Given the need for experimentation, learning from trial and error, the way that we will approach rule breaking is the same as when we were children:  through play.

In Chapter 2 we discussed the limitations of thinking in terms of dualities.  One of the best examples of how we get caught up in dualities is work and play.  Work vs. play is easy to see:  we either are engaged in work which, for so many, is experienced in negative terms, especially in contrast to play.  We work hard at our jobs during the week so that we can play hard on the weekends.  When we are at work, we are serious, and we must follow the rules.  While we sometimes talk about taking play seriously (as in sports or competitive games), another sense of play is that there are no rules and no objectives.  The joy emerges from engaging in the activity itself.

To understand the difference in the two types of play, think about dancing.  There are some people who make their living as dancers, whether it’s ballet, Flamenco (like ballet, considered an art form in Spain), Belly, or exotic dancing.  We might consider these as we do sport:  performers take it very seriously, work for years to master the art of whatever form.  And then there are those of us who love to dance, with a partner or with a whole group of people (or by ourselves in the living room. . .talking about a friend here, of course).  Most don’t take it seriously, the pleasure comes from just doing it.

This second type of play is what we are interested in this class.

To understand this, we need to go back to learning.  Developmental psychologists agree that the stage of life in which humans learn the most is from birth to age three.  And all of that learning comes from play, play with no real structure.  Play then involves exploration, discovery, trial and error, failing (if you were one of those babies who tried to touch the candle flame) then learning from failure.  There were no rules initially, that was something else to learn, much from our parents (“NO!”).  Once we learned the rules, we loved to break them and that was such an important part of learning; it is where we learned where the boundaries were.  The key is that we were creative, fearless, and we would try pretty much anything.

And then we grew up.  We followed rules, conformed to others’ expectations, and set goals.  And we became terrified of doing something wrong.  Of letting other people down.  Of failing.  We learned the importance of not disappointing people  First, not disappointing those we loved.  Later, not disappointing most everyone.  And then, of course, you end up making decisions and living your life according to others, as opposed to your own.

So we learned to love safety and security and certainty.  We would rather be bored and know exactly how to do well than be engaged but not sure exactly how we are doing.  And that works well as long as circumstances don’t change.  But in a VUCA world, that’s how we end up with lifelong anxiety and bullshit jobs.  Or worse.

For your entire lives thus far, most of you knew exactly what the future held.  You might not know which middle school teachers you would have, but you knew the school.  You didn’t know which college you would attend but you knew there would be one.  Until you came here, if i would have asked you what you would be doing in four years, what you told me would have been very close to reality.

Now, tell me what you will be doing in four years.  If you are juniors or seniors, you don’t have much of a clue what life will be in one or two years, let alone four!

i know how much anxiety this creates in PC students.  Many are anxious enough not to want even think about what will happen post-grad.  The good news is that this is completely understandable if you have not been taught how to thrive in conditions of uncertainty.  The better news is that you can learn how to deal in VUCA conditions.  Most all of you will, by force.  You will be thrown into that world post-grad.

According to a recent study, most college students feel they will be ready for the workplace; you believe college is preparing you well.  But this study also looks at your future employers’ opinions of how prepared you actually were.  Time and again this will come back to some very basic skills that underlie many others:

• how to find out what it is you don’t know that you don’t know
• how to find out those things
• how to generate new ideas and find new opportunities
• how to learn in real-world settings (i.e., learn by doing)
• how to collaborate effectively
• how to claim ownership (which includes integrity and reputation)

Like all other things in the wild, a large part of learning – then developing – these, is through play.

What does this mean for the class?

One thing about play among young children is that they don’t start with rules.  They make them up as they go, if they even need them.

Even need them?  At this point, an example might help.

Many classes have rules about students using phones, tablets, or laptops in class.  i don’t have such a rule.  From past semesters one of two things happen:  1) students will simply start using a tablet or laptop in class, or 2) a student will ask if he or she can use it in class.  When the question is asked, my response has always been the same:  “i don’t know.  Tell me how their usage is helping us accomplish our learning objectives?”  If students don’t know, then there is no reason to use them during class even though there are many uses for technology in learning.  If we find ways to use them for practicing management and organizations, then of course we will use them.

So in this case we wouldn’t use them until we found a reason to use them in class.  To find those reasons, we would play around, doing experiments by using them in various ways to enhance our learning.  Once we found a reason, we would certainly want to use them.

Now, would that, then, be a rule?  One could see it that way, perhaps.  But the focus would be on accomplishing our learning objectives.  To me, the only time it would make sense to then establish a rule, per se, is if people started using them for reasons other than to accomplish our objectives.  However, even in that case you would not need a rule once people felt responsible for themselves and each other as well as for achieving the objectives of the class.

Rules ain’t natural

Think about play and rules in this way:  If you have ever been in a relationship did you start that relationship by establishing rules the two of you would follow?  If you did, i’ll wager that relationship didn’t last long.  Now, if you have ever been in the dreadful situation of being in a relationship with a controlling person or, worse, betrayed by your partner, then rules get established.  Which almost always ends the relationship eventually.

How do the best relationships work to make sure both partners understand what they do, and what they don’t do?  Through communication, responsibility, and trust.

Organizations – like this class – are exactly the same.  We will read about organizations that have almost no rules, rather they count on the same things:  Communication, responsibility, and trust.

The reason organizations are the same as a couple in love:  Neither are machines, where efficiency, rules, and strict procedures are necessary for optimal functioning.  Rather, they are both social entities.

So welcome (back) to kindergarten!  Let’s play!