The Power of Play

Level-up employee productivity, creativity, and inspiration at your workplace

In The Power of Play: The Game Design Approach to Transforming Employee Engagement, the Managing Director for Willow Ventures —a global insurance innovation leader—George Kesselman, delivers a one-of-a-kind and exciting take on employee productivity and engagement. He dives deep into increasing divergence between work and how we approach motivation, and moving beyond the gamification of work, exploring the motivational and behavioural elements behind the “fun” kind of problem solving we find in games and showing you how to apply them to your workplace.

In the book, you’ll discover how to apply the principles of game design to the professional environment so you can realize higher levels of motivation, productivity, and creativity from your teams. You’ll also find:

• Strategies to make your workplace more enjoyable and improve talent recruitment and retention
• Practical insights into tapping into your employees’ intrinsic motivations to create a more satisfying work experience
• Discussions of how to identify core motivations, combine them with clever design, and help your employees achieve “flow states” of extraordinary productivity

Perfect for managers, executives, directors, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, The Power of Play is also a can’t-miss resource for human resources and other people professionals seeking effective strategies to retain, motivate, and inspire their team members.

Preface vii

Introduction: Let’s Press Start ix

Part I Work- Off: the Brief History of Work and a Sneak Peek Inside Our Heads 1

1 Trapped in the Cycle: The Woes of Enforced Gamification 3

2 The Journey to Work 1.0 19

3 The Industrial Revolution: Hello, Work 2.0 29

4 Work 2.5 and Getting Stuck 41

5 Work 3.0: The Internet Work Revolution 51

Part II Who Said It Can’t Be All Fun and Games? 63

6 Designing Fun: The Magic of Games 65

7 Games Give Us a Ray of Hope 73

8 Game Time, Game Type 87

Part III the Science of Motivation 117

9 Motivations 119

10 Forced Mindfulness: Why It Removes the Power of Freedom and Choice in Enjoyment 141

Part IV the Intersection Between Games And Work 153

11 How We Learn 155

12 Embracing Open Source: Unleashing the Power of Collaboration 169

13 Esports Work: Blurring the Lines between Play and Profession 177

Part V Level- Up Work 185

14 Level 1 Skills: Breaking Free from the Skills Trap 187

15 Level 2 Skills: Testing 201

16 Level 3 Skills: And the Future of Work Is. 213

About the Author 223

About the Book 225

Acknowledgments 227

Index 229

GEORGE KESSELMAN, MBA, is the Managing Director for Willow Ventures, a Singapore-based venture builder and a global insurance innovation leader. He is a recognised thought leader in the areas of futurism, insurtech, innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth. He is a former COO at AIG and his views are regularly featured in well-known, global publications.

The Power of Play is an inspiring and practical guide to applying the timeless principles of effective game design to your workplace. Renowned insurtech innovator and entrepreneur George Kesselman walks you through a deep and insightful analysis of the “fun” kinds of problem solving we all recognise from our favourite games and how to apply those techniques to our work environments.

You’ll get practical strategies for tapping into your employees’ intrinsic motivations to create a more satisfying work experience and discover how to identify your team members’ core drivers.

A singularly incisive roadmap to supercharging your ability to recruit, hire, and retain the world’s best talent, The Power of Play is a must-read for managers, directors, founders, and human resources professionals everywhere.

PRAISE FOR The Power of Play

“The Power of Play is a valuable resource for any leader who wants to increase employee engagement, improve productivity, and create a more positive and supportive work environment.”
—RICARDA SIMON, Senior Partner, Eliot Partnership

“Kesselman’s book provides a compelling argument for why games are important for discovering intrinsic motivations at work, and he offers practical advice on how to implement game elements in the workplace. A must-read for any leader who wants to create a workplace where people love to come to work.”
—MICHAEL JENKINS, Chief Executive Officer at Expert Humans and Partner, FutureWork Forum

Level-up your ability to recruit, attract, and retain the world’s best talent

In The Power of Play, renowned insurance and tech innovator George Kesselman delivers a unique and exciting discussion of employee engagement and productivity. The author offers a deep dive into the gamification of work and explores the motivational and behavioural elements behind the kinds of problem solving we all tend to enjoy—and how you can apply them in the workplace. You’ll discover how to apply the principles of game design to the world of work and help your employees achieve higher levels of motivation, productivity, and creativity. You’ll also learn how to make your workplace a more enjoyable place to be.