FLOW: Play and CreativityIt’s the Play that Makes Serious Play Serious
Serious Play ConferenceAugust 21, 2013
Seattle, WA
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhDQuality of Life Research CenterClaremont Graduate University
Claremont, CA
COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Outline• Why is Play Serious?
• Flow: The Experience of Play
• The Elements of Flow
• What Makes Flow Happen
• Flow at Work
• Flow is Good Business
• The Making of an Interactive Simulation
Game for Teaching Flow to Managers.
What Is Serious About Play?
• Playfulness is necessary for personal development, from infancy to old age
• Playfulness is a necessary component
of creativity• Playfulness is an important component of
cultural evolution
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
What is Playfulness?
• Playfulness is a quality of experience
people feel when they do something they enjoy doing for its own sake,
usually in games, sports, artistic activities, but also in work and other “serious” activities.
• In what follows, I shall describe playfulness as the Flow Experience.
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE
WHEN WRITING POETRY
“You‘re right in the work, you lose your sense of time,
you’re completely enraptured, you‘re completely caught up
in what you’re doing…. there‘s no future or past, it’s just an
extended present in which you‘re making meaning…”
PoetMark Strand, 1991
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“To go into a dark room and look through the microscope and see these glowing objects which may be moving around or may be stationary, and in different colors – it's a video game, if you will. It's just beautiful…I can sit in front of a microscope for three or four hours at a time, just looking at the material and analyzing it….I can be very disconcerting to other people in the degree to which I can concentrate on something and not pay too much attention to what's going on around me.”
DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCEWHEN DOING RESEARCH
Cell biologist Joseph G. Gall, 1991
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
You Must Have Flow to Do Something Creative.
But You Can Have Flow Even if You Work on An Assembly Line.
So . . . What is Flow?
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (1.)
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“Concentration is like breathing: you never
think of it. The roof could fall in and, if it missed
you, you would be unaware of it.”
Chess player
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (2.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (3.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“You’re so involved in what you’re doing, you aren’t
thinking about yourself as separate from the immediate
activity. You’re no longer a participant observer, only a
participant. You’re moving in harmony with something else
you’re part of.”
Rock climber
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (4.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge.
– There is freedom from worry about failure.
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (5.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“You feel like…there’s nothing that will be able
to stop you or get in your way. And you’re ready to tackle anything, and you don’t fear any possibility happening, and it’s just
exhilarating.”
Cyclist(Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (6.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge.
– There is freedom from worry about failure.
– Self-consciousness disappears.
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (7.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“You are not aware of the body except your hands….not aware of self or personal
problems….If involved, you are not aware of aching feet,
not aware of self.”
Surgeon (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (8.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge.
– There is freedom from worry about failure.
– Self-consciousness disappears.
– The sense of time becomes distorted.
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (9.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“Two things happen…. After it’s passed, [time] seems to have
passed really fast. I see that it’s one o’clock in the morning and I
say, ‘Ah-ha, just a few minutes ago it was eight o’clock.’ But then while I’m dancing…it seems like it’s been
much longer than it really was.”
Social dancer (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (10.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge.
– There is freedom from worry about failure.
– Self-consciousness disappears.
– The sense of time becomes distorted.
– The experience become its own reward - auto-telic.
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (11.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
“Do it for the satisfaction it gives….This is what I tell my students. Don’t expect to make money, don’t expect fame or a pat on the back, don’t expect a damn thing. Do it because
you love it.”
Composer(Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)
DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE (12.)
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
TO SUMMARIZE:DIMENSIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE
– Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field. There is full concentration, complete involvement.
– Action and awareness merge.
– There is freedom from worry about failure.
– Self-consciousness disappears.
– The sense of time becomes distorted.
– The experience become its own reward - auto-telic.
…WHAT CONDITIONS FOSTER FLOW?
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
CONDITIONS OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE
1. There are clear goals every step of the way.
2. There is immediate feedback to one's action.
3. There is a balance between challenges and skills.
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
HIGHC
ha
llen
ges
Skills
FLOW
BOREDOM
ANXIETY
HIGH
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
Ch
alle
ng
es
Skills
A B
C
D EFlow
BOREDOM
ANXIETYH
igh
HighLow
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
Arousal
Flow
Control
RelaxationBoredom
Apathy
Worry
Anxiety
SKILLS highlow
high
CHALLENGES
Favorite activity, Hobby, Work,
Love Life
Driving, Work
Eating, Reading, Conversation
Work,Household Chores
Loneliness,TV Viewing
Family Problems,
Work Hassles
Work Stress, Sudden Threats
New Tasks, Learning
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
• 4 YEARS IN THE MAKING
• A MULTI-NATIONAL TEAM
• LONG EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING SIMULATION LEARNING TOOLS
• CONCEPTUAL BASE: FLOW AND GOOD BUSINESS
Creating an interactive Flow toolfor managers
© 2013 BY MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI
Csikszentmihalyi’sFLOW for Business™the ultimate leadership simulation game and blended learning solution
Narrative Context – The Turul Winery
www.fligby.com - www.facebook.com/fligby 27
Good Games haveGood Backstories
The player takes on the role of the General Manager of the well-established and well-known Turul Winery, in California and faces the challenging task of having to achieve a state of harmony and co-operation in a team significantly weakened by internal conflicts. Will it be possible to win the international "Spirit of Wine Award" as a direct result of leadership skills and efforts?
Check out Turul’s website (www.turulwinery.com)
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
What is FLIGBY®?
„FLOW for Business™” (FLIGBY®) is an online game-based Leadership
Development Simulation. This is the official Flow program for decision makers. The simulation allows you to test your leadership skills, provides a unique Flow-based self-assessment opportunity and guides you on a path towards optimizing a "Flow-centric" corporate culture.
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
FLIGBY’s Screen Structure (Main User Interface)
29www.fligby.com - www.facebook.com/fligby
“Magic FLIGBY Button”
“Full Screen” Button
Control Panel
Next Button
Flow Gauge Button
FLIGBY Media Library
Subtitle Field
Virtual Time in the
Story
Link to Turul
Winery’s external website
Flow Trophies
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
FLIGBY’s Screen Structure (Flow Gauge - 1)
30www.fligby.com - www.facebook.com/fligby
ThePROFITABILITY INDEX shows how a player's decision impacts Turul Winery's revenue generating ability.
“Flow Status / Personal Profile” Switch FLOW Meter of the Winery
Quick Links to Personal Profiles
Changes in the Flow State
"Flow Meter" is the CORPORATE ATMOSPHERE METER of the Turul Winery which shows the average mood inside the organization.
Profitability Index of the Winery
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
31www.fligby.com - www.facebook.com/fligby
Leadership Skills Tested by FLIGBY®
The extensive research which was part of the development of FLIGBY®, partly on the basis of the Professor Csikszentmihalyi’s book titled “Good Business”, identified the leadership skills contributing to create and maintain the Flow-state. These 29 skills were named “FLIGBY Leadership Skillset”.
The course and the decision points of the game were built up to test these leadership skills.
1.Active
Listening 2.
Analyzing Skill
3. Assertive-
ness4.
Balancing Skill
5. Building Engage-
ment
6. Business-oriented Thinking
7. Commu-nication
Skill
8. Conflict-mana-
gement
9. Delegating
10. Diploma-tic Skills
11. Emotional
Intelli-gence
12. Empower-
ment
13. Enterpre-nuership
14. Execution
Skills
15. Feedback
Skill
16. Future-focused Thinking
17. Information Gathering
18. Intuitive Thinking
19.Involvement
20. Motivati-onal Skills
21. Organi-
zing Skills
22. Prioriza-tion Skill
23. Quick Decision-making
24. Realizing Personal Strenghts
25. Social System
Thinking
26. Social Responsi-
bility
27. Strategic Thinking
28. Teamwork
Mana-gement
29. Time Manage-
ment Skills
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
32
Professional Reporting
This part of FLIGBY®’s feedback system is for professional use: Several Leadership Skills are tested at the same time at the Strategic Decision Points of the game. If the player makes a right decision the system raises the values of the skills belonging to that certain decision point on the player’s assessment sheet. This means that the „relative strength” of the certain skills in the players’ leadership styles can be concluded from the decisions they make.
The strategic decision points test several relevant leadership skills at the same time.
The game tests each skill on the basis of several decisions. This multiple testing ensures the reliability of the feedback.
©2013 ALEAS Simulations, Inc. California
”YOU CAN DISCOVER MORE ABOUT A PERSON IN AN HOUR OF PLAY, THAN IN A YEAR OF CONVERSATION”
Plato, (c. 429-347 B.C.)