Ceremony as an Integration of Work and Play

Abstract

This paper proposes that it is functionally valuable for work organizations to diminish the dichotomy we experience between work and play. In doing so the work participants can better integrate the experience of work into life satisfaction. The quality of work life, a factor which has received much attention recently, can benefit from the experience of 'flow' associated with play activities. This article looks at differences in the characteristics of work and play as activities, and proposes that formal ceremonies in work are an integration of the two. Functional benefits are discussed, as are potential concerns in ceremony introduction or design.

Playing with science

“…According to Danbridge (1986) the value of organisations is to blur the boundaries between work and play to enable workers to experience the benefits of 'flow' associated with play activities.…”

Being playful and smart? The relations of adult playfulness with psychometric and self-estimated intelligence and academic performance

“…There are a few studies and theoretical accounts that relate playfulness positively to performance-related outcomes (e.g., Barnett & Kleiber, 1982;Csikszentmihalyi, 1975;Dandridge, 1986;Lieberman, 1965;Maxwell, Reed, Saker, & Story, 2005). The present study examines playfulness of young adults in its relation to success in a written exam at the university level.…”

Innovation and play

“…The encouragement of playful attitudes to work has been associated with positive effects on creativity (March, 1976;Mainemelis & Ronson, 2006); and with improvements in organizational involvement (Abramis, 1990), motivation (Webster & Martocchio, 1993), teamwork (Dougherty & Takacs, 2004), and the socialization of new employees (Dandridge, 1988). Other related work explores the role of humour (Avolio, Howell, & Sosik, 1999), ceremonies and celebrations (Deal & Key, 1998), and the use of games and competitions (Newstrom, 2002).…”