Play at Work: An Integrative Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Play has gained increasing interest among progressive-minded managers as an important driver of motivation and productivity in work contexts. Despite its popularity in contemporary organizations, there is little consensus in the academic literature about the role of play in the workplace. This review organizes and synthesizes the current state of knowledge of play at work in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what play at work is, when individuals engage in play at work, and the effects of workplace play on work outcomes. First, we review existing definitions of play and their limitations. We then introduce a recent conceptualization of play in adulthood that defines play based on three core features and discuss its relevance in the workplace. Second, we review theoretical perspectives on play and extant empirical research on the antecedents and consequences of play at work, organizing it according to three levels of analysis. Third, we propose a promising agenda for future research by focusing on a number of important issues that have emerged from our review of existing work. These issues are organized into two sections: refining and extending the current research on play, and generating novel ideas and new research directions on unexplored areas of inquiry. We believe this review makes important and timely contributions to the research on play at work by providing comprehensive analysis of the diverse and fragmented literature on play in the workplace.

The relentless pursuit of perfectionism: A review of perfectionism in the workplace and an agenda for future research

“…We believe that having effective, evidence‐based tools to enhance or mitigate the consequences of perfectionism in the workplace should be helpful for organizations and their members. For example, scholars and organizational leaders should consider the utility of microbreak or playful activities as a form of energy management strategy to allow individuals with perfectionistic tendencies to recover and repair negative consequences of sustained work (Demerouti, Bakker, Geurts, & Taris, ; Petelczyc, Capezio, Wang, Restubog, & Aquino, ). Kim, Park, and Headrick () found that microbreaks involving relaxation (e.g., stretching and walking around the office), social (e.g., chatting with colleagues on nonwork topics and messaging family or friends), and cognitive (e.g., reading books or newspapers) activities improved job performance via positive affect of workers with low work engagement.…”

Playful Work Design: Introduction of a New Concept

“…The first essential aspect of play is that the activity is carried out with the goal of fun and/or challenge (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi, 1975;Mainemelis & Ronson, 2006). The focus on fun and challenge explains why play activities are often voluntary and process-focused, and why individuals are intrinsically motivated to engage in play (Petelczyc et al, 2018). The second feature of play is that it requires an enthusiastic and in-the-moment attitude.…”

Why Enjoying Your Fun Matters: The Role of Participation in Fun Activities, Positive Affect, and Citizenship Pressure on Knowledge Management Behaviors

“…We selected employees from this organization, as this organization is typical of a small to medium sized tech-start up in Canada, specializing in both software and hardware. Specifically, knowledge sharing is particularly important in this organization [38], and employees in this organization commonly engage in workplace fun activities [7,8], such as trips, sporting events, celebration of achievements, and fun team building activities (i.e., paintball, trivia)…”

“…Indeed, these social interactions are essential to promote knowledge exchange [6]. Despite this rationale and the fact that a plethora of organizations are working towards injecting more fun activities into the workplace [5,7,8,9], research has not yet empirically examined how the interpersonal interactions that are inherent in fun activities may facilitate positive knowledge management behaviors (KMBs).…”