Play is the fast route to engagement and breakthrough results. When fun sets the tone, playfulness transforms challenges into opportunities and work into a playground for exploring better ways.
Playfulness might be seen as distraction, yet there are a myriad of business reasons to welcome more playful techniques at work. When we play, we relax, we flex, we become more open to options we didn’t spot before. A curiosity emerges in tackling common challenges. Play strengthens relationships and makes problem-solving more dynamic and relevant.
We’ve yet to to work with a client who does not see communication, less silo’d working, taking more initiative, healthy team dynamics, alignment around goals, and a happy, adaptable workforce as important.
So, what playful techniques/tools can shift the dial?
1. Communicating, breaking down silo’s, taking initiative
- Play is relaxing, it lowers our barriers and helps us to fund points of synergy rather than difference.
- It fosters psychological safety, where teams feel comfortable expressing thoughts without judgment. We become more willing to share ideas with each another.
- The exploratory nature of play makes us more likely to connect with those outside our immediate comfort zone. This kind of engagement gradually eats away at silo’s.
Technique: Bricks for Building Climates of Inquiry: Duplo bricks are used to unpack communication styles and provide immediate unvarnished feedback in a context where it can be easily digested. This technique builds the skills that make conversations more engaging and effective, and highlights the questioning skills that are the bedrock for taking initiative. Context matters too, so there’s some reflective practice on how groups themselves create or disable initiative.
2. Solving problems and making decisions
- Playful exploration generates a wider range of possible solutions. That is because it allows diverse actors to express ideas with confidence and get clarity on how they solve for common problems.
- It also teaches listening, patience and respect for ideas that sit outside the norm.
- It encourages teams to experiment, take risks, decide upon and implement novel solutions, considering the factors that fuel or impede successful rollout.
- Employees with a playful approach tend to embrace challenges rather than avoid them.
Technique: LEGO Serious Play: Lego bricks serve as a medium to explore complex issues from diverse perspectives as we 3D print our ideas, share and discuss them. This is another hands-on method that taps into deeper creative thinking and allows us to visualise complex issues in a democratic way. The usual suspects don’t dominate the conversation, and we get 100% engagement. We can build out the barriers we might face, or generate scenarios that can be road tested for fit. Decision making is vastly improved.
3. Improved trust and team dynamics
- Play creates shared experiences that build stronger relationships.
- It breaks down hierarchy, making leaders more approachable.
- Trust and camaraderie grow when teams engage in playful collaboration.
- A playful mindset shifts focus from rigid thinking to seeing multiple perspectives.
- It helps individuals and teams stay adaptable in the face of change.
Technique: LEGO Serious Play.
4. Alignment
- Playful activities help teams uncover shared objectives in an engaging, low-pressure way.
- They encourage open dialogue, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.
- By making goal-setting more interactive, play fosters stronger commitment and alignment.
Technique: LEGO Serious Play.
5. Knowing the role you play in change
- Playfulness fosters curiosity and a willingness to learn. It makes people more open to feedback, change and continuous improvement.
- Playfulness triggers positive emotions, reducing workplace tension.
- It fosters resilience by making work feel more enjoyable, even in high-pressure environments.
Techniques: LEGO Serious Play and The GC Index: The GC Index identifies the impact that individuals and teams are likely to have in systems that are undergoing change. This data-driven approach puts practical, playful approaches on steroids – we collect information that teams turn into knowledge and wisdom applied within their own business context and challenges. We discover, learn, model and make decisions that drive the growth goals of the business.
6. Playful Leadership
- Playfulness encourages leaders to be more approachable, authentic, and open to new ideas.
- It shifts focus from hierarchy and control to collaboration and shared success, paving the way for the ‘initiative’ so many leaders ask about building in their people and teams.
- By embracing play, leaders let go of ego-driven decision-making and create space for trust, innovation, and team-driven solutions. That requires a little courage on the part of leaders, but strengthens their impact exponentially.
Techniques: LEGO Serious Play and The GC Index: These tools in combination provide playful, safe spaces for leaders to explore and boost their impact, while mapping and aligning around the future.
We have many tools at our fingertips to create smart, connected and high performance environments.
Is it time to put fun into the mix?
