Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and [...]Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.
I love this quote from Tom Sawyer. Not just for the insight on its face, but also for its context: the fence still got whitewashed. Work got done, and yet everyone had a grand ol' time accomplishing it. And with the growth of "serious games" and "virtual worlds," the training and organizational development world might be starting to agree with Mark Twain.
At MindLeaders, we believe deeply in Play and Fun. We believe that it's a core part of building knowledge, and of building teams and relationships. Our greatest example of this was held on Friday: our annual Halloween Party.
Outrageous costumes roam the halls all day long, we feast on a massive potluck lunch, and we gather up for an early end to the day to give prizes for all kinds of contests held throughout the week and eat and drink together. My friends envy me on Halloween Party day. When I show them pictures of the costumed craziness that goes on, their cracks are usually something along the lines of "Do you guys do any WORK in your office?!?"
Tom Sawyer's answer to that is no. Nobody is Working in our office on that day. Everyone's doing a lot of Playing. But much still gets accomplished, and the effects continue throughout the year. When MindLeaders employees talk about the company culture or what it's like to work here, the Halloween Party is frequently one of the first things mentioned. We've been doing it so many years that it's part of our DNA. Teams work together months in advance to come up with group costumes. Silos disappear on that day as everyone explores the halls to enjoy cool costumes or check out office decorations.
Our Halloween Party is strictly a company-building type of Play. For a great example of a teaching type of Play, check out DevLearn 2009's "Zombie Apocalypse." People are getting familiar with all types of social media, scouring it far more deeply than any Work class assignment would ever compel them to do, and it's Play. (And if you're trying to come up with a play idea, it's hard to go wrong with zombies.)
Got a team that needs to communicate better? Trying to teach some tough skills to someone? Want to knock down some tension or closed doors between teams, departments, or management and employees? Do some Playing. Not the fake kind of play that's still an obligation. If someone watching from the outside would question whether you're Working, then you have the right kind of Play.
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