The Playful Work Equation reveals the five qualities of a playful company

It’s no secret that humans are more capable than machines when it comes to creativity and innovation. 

Moravec’s Paradox, named after AI and robotics researcher Hans Moravec, is based on findings that suggest that what’s easy for humans can often be tricky for computers and vice versa. Humans are adaptable by nature and have the ability to come up with novel solutions — drawing from their life experiences, intuition, emotional intelligence and creativity. Machines can process extensive amounts of data but struggle to generate truly innovative ideas. 

Human creativity really is unmatched by machines.

So, how can organisations best draw on the very human skills of their people to thrive in the age of technology? Firstly, they need to learn how to play around with technology instead of vilifying it. 

With the right mindset and tools, AI doesn’t have to take our jobs – it can free us from mundane tasks to explore our human potential and the possibilities that lie within it.  

Once, I submitted a proposal for a leadership program to a creative agency. They wanted to upskill their leaders in emotional intelligence, inspiring others, and creating team alignment. 

The program I designed utilised play as the main tool to teach these human skills. After they reviewed my proposal, I was told they had gone with another company; a leadership coach, middle-aged cis male, who had previous military experience. The people and culture lead told me they had decided to go with the ‘safe’ option. 

What do businesses get out of being safe? 

Truly innovative companies like Heaps Normal, Who Gives a Crap and Airbnb succeed and supersede their competition because they do not choose the boring-safe-middle. It’s through risk-taking and unconventional thinking that these organisations will remain relevant in the face of rapid change. 

By ditching ‘business-as-usual’ and steering clear of ‘the way we’ve always done things’, companies can begin to adopt a more dynamic, play-driven approach to solve the conventional problems of the modern workforce like employee engagement, retention and wellbeing. We can’t solve these challenges with the same thinking we used to create them.

Play is the answer and the cornerstone of innovation and progress. Without play, there is no curiosity, creativity, adaptability or experimentation. It’s often seen as frivolous or distracting but if we didn’t need it, we would have lost it through natural selection. And while most would say the opposite of play is work, the opposite of play is not work – it’s apathy, conformity or even depression. 

The modern office is no longer a place for tasks, it’s a place for connection and collaboration. Play-led companies value fun, creativity and experimentation as essential components of a vibrant and dynamic culture. 

So rather than throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks – having completely disparate programs like yoga classes, a resilience keynote and a Hack-a-thon or creating ‘forced fun’ play scenarios that leave employees feeling disengaged and cynical, there are ways to design a culture where play becomes a habit – a mindset rather than a ‘tick box’ or “Oh, we did that fun thing once”. 

True playful work design is a way of working that fosters connection, wellbeing and new thinking. 

Based on months of research in collaboration with The LEGO Foundation and several global partners our research team at Culture Hero discovered that certain conditions need to be present for play to thrive. We call it the Playful Work Equation. 

From this research, we discovered that a playful company possesses these five qualities:

1. Permission to experiment: Employees are encouraged to explore new ideas, take risks, and experiment without fear of judgement or failure. There’s an open-mindedness towards unconventional approaches, allowing for creativity to flourish. It’s one thing to have a ping-pong table in the office (which no one uses) vs employees having permission to try, fail and try again. 
2. Physical and mental space: These workplaces provide physical, digital and mental spaces conducive to play including designated areas for relaxation and creative activities, as well as flexible work arrangements that allow for breaks and recharge time. For example, Google’s 70:20:10 rule is a guideline they use for innovation. They spend 70% of their time on core business tasks, 20% on related projects, and 10% on totally new ideas. 
3. Sparking inspiration: A playful workplace ignites inspiration and motivation through engaging activities, tools, techniques, training and stimulating challenges. Creative sparks are used as prompts for play, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning. 
4. Collaborative: Collaboration is infused with playfulness, as teams engage in brainstorming sessions, group activities, and gamified problem-solving. This fosters camaraderie, trust, and communication among colleagues, leading to enhanced teamwork and productivity. Collaboration always trumps genius.
5. Integrate play into processes: Play is seamlessly integrated into work processes and routines through ritual, infusing everyday tasks with elements of fun and creativity. From meetings to project development, playful approaches are embraced to stimulate fresh perspectives and to break through conventional thinking. 

By embodying these qualities, a playful workplace nurtures a culture of creativity, engagement, and enjoyment, ultimately leading to greater satisfaction, productivity, and innovation. 

Play is progress. 

It’s exploratory, generative, adaptive and collaborative capacities make it a vital resource and mechanism for change. If you want to change the world of work, you have to throw a better party than your competition –  because employers who play have employees who stay. 

Dara Simkin is a Play Pioneer and the founder of Culture Hero.

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