The Blog World

Can work be play? Scientists have discovered that joy on the job is our natural state.

We are like monkeys because we are hardwired to interact, cooperate, and play. Employees at some savvy companies play miniature golf in the hallways. Managers and team leaders appoint Humor Teams and Play Squads.

However, most of our organizations suffer from delight-deficiency syndrome. We think we must play OR work.

Why does play at work produce hefty financial rewards? When we are relaxed, we produce better quality. We function at a higher mental level. Our physical output is elevated. Play activates an alpha or theta brain state that stimulates joy and creativity.

Here’s an example of how a repetitive or boring task can become joy on the job. David Smith and Mark McCahill are computer scientists who were well aware of how tiresome the task of composing spreadsheets can be.

In the Croquet Project (www.opencroquet.org), Smith and McCahill and their colleagues created a virtual reality that merged play and joy with formulating spreadsheets. The scientists incorporated characters similar to video game icons into an open-source system with interactive three-dimensional virtual worlds.

Please don’t let this scientific language fool you. Human employees got to fulfill their need to be like primates at play… the staff clowned around while they shared resources. Employees manipulated their avatars to cooperatively edit text files and spreadsheets. The quality of their work was excellent.

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