While play has long been seen as the antitheses to work, a 2018 study by Brigham Young University found that teams that played a collaborative (video) game together for just 45 minutes were able to increase their productivity on a task by 20%.

We easily espouse the benefits of play when it comes to children and learning, but seem to have lost our way on the importance of play into adulthood and our working lives.

In an interview with Time, Michelle Lee, partner and managing director at IDEO North America and a leader of the design firm’s Play Lab, explains that play is essential to creativity and innovation in business

“We tie it to curiosity. We tie it to creativity and innovation. Play opens up the possibilities. When you say ‘work,’ often work gets you to the thought that there’s one way to do things, that there is a right answer that you have to get to, which can put a lot of pressure on you in terms of how you approach your work,” says Lee.

“Play can be very freeing. It gives you that freedom to explore a little bit, to experiment, and that’s what helps get you to different solutions that are often more innovative and that can allow you to adapt to new situations.”

So what makes play so important? It creates an environment of safety to test things out and get creative. Play gives us autonomy in a world of our design to test ideas and insights. 

Here are key ways play can be used in a business context:

1. Innovation and creativity

Brainstorming sessions: Gamified or playful formats encourage idea generation without fear of judgment.

Design thinking: Uses role-play and prototyping to creatively solve problems.

Creative constraints: Games introduce constraints that can inspire out-of-the-box thinking.

2. Team building and collaboration

Icebreakers and games: Help teams bond and improve communication.

Escape rooms / challenges: Foster trust, problem-solving, and cooperation.

Role-playing: Helps employees see issues from different perspectives (e.g., customer, manager).

3. Training and development

Simulations and serious games: Provide safe environments to learn complex skills (e.g., leadership, negotiation).

Gamified learning platforms: Use points, levels, and challenges to boost engagement and retention.

4. Employee engagement and morale

Office games or competitions: Boost morale and reduce burnout.

Gamified wellness programs: Encourage healthy behaviors through playful incentives.

Recognition systems: Use playful mechanics (badges, leaderboards) to reward performance.

5. Marketing and customer engagement

Interactive campaigns: Games and challenges attract and retain customer attention.

Gamified apps: Encourage product use and loyalty (e.g., rewards for check-ins or purchases).

Branded games: Build brand awareness in a fun and memorable way.

6. Product and service development

Playtesting with customers: Use prototypes and playful testing to refine products.

Game-based feedback tools: Make user research more engaging and insightful.

7. Culture and identity

Playful office environments: Encourage a culture of openness and innovation.

Storytelling and internal branding: Use playful narratives to reinforce company values and vision.

But what does that look like in the real world? Google, IDEO, and LEGO are three businesses that have successfully imbedded play into their business identity.

Google uses play as a way to spark innovation, encouraging employees to use 20% of their workweek on passion projects and playful experimentation. Both Gmail and Google News emerged from this practice.

By embedding play into both culture and workflow, Google not only encourages bold thinking, and risk-taking – but builds employee ownership of these skills.

IDEO use play as a design tool, employing role-play and yes, and techniques from improv theatre in order to build on and test out new ideas.

In this instance play helps the IDEO team to empathise with users, think creatively, and create ideas quickly without fear of failure.

Unsurprisingly as a toy brand, LEGO uses play as their brand purpose. Their core belief that “play is essential” extends beyond just their products to how the company runs meetings, develops leaders, and engages customers.

They have also developed the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology to enhance innovation and business performance. In facilitated workshops, participants build models using LEGO bricks to represent ideas and solutions, promoting hands-on learning and shared understanding.

LEGO’s deep belief in the value of play shapes its internal culture, external brand, and even how it consults other businesses using play as a thinking tool.

How do you introduce play into your business?