DIFFERENT VOICE Everything | Know About Business | Learned from MONOPOLY by Phil Orbanes One of the world’s foremost board-game designers reflects on what makes people want to compete—and win. More than anything, we want living. Noe video games, to convince people sh fle burt raion ind of ‘ime that playing cur games is gamesplayedonboantsorwith —__thebes naytospend it On some level, ‘ards= te Kinds of games where what ete gole are the objectives of mam happens ofthe oad is jas simpor- agers in busines too. ‘ant tothe experience a the physical How much of what game designers same itll ‘ois aplicablexo management? Inthis [esa grestjobanconen achalenging article, {attempt to translae various one: We game desgnersstrivetoengage facets of our cra, but youll probably people in sretesc pursuits andcompel find your wn valuable conneions 3s ‘hem to want tO win at them. We at well At the least, cul pick up some tempt to provide clear structures and tps that wil improve your chances of objective ways to Keep ore, We to winning Manopaly. in adeRson ta being create setings wnere people challenge game designer, 'veasobeen an cree eachother innionthrestaning ways and tive for more than 20 yeas fist at some away feeling the better for it, Parker Brothers where {led the RED [i AMES ron A 2 MEIs there an analogy for business to the beginning, middle, and end rhythm in games? F think so. A good manager might engineer these types of shifts over the course of a critical project-and be repared for different ‘moods and levels of ‘motivation from people. Phil Orbanes ‘Am claiming that,as H.. Mencken fs quoted as saying, “the masies are asses”? Absolutely not. But cigesing complicated game rules ist how pec “te today want to apply thelr over sessedintellects and spend thelr time, [suspect it's not much diferent in most businesses: Not every employee wants tothinklice an executve fs important that a business environment be sruee ‘ured soehar people atlilevelsean feel {ikea part ofa team ane contribute to the company’s sucess Principles Establish a rhythm, Justasimportantar effective nuseisan Sntutive sense ofthythm in gare. One ‘aspect of thythm come from the num ber players involved. Mos succesful games are designed for three t six players bute ideal numbers usually four because everyone's turn arives the lea, RENT VOICE‘making 1 think we succeeded, despite hhaving sich a tough act to follow. A fiend of mine once commented, "The reason Monopoly endutes is that its 75x shill and 75¥ luck What he meant ‘Was, iF you lose, you can blame tt on luck, and Ifyou win, you can clair to be 4 great negotistor and cunning serategist. (For mace on how to win at Monopoly, see the sidebar “Contes sons of Monopolst?) Even for mature players a compo: nent of lucas 3 valuable emotional ‘Payot toa game by allowing for come- from-behind opportunites: Most of us love thinking,“The odds maybe sackec against me, but just one great stoke and I'm right back init” A good man ager holds out the same hope for & serugaling emplovae. Of couse an em ployee should not be expected to rely (an luck for a tumaround but instead should be given clear, attainable goals for improvement. tn Some instances, though 4 recognition ofthe role bck play is healthy. It can keep a walling ‘cam from becoming demoralized and keep a wninning team from resting on itslourele Pr Provide outlets for scene ales Great games, and great workplaces, also offer outiets for sells that people ‘would like vo expres but dont use dur ing their normal routines. And again, for game designers a leat sift has ‘occurred over me in how tht principle appiied ‘Chess and beige had thetr heyy in ‘the Untied States inthe 19368 anc 19405, ‘when Wide ranging opportunities 7oex- cerciseintelletual powers or gin intl- lectual stimulation on the job simply jit exist. Then the typical labor's jo required doing essentially the same ‘hing all day long. Not surprisingly, in their off-hours, people sought says to sharpen and show off their analytical abilities. Now, however, people have 0 much complet in their work and ‘personal lives tat they don't often seekitin games Insteae, what appear to be missing are altemate forms of anc 3002 7 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Powerful te EL Lasting Value Cog Soni mete Pg perreenr ees Lsciujsanbecoureetoneed poe remarry eet) eee ene ora eas Ce Deena rar Croton ey os toed epee) es Cd Cees Eoecaner arsed col EeEr yy peered nal Ceiae hens er een we Cree yee) ey ead rae eee oe pecans irra ee ey eons wit! unde, riers pore roses ood Stegner Pore Pradarpitoace Pee tas rosseaaryy Pee ote) emer aa Pmorerycn ee) Coren Pen eed frre Pe) Re ee and re re) Negotiation feats ono ners obits rere Seeks een cd Pare Peerberned perc Petro core Fo eine WWW.gsh stanford.edu/ereda the time, Jacobs walked down the street to 4 brokerage and invested al cofhis winnings in General Mils soc ve always admired that eu. It vwas simultaneously a tough-mindee dloctsion to preserve his gain and «gra cious nod to bis generous host. Now thats a great ply But i business traning makes for x game paver, game playing aso trains one for bertar business judg ment. Maybe tis i why companesare asingly bringing game playi 32 workplace. At the very leat, an afternoon of playing games builds relationships among workers and in ases the social capital sanizaton. [remember Just such an af temoon at asker Brotheis, whe the HR department sponsored a busines- mulation game for cur factory wort: ers Afterward, camaracerie, mutual understanding, and sooperstion im proved markedly But workplace games can gp further mat small mindedness and to a= ea Spier Wy help people recognize that hey ate part ofalargerwhole.Someetellent games are explicitly modeled after t businesses using them. Ancrom Traning is one company that designs end markets this type of simulation managerial game tncome/Outcome has {or small companies as orporatons lke Hewett and ATA'T Employees playing ‘game becom> department leaders iho mar ue laa the fundamen. tals of finance within cheir own pe of business. Among other benefits, they experience che impact of pros versus «ash low and the importance of cfr ene departnents working tet Finally, game playing in the place might teach managersto appr cn how well i sd many design cha equivalents inthe ar of managemezt. Tmentioned earlier that my manage rial sucessisprobabty duet my game like approach to my work: Does this mean thet tink management ftv ial or that it should be left wo chance? ‘Notatall Playing games and designing them has conditioned me to play the ume of busines bythe kinds of rales ve outiinec hee, fn many ways, workplaces ace like toad controversy and even to sweep us up in ceciting thythms of activity. Both can usin challenging tasks while ich experiences off board. Ad ultimately, a great gnme or agent workplace can precuce thesame sentiments: if were challenged by and challenging others in nonthrestening ws, wee using pent-up sks that vd low to expres, and f were expe reneing an emotional trip that ends on ‘high note ~wel, our tine was wel spent And well ook forward o coming beck for another round o Reprint x EXECUTIV leery s