The Game of Work

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Timothy Gallwey introduces the "Inner Game" - an approach to our daily work based on sportsmanship experience. We can focus on the essential variables and leave no space for our negative-yourself. While Heads Up is designed as a ‘party game’, we’ve found that it’s a great ice breaker game to play between work colleagues. You place the phone on your head, and a word shows up – and whether you’re trying to name celebrities or identify animals, you’ll soon have your colleagues frantically pointing, singing, or putting on silly accents in an attempt to communicate the word that’s sitting on your head. Not all office games need to be focused on something like team building or team bonding. In fact, playing games during break time is a great way to recharge your batteries and get ready for the next half of your shift. Another game of social cues and bluffing, in a game of Coup you rely on your individual ability to smuggle lies past the other players on the table. Or, if you are brave, you can win this game by telling bare-faced truths the whole way through!

GENERALISTS: Increase cross-training and cross-department transfers that grow the team’s overall capabilities in various organizational disciplines. On a hot day when the air conditioning goes off, employees can start complaining that it’s too hot to work. But after work in the parking lot, where it is twenty degrees hotter, they will look at each other say, “Well, what do you think, golf or tennis?” Why will people, in recreation, pay for the privilege of working harder than they will work when they are paid? Accomplishing this new design approach starts with the organization’s leadership—what they believe and the imagination to design a better future. The pictures normally look nothing like what they’re meant to. But some might surprise you. And either way, your team members will be learning to improve their communication skills in the process. Games to play at work during your break There is a physical version of this game, but if you are part of a remote working team, you can play this game online at Board Game Arena. 17 – Code NamesBut seriously, yoga can be a great way to help your team focus their minds and bodies. Not only does it boost concentration and energy levels, but it helps you keep your employees physically healthy. In the businesses I used to run, I learned to several 'games' to increase the fun and productivity of my teams. The Game of Work is a powerful, yet simple book that can transform any team to work with the same passion with which we play. When people work like they play, the results tend to exceed expectations. It is just human nature!

This game is a great way to get people mixing and mingling fast, while producing some pretty hilarious results. 7 – Never Have I Ever The good thing about Psych!, is that while inventing wild answers and voting on your favourites, you’re actually learning a lot about your colleagues. 5 – Two Truths and a Lie Business demands measurable results. Sales, costs, return on investment, and customer service are measured by most companies in excruciating detail. Though there will always be debate about cause and effect, most business experts agree there is a positive correlation between employee engagement and results. I must admit it has been easier and more fun to drive these key business metrics with the help of a turned-on workforce. This book from the oracle from Utah does just that.If it sounds confusing and chaotic, well, that’s because it is. You see, you’re all trying to keep your spaceship alive… but you all control different areas of the craft. And nobody knows who is in control of what, while instructions fly onto random people’s phone screens, telling them what settings need adjusting, and which buttons need pressing. This leaves them to shout this out to the rest of the group, in the hope that they will hear it, and prevent a fatal crash. Why are so many people uncertain where their field of play is for work- what is in bounds and out of bounds? Build trust through transparency:The stakes should be clear and obvious to everyone involved, with results measured and shared with all stakeholders. The following games are specifically listed with the idea of helping your employees to learn to work better as a team. But don’t worry, they’re super fun too – we’ve tried most of them out ourselves! 8 – Human Snakes It is fun to run a race with all teams at once. But if you don’t have the space for this, you can easily use a stopwatch to record scores. 10 – Bridge Building

This is another great game to encourage communication between team members. And there are lots of versions of this game, but the one we like the best, is the one where you split your group into pairs. Whether it’s for team building, team bonding, or simply a bit of mental stimulation between shifts, there is no shortage of ideas on the internet for great office games to play at work. So we’ve decided to hunt down the very best, and compile them all into a list, complete with a short explanation as to why we think each game could be a good one for you to play with your colleagues at work. The testing, modifying, and continuing evolution of this book has been and is being done by all the members of the Game of Work. I owe special thanks to our officers and staff, for their ability to put wings on these ideas and make them fly. Introduction In a game of Human Snakes, you need to split your group into teams of equal size. You can have as many teams as you like, and you could theoretically have teams of any size… but we recommend between 4-6 people per team. You’ll soon see why! If you can afford to, why not bring a yoga instructor in to run classes once a week? Creative games to play in the officeThe spirit of game development is that nothing is impossible. We create worlds from the passions of people and solve challenges through iterative design that at times can seem like trial and error. Trust between team members and management is necessary to get the very best out of each other and solve creative and technical problems. Above all, it requires openness to new ideas and approaches and a willingness to move forward when there’s no guarantee of success. You can give out numerous prizes for the planes your colleagues build – including the plane to fly the farthest, and the plane that stays in the air for longest. 28 – Scenario Jenga A groundbreaking guide to overcoming the inner obstacles that sabotage your efforts to be your best on the job—part of the bestselling Inner Game series, with more than one million copies sold!