3. 3
What is flow?
The term “flow” was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who spent
his life studying why some people thrive despite overwhelming
hardships while others are defeated. What he discovered is “the
best moments [in our lives] usually occur if a person’s body or mind
is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something
difficult and worthwhile.”* In other words, when we achieve peak
performance in the face of difficult challenges we are most happy.
And, we are motivated to higher levels of performance.
How does flow relate to business?
Flow gives us a path to upgrade our capability and potential. We know from McKinsey
research that flow inside of business can improve productivity by as much as five times
normal. If we can create an environment that induces flow, great things are possible.
Of course, the direct value for business is not to develop happiness or increase risk-taking
among individual performers. The goal is not to create stars. We want extraordinary teams.
We want to tap into team-based, social flow to increase the potential and performance of
aligned teams. …teams that are able to leverage diverse strengths and perspectives to
achieve unbelievable feats….teams that are agile and effective in the face of a VUCA
(volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world. If we can consistently and reliably tap into
team peak performance to increase motivation, improve agility, and raise performance levels,
the results can be profound and extensive.
This makes for a business case.
Steven Kottler strengthened the link between flow and outstanding performance in his book,
The Rise of Superman, (2014, New Harvest) where he follows the phenomenal
achievements of extreme athletes when they are in a flow state. Kottler studied these
athletes to uncover their methods for consistently “hacking” into flow and came up with a
good playbook for establishing the conditions to reliably trigger flow for both teams and
individuals.
* Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper
and Row.
5. 5
From Ho-Hum to High Vibration
Having all the elements doesn’t guarantee flow. Most simulations
are fun. People will rave about the experience but that is not a
measure of success. Key design principles should be followed to
maximize the power of the simulation.
Control
Give people the power to make
decisions they don’t normally control.
People take greater ownership and
invest more when they have the
power to decide. An effective way to
transform belief systems about
perceived obstacles caused by
corporate policy is to remove
limitations and let people experience
realistic consequences.
Business Context
Leaders at all levels have to make
daily trade-off decisions while
succeeding in business. The difficult
part of making the right choices is
managing the short- and long-term
implications of business results.
Strong business acumen
underpinnings ensure the rich
environment and high consequences
of the simulation.
Business metrics provide a core
component of feedback. In addition
to guided reflection, Socratic
questioning about results and peer
feedback and a balanced scorecard
of 3-7 key performance indicators
can help people understand how
their decisions influence the big
picture.
People will perform to the metrics.
Make sure these are multi-
dimensional and reflect the values of
the organization.
Simulations offer a way to exercise
agility needed to succeed in a VUCA
environment.
Timing
Simulations let us speed up and
slow down time. We can accelerate
time to increase pressure and force
on-the-fly analysis and rapid
decision-making. Or we can slow
things down and orchestrate guided
reflection and deep analysis. Use the
power of elastic time.
7. 7
Tycoon Systems, Inc.
303-357-2350
sales@tycoonsystems.com
Would you like to experience first-
hand the power and accessibility of
a simulation? There are two ways
to do that: our hands-on demo OR
our live “play session” with a larger
team in your organization.
Call us. It’s your move.
