Business as Play

In Dr. James Carse’s critically acclaimed book Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility, Carse used the defined terms of finite and infinite games to revolutionize the way people looked at and experienced life. According to the book, “A finite game is played for the purpose of winning; an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.”

 For example, finite games are the age-old rivalries and competitions we experience in daily life, the contests that declare clear winners and losers, where we can keep score, and there is a marked beginning and end (game, set, match). In contrast, infinite games are less structured, and no score is kept, but rather they are fluid and unscripted—creative if you will, and by extension, far more rewarding.

 This all stemmed from Dr. Carse’s experiences in 1970s salons, where game theory was always the hot topic of the times. It was constantly being discussed. During one particular meeting in these salons, the renowned philosopher and theologian was in attendance, alongside a plethora of uber-impressive mathematicians, economists, and other intellectual heavy hitters.

 As Dr. Carse waded into the swirl of scholarly discourse, he quickly realized that the only thing the people were talking about was winning or losing, and he thought: “What about playing?”

 He went home and was mulling this over in his head while also observing his kids. He had a ping pong table and noticed that when his kids played ping pong and kept score of points to beat one another, there was always strife, including copious amounts of yelling, crying, and even accusations of cheating being hurled right and left. Suffice to say, not a pleasant environment or experience.

 In stark contrast, he noticed that when his children were instead engaged in something more creative (versus quantitative), such as Legos or drawing and coloring projects, these endeavors were congenial, collaborative even. And what’s more, the children would take turns and collaborate in many ways, and the collaboration was peaceful and could go on in this way for hours. And there was always something beautiful to show for the final product.

 This premise resonated with Carse’s reading audience, as they found it relevant to so much of life. Author and podcast host Simon Sinek took this premise one step further and really honed in on it in his book “The Infinite Game,” bridging it with a business mindset in his writings.

 Basically, Sinek shows us that business is—in essence—play. It’s a creative endeavor. Specifically, it’s an ongoing and constant process that involves changing, collaborating, and adapting to effectively incorporate whatever new “lego piece” or “brushstroke” is brought to the proverbial table (or added to the canvas) by a colleague. The artists may come and go, as do employees and leaders, but the creative process or greater canvas is still a work in progress that continues on and on.

 Sinek’s bottom line—and what he most hopes his audience will take away from his teachings—is the importance of rather than focusing on the outcome, we should start focusing on how we play (the creative process).

 I’ll leave you with two quotes that I feel embrace this mindset and inspire me as I seek to keep creating and playing in business:

 “Business isn’t some disembodied bloodless enterprise. Profit is fine, a sign that the customer honors the value of what we do. But ‘enterprise’ (a lovely word) is about heart. About beauty. It’s about art. About people throwing themselves on the line. It’s about passion and the selfless pursuit of an ideal.”— Tom Peters, Business Management Author

 “Creativity gives you a competitive advantage by adding value to your service or product, and differentiating your business from the competition.”—Linda Naiman, Founder of Creativity at Work