Better Together—How Play Boosts Collaboration in the Workplace
- kendriatg
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Better Together—How Play Boosts Collaboration in the Workplace
Collaboration isn't just a buzzword or a checkbox on a performance review—it's the heartbeat of successful, innovative organizations. But true collaboration isn’t about people simply working in the same space or on the same task. It’s about co-creating, co-owning, and thinking collectively.
At TG8, we believe that collaboration flourishes when people are not just working—but playing—together.
Yes, you read that right.
Play is the secret ingredient.
It’s the tool that transforms siloed teams into dynamic problem-solvers, and awkward group work into powerful partnerships. When organizations embrace play as part of their team culture, something incredible happens: the energy shifts. The ideas start flowing. People stop protecting turf and start building together.
And the research backs this up. In the “It Pays to Play” survey, 79% of employees said that having fun at work is important. Why? Because when we enjoy the process, we invest more in the outcome. Play doesn’t just lighten the mood—it deepens the commitment. Teams that engage in playful activities report higher time-on-task, greater engagement, and stronger productivity across the board.
At TG8, we see this come alive in our Design Thinking for Innovation sessions. When we invite teams into a game-based challenge or a creative “design sprint,” the usual walls come down. Hierarchies soften. Departments collaborate. People bring their full, unfiltered selves. In these moments, collaboration doesn’t have to be taught—it emerges naturally.
But play isn’t only useful in well-functioning, high-energy teams. At TG8, we often work with teams who are experiencing significant change—teams who aren’t sure how to welcome a new team member, or how to adjust to a new leader’s style. Sometimes, the challenge is knowing when and how to shift to a new project or role after being deeply invested elsewhere.
Play becomes the bridge! It creates space for self-reflection, emotional processing, and team-wide awareness. In a playful environment, people become more attuned to how they feel—and more importantly, how they respond to change, pressure, and each other. Rather than powering through transitions with tension, teams learn to pause, explore, and re-engage with intention. This is why TG8 uses structured, purposeful play not as an icebreaker—but as a breakthrough.
Our trainings go far beyond surface-level team-building. Through our programs, your teams engage in immersive, strategic activities that promote:
Empathy through role rotations
Visual problem-solving through Lego, puzzles and more
Gamified collaboration to tackle real business challenges
Design thinking to drive innovation, not just conversation
When collaboration becomes playful, it also becomes more effective. Because when people enjoy what they’re building together, they build it better.
So if your team is stuck in an endless loop of unproductive meetings, siloed thinking, or idea fatigue, or if they’re navigating a transition that has left them uncertain and disconnected, it might be time to do something radical.
Give them permission to play.
Let TG8 help you create the kind of workplace where collaboration is not just expected—but celebrated, practiced, and powered by joy.
Because when people play together, they don’t just bond—they build something extraordinary. Together.
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