Living to work or working to live: Is a job so engaging that work feels like play only for the lucky few?

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies

Design/methodology/approach

This review is prepared by an independent writer who provides context and commentary.

Findings

Being involved in a task that is so engaging that you never want to stop is sometimes called “being in the zone”, or as psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, renowned for his research on creativity, terms it, working in “the flow.” Most of us have had this experience at some time, peak moments where everything seems to come together and we are engaged in the present moment to such an extent that time seems to fly by. Such activities are energizing rather than exhausting. However, when asked to describe such a moment, most people do not associate it with what they do for a living. Very often people recount these experiences as having occurred while participating in a hobby or leisure activity, especially one to which they would like to devote more time. Fly fishing in a remote Scottish river, teaching a child how to sail, harvesting summer vegetables from your own garden, or becoming so lost in a great novel that you cannot put the book down are all experiences people have described as typifying “being in the zone.”

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Citation

(2011), "Living to work or working to live: Is a job so engaging that work feels like play only for the lucky few?", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 26-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777281111125381