Even though playing and playfulness can make us feel happy and joyful, for some adults, it might not feel comfortable to be playful at work, especially if it is not perceived as contributing to productivity. Evidence exists, however, regarding positive outcomes of playfulness in the workplace including openness to new ideas and psychological benefits such as divergent thinking, emotional regulation, strengthening of relationships, enhancement of positive communication skills, and providing resources for dealing with stress (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014; Van Vleet & Feeney, 2015b; West, Hoff, & Carlsson, 2016, 2017). Research on playfulness in the workplace is quite limited and this study was conducted to shed light on this behaviour trait in the context of work. Both interpretive (van Manen, 2014, 2016) and post-intentional (Vagle, 2018) phenomenological analytical frameworks were applied to explore the research question: What is the lived experience of playfulness in the workplace? Through semi-structured interviews eight participants, identified as being particularly playful at work and representing a range of professions, discussed the feelings and attitudes of playfulness at work. During interviews participants described attributes of playfulness as feeling alive, fun, goofy, silly, being light-hearted, and happy. Other playfulness attributes were discussed such as an ecstatic experience, spirit lifting, as a planned strategy for building relationships, a method of welcoming new solutions, and a strategy for overcoming difficult tasks. Data was initially classified into categories and clusters of meanings and these summaries were further consolidated into codes and subcodes. Subsequently, the codes and sub-codes were considered as being continuously interconnected and related, always moving with no clear aspect or reduction to a singular theme or essence. Testimonial evidence emerged that revealed the complexity of this phenomenon and that creating a playful environment at work is not as easy as saying, “Let’s have fun!” Playfulness at work was shown to have interrelated components that are flexible and continuously being produced. The behaviour trait of playfulness in the workplace environment is a unique and complex reality and is relatively unexplored. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the complex nature of this phenomenon and offers a recognition of the challenges of creating a playful climate at work. By adding to the conversation about possible processes for including playfulness in the work environment, this project illustrates that developing a playful climate at work involves intersecting components and an awareness and consideration of these interrelationships. This exploratory study highlights that there is no precise technique to promote playfulness at work, but that it is a complex and continuously shifting phenomenon potentially generating positive workplace outcomes. / Graduate

This study hopes to discuss the relationship among the sense of humor, organization playfulness climate and job¡¦s satisfaction. It¡¦s taken 30 organizations in Taiwan and the effective volume was 1,213, the returns-ratio reached 95.21%. We will use HLM (hierarchical linear model) to analyze the data instead of the regression analysis in tradition. The major result of this study are as following¡G 1. Sense of humor has a significant effect on job¡¦s satisfaction. 2. Organization playfulness climate a significant effect on job¡¦s satisfaction. 3. Organization playfulness climate has no moderate effect on sense of humor and job¡¦s satisfaction.

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the playfulness and the humor sense on a comparative analysis of different personalities. The samples of this study were by employment service in thirty organizations on questionnaire. The measure instruments used in this study include ¡§Adult Playfulness Scale¡¨, ¡§Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale¡¨, ¡§Locus of Control Scales¡¨ and ¡§PANAS Scales¡¨. The samples of this study were 1213 employees. The results of survey were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, descriptive statistics analysis, reliability analysis, and factor analysis. The results of the study were as follows: 1. There were significant differences in the playfulness of the employees under the different sex, age, marriage status, job position, Type A personality, Locus of Control personality, Positive Affectivity, and Negative Affectivity. 2. There were significant differences in the humor sense of the employees under the different sex, age, marriage status, Locus of Control Personality, Positive Affectivity, and Negative Affectivity. 3. There were comparative analysis the highest trend between the playfulness and the humor sense on employees of sex for male, age under thirty, graduated above mater degree, Control Personality, the high tread Positive Affectivity, and the low tread Negative Affectivity.

Under the knowledge-based economics, the roles of labors are considered important once again. The human creativity has become the main source of core competence. However, as the development of enterprises brings on a new economic type, the man-hours and work loading also increases with the development of enterprises. When people are overworked, there comes pressure, fatigue and illness. Therefore, more and more people are talking about the playfulness of jobs, which refers to the spontaneity, imagination, emotional expression, and the attitude of having fun and being involved and interested in the work, all these will change with the variation of the external environment. Meanwhile, teams also play an important role in the organization. For the action unit to solve the problems of the organization and promote innovation, teams are constituted by members with various knowledge, skill and background. Hence, the team playfulness climate is also crucial to the creativity and performance of the organization. The team playfulness climate represents the share climate of autonomy and pleasure, which is built by those team members who work together day by day, such climate can get these people to feel interested and feel supported about their jobs, and so they won¡¦t be afraid to try new challenges. This study is taken from a personal viewpoint to test the model of the relationship between personal playfulness, team playfulness climate and team creativity performance. The evidence of this research is based on the questionnaires given out to the students who took the course ¡§The Discovery and Application of Creativity¡¨ which was held by the Consulting Division in Ministry of Education. Below are the discoveries of this thesis: 1. Personal playfulness positively influences team playfulness climate. 2. Team playfulness climate positively influences team creativity performance. 3. Personal playfulness has significant difference on age, the number of brothers and sisters one has, academic background, and club experience.

This research is to discuss the relationship between personal playfulness, Emotional Intelligence, organizational playfulness and job performance. There are 1213 questionnaires provided from 30 organizations. Questionnaires¡¦ response rate are 96.31%. Available response rate are 95.21%. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, item analysis , factor analysis, correlation and hierarchical linear model. Due to individual¡¦s behavior may be influenced by organization, This research was using hierarchical linear model to realize the influence of personal playfulness, Emotional Intelligence and organizational playfulness on job performance. The major results of this research are as following: 1. Personal playfulness positively influences job performance. 2. Emotional Intelligence positively influences job performance. 3. Organizational playfulness positively influences job performance. 4. The organizational playfulness has no moderate effect on the relationship between personal playfulness and job performance. 5. The organizational playfulness has no moderate effect on the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and job performance.

This study aimed to investigate relationship between individual and organizational variables on staff innovative behavior. Individual variables were personal playfulness and sense of humor, and organizational variable was organizational playfulness climate. The analyses were done by using hierarchical linear modeling for Windows. The main findings of this study were as follows: 1. Personal playfulness had significant influence on staff innovative behavior. 2. The sense of humor had insignificant influence on staff innovative behavior. 3. Organizational playfulness climate had significant influence on staff innovative behavior. 4. The relationship among personal playfulness, sense of humor, and staff innovative behavior was not affected by organizational playfulness climate. Finally, some suggestions were offered as references to businesses and further studies.

This research tests the relationship of playfulness, emotional intelligence, and creativity of employees.Questionnaire data from 1213 employees who work for 30 companies, 8 industries. Including high-tech manufacturing, private other service industry, private financiaI service industry, private traditional manufacturing industry, public and private hospital, public service industry, public and private school, others.The data was analyzed major by linear regression analysis. The results of this thesis are summarized as below: 1. In general, the positive influence of playfulness on employee creativity is significant. 2. The positive influence of emotional intelligence on employee creativity is significant. 3. Emotional intelligence development mediates the influences of playfulness on employee creativity.

This dissertation is a literary-historical study of Edmund Spenser’s under-rated sonnet sequence, Amoretti (1595), focusing on the poet’s playful manipulation of conventional imagery (largely Petrarchan) to reflect the progression of the poet/lover’s relationship with his beloved from the solipsistic to the interpersonal: that is, a relationship represented by variations on fixed erotic configurations to fluid, interactive conversations involving attitudes, understanding and emotion. Without denying the ultimately serious purpose of the sonnets, the study concentrates on the light-heartedness of the presentation, advertised as a “sporting” interlude in the midst of the composition of Spenser’s major work, The Faerie Queene. Not primarily ideological in focus, but rather of a critical evaluative kind, the work entails a systematic and comprehensive analysis of imagery concerning weaving, captivity and eyes within the Amoretti in three contexts: the genre of the Elizabethan sonnet sequence, Spenser’s other works and the Renaissance propensity for experiment or play of mind.

Este trabalho se propõe a entender a dimensão lúdica da paisagem em uma área localizada na divisa entre os municípios de Santo André e São Bernardo do Campo, região metropolitana de São Paulo. Nessa área encontra-se o Parque Estadual Chácara da Baronesa, consolidado apenas em 2014. Antes de sua abertura ao público era uma área abandonada há anos. Esse abandono da área possibilitou a invasão de pessoas na busca por local de moradia, em uma parte da área do parque, que se consolidou em uma favela. No entorno do parque e da favela localizam-se bairros residenciais, tanto em Santo André quanto em São Bernardo. A proposta da pesquisa foi estudar a favela e esse entorno. Como procedimentos metodológicos foram realizadas oficinas com os moradores da favela e do entorno, com crianças e adultos, pois entende-se que o elemento lúdico faz parte da dimensão humana em todas as idades. Como método complementar foi aplicado o teste do imaginário, o ATl-9, porque acredita-se que a compreensão do universo simbólico das pessoas pode revelar significados que nem sempre são expressos em entrevistas e conversas. Também foi desenvolvido um arcabouço teórico sobre os principais assuntos que embasam a pesquisa: o lúdico, a paisagem e o imaginário. Acredita-se que a compreensão dessas realidades, através das ferramentas utilizadas, revela como essa dimensão lúdica é percebida e vivenciada pelas pessoas, que são também construtoras das suas paisagens. / This study aims to understand the playful dimension of the landscape in an area located on the landmark between the cities of Santo André and São Bernardo do Campo, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. In this areais located the Parque Estadual Chácara da Baronesa, consolidated only in 2014. Before to its opening to the public, it was an abandoned area for years. This abandonment of the area allowed the invasion of people in search for place of residence, in a part of the park area, which was consolidated in a slum. Around the park and the slum are located residential neighborhoods, both in Santo André and São Bernardo. The aim of this research was to study the slum and this environment. The methodological procedures were workshops with the dwellers of the slum and the surroundings, with children and adults, because it is understood that the playfulness is part of the human dimension in all ages. As a complementary method was applied the test of the imagery, ATL-9, because it is believed that the understanding of the symbolic universe of people can reveal meanings that are not always expressed in interviews and conversations. It was also developed a theoretical framework on key issues that underlie the research: the playful, the landscape and the imaginary. It is believed that the understanding of those realities, through the tools used, reveals how the playful dimension is perceived and experienced by people who are also the builders of their landscapes.

The convergence of mobile commerce and internet technologies has promised users unprecedented convenience and greater enjoyment. Over the past few years, the development of mobile information and entertainment services (MIES) has been phenomenal. Recently, research has been conducted into ways toward better acceptance of these services by users. However, many of these studies are technical driven, without discussing important end user needs. To understand users' perception associated with mobile information and entertainment services the author extended and empirically tested a new antecedent model of Perceived Playfulness an intrinsic motivator toward technology acceptance by users, based on previous research. It has been shown that user's Perceived Playfulness toward information technologies has a direct impact on his/her subsequent use. Using the new antecedent model of Perceived Playfulness, the author argues users' Autotelic Personality, Perceived Service Quality, Perceived Technology Compatibility, their Motivation for Using and tolerance of Social Influence affect their Perceived Playfulness when interacting with MIES. A questionnaire was administered to students in business and computing schools at Auckland University of Technology. The closed-ended questions within the questionnaire were used to validate the proposed research model. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares. Most of the proposed hypotheses were supported, rendering several significant findings in this thesis. In this study, it has been found that individuals who are more innovative and confident about using MIES are more likely to develop a positive image toward these services. They also value services that are useful and easy to use and demonstrate high enthusiasm for more personalized mobile services. More importantly, their perceptions toward MIES can be further reinforced if their mobile phone functionalities are highly compatible with these services. Therefore, service providers should strive to create a seamless MIES experience for users. Furthermore, given that mobile phones have their own strengths and limitations, the motivation behind user's choices of various applications becomes an important issue for service providers to consider. It has been shown that the importance of service attributes vary with user's motivations of using MIES. This study therefore focuses on several important end user issues which are not well explored in the research of mobile internet services. Overall, this study contributed to existing research into user s perception toward MIES as an information technology based on his/her intrinsic motivator. Several important antecedents have been identified to influence user's Perceived Playfulness in this context. Limitations and suggestions for future studies are considered at the end of this thesis. Implications are also discussed.