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Using play in your IT projects

Marko Rillo

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End the proverbs …

“Easy come, easy ...”

“Better a sparrow in the hand than

pigeon on the …”

“A penny saved is a penny …”

“Two heads are better than …”

“What you cannot do with muscle you

can do with …”

“Where there is smoke, there is …”

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This was a poor educational experience.

However, it was a brilliant play experience!

This was in fact a kind of play – a play of words

that all children love

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What is play?

The core essence of play is to explore, find out new things

Without objective – the aim of a play is to play voluntarily

Intrinsically motivated - provides childish joy and "flow"

Paradoxical: it is improvised (=free) and rules-based (=structured) at

the same time (however, rules are often re-created during a play)

The essence of play is to do things voluntarily the hard way – getting

out of the comfort zone to learn something new

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A personal experience

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Management Brains

TV Show

Jury decided – which one

was more appropriate

In every episode a

team of 3 members

solved a case study

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32 teams, 95 people

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Who did better – managerial types or those who played around

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We did in depth detailed video analysis

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Better rapport with people

They got information from the

company representatives

more easily

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Better able to withstand stress

Speed - 2 hours for problem

solving

Observation by TV crew

consisting of 8 members

Later the whole nation of viewers

can take a look at the result of the

assignment

Can either win or lose (face)

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Result: the most important connecting factor

between all of them was just playfulness itself

Those teams who were actively having fun and,

who played around and experimented enough

came up with best results

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Bob McKim, Creativity Researcher in 1960ies at

Stanford Design School

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Misconceptions about creativity

Many people can recollect the moment in their childhood when they

were judged they were no good in creating something

Most kindergarten children consider themselves creative

Already minority of teenagers think it

Only a fraction of adults think it

We mistakenly judge the ability of being creative on the basis of the

results of creation rather than the process of creativity

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Misconceptions about play

“You should not play at work!”

• We tend to have forgotten what does

it feel like to truly play at work

• Some companies have started using

playful “office props” for trying to

create a more playful atmosphere

• However, very few actually engage in

free play because the impact of play

is very difficult to measure

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“serious” is still prevailing

Photo credit: © Otto Bettmann/CORBIS

Brown & Vaughan (2009) Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and ….

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333339/?tag=seriousplay-20

• Tayloristic workplace

• Efficiency as the guiding factor

• Speed as ultimate goal

• No experimentation, just results

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Sometimes we deprive from play voluntarily -

engineers better or worse than 2 decades ago?

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Sir Richard Branson, Virgin: "Business has to be fun,

and to exercise your creative instincts"

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Other unconventionals

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Data about play?

“Humour at

workplace increases

productivity”(David Collinson - Uni. Lancaster)

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bullies, sociopaths and stress

"Opposite of play is

not work, it is

depression!"- Stuart Brown, National Institute for Play

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My PhD research path in this matter

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How to Best Sail Against the Wind?

Innovation

• Organic structures

• Decentralization

• Autonomy

• Delegation

Initiatives

• New product development

• Blue ocean strategy

• Entry to new markets

Efficiency

• Mechanic structures

• Centralization

• Synergy / coordination

• Control

Initiatives

• Cost cutting

• Quality management, ISO,

lean management

• Supply chain optimization

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Studying innovation and efficiency paradox at firms

Macro - shifts of strategic orientation observed in

company-wide initiatives

-1.00

-0.80

-0.60

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

Micro - practices of shift - observed via managers'

perceptions

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Results

• While previous research suggested

that companies innovate through

“short and rapid bursts” followed by a

long period of efficiency-seeking

• Findings: who had created a

constant routine for play to

innovate, performed better

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In less than 2 centuries, average life expectancy has

grown 2 times

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Death of the welfare state – projection of percentage

of people receiving pensions and social benefits

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 2036 2040

Estonian Statistics, Alis Tammur,, 27.02.2014

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Hockey stick charts: GDP, technology, info

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Homo Innovaticus

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Playing around = experimenting, learning!

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You have a diploma for playing with bricks? Really!?

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Do not think to build,

but build to think!

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We are all master storytellers

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We remember stories and metaphors easily

mark

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as structured play

Presenting a question Building a model Giving meaning(s)

By a facilitator Using bricks and imagination Using metaphors

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Telling a story Creating a landscape

To understand the other team members For holistic understanding of the entire team

LEGO® SERIOUSPLAY®

as structured play

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Creating connections and building a system Generating principles

To understand relationships To manage future

Testing and play

To develop scenarios

LEGO® SERIOUSPLAY®

as structured play

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People involved in play are motivated and engaged

“Lean Backward” Meetings:

a few participants engage

“Lean Forward” Meetings:

most participants engage

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We understand each other better through play

Play is honest – it shows us things we did

not know we knew

Models simplify our daily complexities

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A recent challenge – addressing introverts

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Different types of play at IT firms

Engineers

Discovery and exploration

through instructions

Architects

Creation considering

constraints and limits

Designers

Visual creativity

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Types of play

• Jokers – overall joyful and playful behavior

• Social players – play via interaction with others (leading, orchestrating)

• Movers – physical play with your body (dancers, sportsmen)

• Curious – exploratory plays (adventure, things, learning)

• Competitors – play to win

• Collectors – play through collecting things (stamps, money)

• Artists – play through building, creation and self-fulfilment

• Players with words – creators of imaginary worlds and landscapes

• Etc.

(Stuart Brown - National Institute for Play)

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Ok – lets not just talk about play

Lets do a social play

Social Play. Stand up, face each other in pairs and shake your hands

using your left hand. Shake left hands also with your other neighbour.

Get to know both of them!

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Body play. Look with your neighbour at each

other and within 30 seconds do something with

your body to make them laugh without using any

words

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Word play: start telling a story to your neighbour.

The neighbour can stop you halfway through

every 3 or 4 sentences and say a random word.

You must continue your story with this random

word. See where you will end up!

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Reach U – Probably the only

company where the annual

report is presented as a map

http://www.reach-u.com/management-report.html

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Skype – office like home

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Office workers playing hipster salespeople

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Lets make sure that in

addition to life-long-

learning we also cherish

life-long-playing

© John Lund/Sam Diephuis/Blend Images/Corbis