play and productivity

#creative #play #playfulness #productivity

Brief

The paper details a study that was done to find out how play cues affected meeting satisfaction, in order to promote creativity and playfulness in the workplace without sacrificing productivity, the paper examine the advantages of introducing play cues into meetings. , creativity, and efficiency. The study made use of a conventional meeting space at a conference center and randomly assigned participant groups to either a play-cued or a control condition. The publication includes information on the study's design and methodology as well as its outcomes and data. According to the study, adding play cues to meetings at work might boost creativity and playfulness without sacrificing productivity. The document also covers the advantages and disadvantages of employing play cues in business meetings. [1]

Main take aways

  1. Play cues can promote creativity and fun in meetings at work without sacrificing productivity.
  2. Play cues can be straightforward and inexpensive, like colorful toys or design in the conference room.
  3. In meetings with a creative focus, such as idea generating or creative issue resolution, play cues can be used selectively.
  4. Play cues can be an effective strategy to foster an environment conducive to creativity and productivity in business meetings. Workplace architects have long recognized the importance of contextual clues on behavior.

Some important concepts

Play

The paper provides references to two different definitions of "Play":

  1. Play is an absorbing and intrinsically motivated activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of self-consciousness. (Stuart Brown, 2009)
  2. Play is a voluntary activity or occupation executed within certain fixed limits of time and place, according to rules freely accepted but absolutely binding, having its aim in itself and accompanied by a feeling of tension, joy, and the consciousness that it is "different" from "ordinary life." (Brian Sutton-Smith)
Serious Play

Serious play is a situation in which participants accept the ambiguity of intentionality and engage in play to achieve serious results. (Statler, Heracleous, and Jacobs, 2011)

Related topics on my Vault

The power of fun

Benefits

The following are some benefits of adopting play cues in meetings at work, according to the document:

  1. Increasing playfulness and creativity without sacrificing productivity.
  2. Fostering an environment that is positive and laid-back so that attendees may collaborate and communicate more effectively.
  3. Offering a simple and inexpensive method to raise the quality of meetings at the office.
  4. Encouraging individuals to think creatively and come up with original ideas.
  5. Assisting meeting participants in removing barriers and hierarchies.
  6. Making meetings enjoyable and entertaining for attendees, which can boost motivation and job satisfaction.
  7. Showing corporate support for innovation and creativity, which can boost worker satisfaction and retention.

Disadvantages

The following are some of the potential disadvantages of using play cues in workplace meetings:

  1. Not all meeting situations or participants may be appropriate for play cues. Play cues may cause discomfort or distraction for certain attendees, and some meetings may call for a more serious or formal tone.
  2. More research is required to find the best way to employ play cues in business meetings because their impact may vary depending on the setting and particular requirements of the meeting.
  3. If play cues are not used regularly or if they are not incorporated into the organization's general culture, they may not be effective.
  4. Play cues could lose their impact if some participants or stakeholders perceive them as foolish or unprofessional.
  5. In some organizations or businesses, such as those that demand a high level of formality or seriousness, play cues may not be suitable.

  1. [Play and Productivity. Enhancing the creative climate at workplace meetings with play cues] (https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1123863.pdf) ↩︎