works and what does not. Innovation is about realizing a new idea with a practical value that is embraced by others. Converting new ideas into successful innovation often requires tremendous effort. Innovative people are analytical, persistent and resilient. They take a positive attitude and are willing to play collaboratively.[13]  The majority of successful innovations are achieved without the explicit goal of cashing in on them.

     Innovation is the foundation of successful enterprises by developing new techniques, products, services and finding solutions to problems. Innovations change our world, the way we work and how we interact.

Change as Collaborative Play

Collaborative play is characterized by cooperation between players with people being able to take on varying roles and competition moving to the background. Collaborative play often starts with curiosity about what is going to happen. There is a sense of the unknown and excitement about the possibilities that the play offers and the space that is created for new ideas and perspectives. In the actual play people enjoy the movement that develops. Play experiences contribute to knowledge, understanding and skills. Shared experiences provide understanding of the working methods and culture that we have created together. This provides awareness of the power to change and the way in which we can bring about changes together.[14]

Change as play

Change as play is not about a planned change in a stable environment with preconceived goals. This method of change suits a situation with predictable events, stable structures, clear goals and proven methods. Most organizations have left this regulated world behind. Many companies experience their environment as ambiguous and paradoxical. In this dynamic world, developments continue to influence each other while it is unclear what the outcome will be. It seems as if everything is constantly changing, with some patterns continuing and showing some predictability and others suddenly popping up and causing turbulence. In this ambiguous context, change as a rational and planned process is an illusion. What we need is a approach to change that is based on interaction and a continuous process of testing and learning. Change as play is relevant when the environment is ambiguous and proven methods no longer work. This is a collective search process in which players work together to organize, change and innovate. Playing provides a positive view of changing and innovating organizations as a collective process. The difference between planned change and change as collaborative play is shown in the table below.

Profound change

Changing as collaborative play invites you to discover play patterns. It is not just about strategies, structures and systems, but also the unwritten playing rules and ingrained play patterns.[15]  In this way, collaborative play is also about cultural practices, obstacles and individual doubts. These very points of view are essential to make changes valuable, especially in the event of profound change and innovation. In collaborative play it is discussed how the play is played, who the real players are and how much room there is to play.

Change as collaborative play helps to understand existing playing rules and play patterns and to adjust them, if necessary. Rules in organizations are indispensable to deliver quality and to maintain a certain level of stability. When existing rules and ingrained play patterns lead to stagnation, it is necessary to question these rules and change them. Changing play patterns is necessary to be able to respond to unexpected events and to create room for innovation.

Dealing with the unexpected

In change as play, everyone can participate and play a role. The players enjoy the challenging situations in which they can develop themselves together with others. People enjoy playing when they can influence their own lives and well-being. A playing attitude calls for the creativity of players who challenge each other and develop scenarios without a clear beginning or end. They embark on the adventure in the space they create together. Chang as collaborative play means that players deal with unexpected events and unpredictable moments and that they create opportunities to develop themselves and enjoy it.

Homo ludens

As a playing person, homo ludens is able to shape his own future in the interaction with others.[17] Players in change collectively look for ways discard ingrained patterns and perceptions of reality. They change play concepts and playing rules. This makes change a continuous play in which the play becomes richer and sometimes changes drastically. People who are playing enjoy what they are doing. They feel that they have a grip on their own lives, which makes them more agile in an environment that is no longer unambiguous. In general, people with a playful attitude are more creative, happier and healthier.[18] Playfulness strengthens our adaptive skills and contributes to positive social relationships and greater self-awareness.[19]

Playful attitude

Being playful is an attitude, a way you face life. People differ from others in the degree of playfulness they adopt in their way of thinking and behavior. This difference has to do with education and personality.[20]  Stuart Brown describes various play forms that people use to give substance to playfulness:[21]

The explorer is excited to discover new things. This can be done physically by visiting new places and leaving the comfort zone, mentally by reflecting on events or learning about new themes, or emotionally by being open to new feelings through meditation or art such as painting, dance, music and literature. The explorer broadens his mind, which stimulates playfulness.

     The artist takes pleasure in producing something like paintings, sculptures, dance, fashion, but also in activities such as gardening, developing new working methods, and designing houses, bridges or new products. The artist likes to show his or her creation to the world. It is about creating something that is fascinating or impressive and that touches on beauty.

     The inventor wants to find a solution to an existing problem or create something new that makes life easier. The inventor plays with thoughts and materials, comes up with new combinations, makes new products, sees if something works and how something can be made better or more beautiful.

     The collector takes pleasure in collecting beautiful and interesting objects or experiences. Collectors often connect with like-minded people and exchange what they have discovered. They want to know how something works, they organize and find out what makes an object or experience attractive. They translate their experiences into new situations.

     The active types are at their happiest when they move by walking, cycling, running, doing yoga, dancing or swimming. They want to feel their bodies and explore their limits. They often form groups to motivate each other. They are not concerned with being the best, but with the activity itself that creates new energy and allows new thoughts to flow.

     The challenger enjoys competitive play and enjoys playing by challenging others and the ambition to be the best. It is not necessarily about winning and losing, but about the dynamics that unfold between the players and the fun you can enjoy together.

     The director enjoys inventing and performing scenes and realizing events. Directors bring others into the play, but are themselves the undisputed center of creativity and organizational strength. They show their creativity in coming up with interesting experiences and bringing people with different qualities together.

     The joker plays with sense and nonsense and makes others laugh with special angles and unexpected quips. The court jester is the oldest form of the joker who could playfully contradict prevailing views. The joker invites people to look at themselves and brings up established habits, thus creating space to try something new. 

     The storyteller uses imagination and knows how to convert events and emotions into a story that invites you to look differently at what is going on. We find storytellers among authors of books, stage or film scripts and among creators of cartoons, films, games and vlogs. The storytellers create an imaginative world and know how to touch, inspire and make people think.

Playfulness is a common feature of the above roles. The players are intrinsically motivated and find opportunities to play everywhere. Through their activities they continue to develop, adapt and improve. With their investigative and playful attitude, they continuously learn about themselves and the world around them. They always see opportunities to take initiative and have fun.

Can we play together?

It seems as if we are less willing to play as we get older, as if there is less room for playing when we are swallowed up by work, career, health, care for others and social obligations.  Most adults see playing as something that children do, something that does not fit into the adult world. Many leaders do not play because they are burdened by responsibility and believe that leadership is a serious matter. But when we do not play and do not have fun, then at some point the question will arise whether we are still happy. A helpful question is what makes you really happy and what gives you energy. A second question that arises is how we can play more. [22]

Experiences of play theorists provide guidance on how to become homo ludens again and thus make room for fun, creativity, innovation and change.[23] A first step is to go back to the playful plays you played when you were young and the fun you had with them. Look back at what gave you energy and pleasure, what role you played and what you felt with the people you played with. This reflection helps with the question of what you can do to find back your playful self and allow it in your work and life. Then open up to humor and fun in the things you do. It helps if you realize that you don't always have to be serious. It is important that you show yourself as a player. Allow yourself the space to be playful and ignore the fear of being irresponsible and immature. Improvise with playful working methods, try things out and see what the effects are. Find out for yourself what type of player you are, find others who encourage you to be playful and look for opportunities to use your play qualities. Playing is exploring new situations and pushing boundaries. Remember that you do not have to be in a playful position all the time. Find out for yourself when playfulness contributes to relaxation, creativity and innovation in the interaction with others. It is precisely in this collaborative play that we can shape change and innovation in a world that is ambiguous and dynamic.

References

[1]  Overview of publications addressing play and playfulness:

Bateson, P. & P. Martin (2013) Play, Playfulness, creativity and innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Burghardt, G. (2017) The origins, evolution and interconnections of play and ritual: setting the stage. In: C. Renfrew, I. Morly & M. Boyd (eds) Play and rituals: forms, foundations and evolution in animals and humans. pp. 23-39. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Ellis, M.J. (2011) Why people play. Champaign, Illinois: Sagamore Publishing.

Huizinga, J. (1938) Homo Ludens. A study of the play-element in culture. Edition 2014. Eastfort, CT: Matino Fine Books.

Johnson, J., S. Eberle, Th. Hendricks & D. Kuschner (Eds.) The handbook of the study of play. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

Kavanasgh, D., K. Keohane & C. Kuhling (2011) Organization in play. Bern: Peter Lang, International Academic Publishers.

Sicart, M. (2013) Play matters. Cambridge, MA: MIT press.

Sutton-Smith, B. (1997) The ambiguity of play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[2]   Huizinga, J. (1938) Homo Ludens. A study of the play-element in culture. Edition 2014. Eastfort, CT: Matino Fine Books.

[3]   The video artist Francis Alÿs has filmed playing children all over the world, in war zones, refugee camps, poor and rich areas. In his series of videos Children´s play you see children all over the world having fun and playing similar games.

[4]   Martens, R. (2019) We moeten spelen. Wat onderwijs aan een verkenning van onze natuur heeft. [We need to play. Education as an exploration of our nature and culture]. Driebergen: Nivoz.

[5]   Kohn, A. (1992) No contest. The case against competition. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[6]   Bateson, P. & P. Martin (2013) Play, Playfulness, creativity and innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[7]   Martens, R. (2019) We moeten spelen. Wat onderwijs aan een verkenning van onze natuur heeft. [We need to play. Education as an exploration of our nature and culture]. Driebergen: Nivoz.

[8]   Bekoff, M .& J.A. Byers (1998) Animal play: evolutionary, comparative and ecological perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[9]   Brown, S. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain, opens imagination and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin Group.

[10]  Lobman, C. & B.E. O’Neill (2011) Play and performance. (Eds.) Play and culture studies, 11. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

[11]  Lieberman, J.N. (1977) Playfulness: its relationship to imagination and creativity. New York: Academic Press.

[12]  Bateson, P. & P. Martin (2013) Play, Playfulness, creativity and innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[13]  Hardagon, A. & R.I. Sutton (2000) Building an innovation factory. Harvard Business Review, 78 (5), 157-166.

[14]  Eberle, S. (2014) The elements of play. Towards a philosophy and a definition of play. American Journal of Play, 6 (2), 214-233.

[15]   Scott-Morgan. P. (1994) The unwritten rules of the game. San Francisco: McGraw-Hill.

[16]  Huizinga, J. (1938) Homo Ludens. A study of the play-element in culture. Edition 2014. Eastfort, CT: Matino Fine Books.

[17]  Hendricks, T.S. (2014) Play as self-realization. Towards a general theory of play. American Journal of Play, 6(2), 190-213.

[18]  Brown, S. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain, opens imagination and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin Group.

[19]  Bateson, P. & P. Martin (2013) Play, Playfulness, creativity and innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[20]  Brown, S. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain, opens imagination and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin Group.

[21]  Sicart, M. (2013) Play matters. Cambridge, MA: MIT press1

[22] Brown, S. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain, opens imagination and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin Group.

[23] DeKoven, B.L. (2014) A playful path. Pittsburg, PA: Carnegie Mellon University - ETC Press.