Play is the key to collaboration and co-operation. Work and play are intrinsically interlinked, and without play, people are unable to make connections that drive people forward. This is how innovator and trainer Tim Widdowson approaches play at work.Tim is a partner and facilitator at the Culture Experiment and the So Team. He's also a guest lecturer on design thinking, innovation and collaboration at Oxford University's Said Business School. As a behaviour change specialist, keynote speaker and trainer, Tim's core focus is on developing and exploring the creative behaviours needed for cultures and businesses to flourish.Things to considerPlay brings out childlike qualities, but doesn’t have to mean we’re childish.Play offers a disruption to the status quo.We need to make play more systemic in our culture, rather than bringing it out at certain moments.We can all build in micro-interventions.Play can be a vehicle to build bridges and show parts of ourselves we otherwise might not.LinksConnect with Tim on LinkedInThe Culture ExperimentPlayfilledMake Work PlayGood People, Cool Things

There are alternatives to PowerPoint, and to playing Devil’s Advocate. Filling a space with foosball tables and slides doesn’t inherently make a space “playful”. Joining Lucy to discuss how play forms the basis for so much of their creativity, are Brendan Boyle and Michelle Lee-Schmidt from global design form IDEO.Brendan is the founder of the IDEO Play Lab, adjunct professor at Stanford, board member of the National Institute of Play and an award-winning author of the Klutz Book of Inventions. Michelle is Managing Director of IDEO's Play Lab, where she leads an integrated research design and development team, bringing engaging, interactive, and playful experiences to market.Things to considerWhat some think of as flow or engagement is, in fact, play.Play can be a superpower that helps us take on the world.We don’t need to seek permission to play as much as we assume we might.There are other roles we can play in meetings, aside from Devil’s Advocate.LinksConnect with Michelle on LinkedInConnect with Brendan on LinkedInVisit IOEO’s Play LabMake Work PlayPlayfilled

Many people feel they work better under pressure, but if you need to think creatively, a relaxed environment will work far better. That’s how Dr Heidi Edmundson approaches play, and importantly makes the distinction that although play can be childlike, it’s not childish.Things to considerWe need connection as human beings, and it can sometimes be achieved by something as simple as briefly removing a mask.By following a step-by-step process of curiosity, Heidi became more able to trust herself.Trust can help overcome skepticism.The outcomes of play are not always directly quantifiable, but no less valuable.LinksAs we recover from the pandemic let’s not forget to encourage staff to take a break – a BMJ opinion piece by HeidiPlayfilledMake Work Play

Tommy Crawford and Brian Fitzgerald of Dancing Fox work with individuals and organisations tackling problems as diverse and weighty as climate change and childhood cancer. But the often isolating nature of the work makes play all the more vital.Tommy is a published poet, shamanic storyteller, and a fountain of wild ideas. Brian spent 35 years at Greenpeace, and wrote the children's book, The Moon Candy Rebellion.Things to considerHow can we find our way back to our childhoods, and hold hands with our childhood selves?Play can be an antidote to burnout, and a route to healing.An invitation can be more powerful than persuasion and coercion.Work with more children and animals!LinksDancing FoxKeith JohnstoneNot Knowing: The Art of Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity, by Steven D'Souza and Diana RennerMake Work PlayPlayfilled

Our sense of culture and identity impacts how we approach and conceptualise play. Many of the black women Stacey-Ann Morris has worked with have felt a pressure to fulfil the role of the “strong black woman”.Stacey-Ann is a learning experience designer, facilitator, and educator who creates playful, inclusive, and meaningful connections related to personal and career development in work, school and community settings. She's a graduate of Harvard university, a Lego Serious Play facilitator and has designed curriculums programs and workshops at several universities and colleges.Things to considerPlay is an act of freedom, and a way to re-integrate our inner child.Play is a a form of resistance, and a birthright.As play facilitators, we need to be mindful of people’s history with the idea of play.LinksConnect with Stacey-Ann on LinkedInLego Serious PlayBuild Out LoadPlayfilledMake Work Play

Play is a powerful connector, transcending boundaries of culture and background. That’s the philosophy that Kay Scorah brings to her play practise.Kay is a facilitator, coach, comedian, dancer, writer, and general polymath. Kay started work as a research biophysicist, before moving into market research and subsequently into advertising. She now runs HaveMoreFunlimited, working with individuals and groups to improve verbal and non-verbal communication.Things to considerSet micro-challenges throughout your day, to inject a bit more play.If “play” feels to unstructured or lacking parameters, you can approach it as an experiment.The separation of work and play begins at school and permeates our society.How can we, as leaders, share our vulnerability and allow others to do the same?Allow yourself to be distracted.LinksHaveMoreFunlimitedTurning the Tables conferenceMake Work PlayPlayfilled

Play is a form of exploration, and it begins with the environment we have at our fingertips. This is Lee Kim’s approach to play, and it permeates the work she does in what we might consider one of the most serious of environments.Lee is a design strategist and community builder, based in New York She studied mechanical engineering and fashion design. She serves as Global Congress Lead at Pfizer and is the founder of a social impact nonprofit called Design Dream Lab.Things to considerYou can signal to people to find out who’s up for playing. It can be uncomfortable to begin with, but that’s how we find playmates.It’s possible to make joy a core value of your organisation, even at a large scale.Things are more memorable when we play with them, physically.The things we make embed themselves in our memory.We’re built for togetherness.LinksDesign Dream LabHow Wearing Silly Hats Helped a Mom Find Joy – the New Yorker documentaryMake Work PlayPlayfilled

Improv is a social technology for approaching uncertainty and complexity. That’s the philosophy Robert Poynton brings to his playful practice.Rob is the author of two books in the Do series (Do Improvise and Do Pause), and an Associate Fellow at Oxford University’s Said Business School. He designs and facilitates workshops, retreats, and pauses, and runs online projects that help people learn how to integrate play into their work.Things to considerNo-one has a script – we’re all improvising all the timePlay can provide more ease and grace at workThere is a difference between play and playfulnessPlayfulness is a mindset, and we can sometimes forget to apply itWe can reframe serious and intimidating things into something more fun and magicalLinksDo Improvise – Rob’s book on improvisation within workDo Pause – Rob’s book on rethinking your todo listYellowThe Everyday ImproviserMake Work PlayPlayfilled

Lucy Taylor from Make Work Play and Tzuki Stewart from Playfilled interview play practitioners, academics, and leaders who are taking play seriously.Why Play Works explores questions such asHow can working on serious problems be fun and delightful?Is play the opposite of work, or is it actually how we unlock success?How can reconnecting to our playfulness create more fulfilling and enlivening workspaces?Each episode serves up playful practices that you can take away and inject into your work.