We’ve been asking ourselves a question lately: what if the most serious, future-focused work our team could do looked a little more like play?
Imagine walking into a strategy meeting with your team and the screens are all dark, the lights are on and no one is cuing their slides. Just:
- A simple visual map
- Whiteboards and stick figures
- An analogue timer
- Sharpies and Post-its
- Challenges that sound like games
We launched a bold experiment and invited people across departments, disciplines and organizations to our house to identify and battle some of the ‘Terrible Trolls’ that challenge their organizations. Instead of sitting in a presentation we were asking them to step into a space created for participation. We set the stage. No tech. Just tools that invite people to think, speak and build together. Then we prepared for our first group.
Snapshots from recent activities, from left to right: an analog timer, sticky notes capturing ideas, paper tools for folks to take home after participating.
Some were skeptical. People who might not cross paths often, crossed our threshold, poured themselves a coffee and pulled up a chair. And every time, something wild happened. Teams who expected to write emails to someone else someplace else walked out talking to each other – energized, focused and full of ideas they didn’t know they had.
Happy follow-ups rolled in. Skeptics cracked smiles. Hierarchies faded. We learned play builds trust.
Experts like Dr. Stuart Brown (National Institute for Play), Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School), and Dr. Peter Gray (Boston College) have been saying it for years: Play isn’t a break from the work. It is the real work.
- Play activates our creativity
- It revs up the planning and problem-solving centers of our brain
- It invites people to participate – and makes it psychologically safe to do so
- It lowers social barriers and builds connection
- Play builds trust
What might your next breakthrough look like if you gave your team permission to play?
Active, engaging exercises are proven to help teams learn faster and retain information longer. Give your team the play advantage by learning more about membership today.
