“Leadership & Flow”A Comprehensive Research Programand Network

Date: 8 September 2014Version: v3.0

Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi(Good Business, 2003)

“Beyond providing respect and a sense of common purpose, an organization that

does good business is also concerned with the personal growth of its members.An evolving system is not static but tends

toward complexity.”

Summary and Invitation

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“Leadership & Flow” is an innovative global program, making use of the “serious gaming simulation” approach to analyze managerial behavior and leadership roles.

The program is sponsored by the Quality of Life Research Center (Claremont, California) lead by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who created the world-famous Flow theory and who is a legendary pioneer of Positive Psychology.

The broad objectives of the “Leadership & Flow” Program are:

1. to extend and apply the Flow concept to the world of organizations and

2. to make original, empirically-based contributions to the literature and practice of leadership/management.

While the broad direction and administration of the Research Program have been arranged, as detailed in Attachment 1, we are inviting scholars from around the globe to join the Network and to contribute to the Research Program.

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Research Objectives

Most research on Leadership tries to identify skills for effective leadership without tying those skills – or a subset of those skills – to the different kinds of challenges that organizations typically face.

If and when an individual possesses the type of skills most useful for effectively managing particular challenges, he or she will likely gain the “Flow” experience. An organization can greatly improve its performance the greater the number of key employees who experience Flow recurrently.

The planned research focuses on identifying and grouping the kinds of managerial/leadership challenges that organizations typically face today and in the foreseeable future.

The expected outcome of the research is to provide prediction and guidance to individuals and organizations how to match skillsets with challenge clusters to achieve more Flow states.

The planned research will empirically tie particular types of workplace and business challenges to particular subsets of managerial and leadership skills that are the most useful in order to effectively handle those challenges and to achieve Flow and thus improve organizational performance.

“Leadership & Flow” Research

Program Participation Benefits

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You and your institution’s participation in the network (free, but by invitation only) will provide

1. Access to the innovative, award-winning FLIGBY Leadership Simulation Game*, a revolutionary and instantly exiting teaching tool;

2. Access to a large, as-yet-unexplored, and continuously expanding database of leaders’ simulated decisions;

3. Opportunities for potentially lucrative management consulting for which we’ll provide unmatched new tools.

Attachment 1 summarizes the types of participation available and the expected credentials.

*Check out the FLIGBY trailer on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swdsmvdKYs

“Leadership & Flow” Research

The Flow Concept

Flow is the mental state in which a person engaged in an activity is fully immersed in it and has an energized focus, feeling elated during the process. The Flow “channel” is depicted below.

Flow is characterized by intense concentration, loss of self-awareness, a feeling of being perfectly challenged, and a sense that "time is standing still”.Flow is an intrinsically rewarding experience; it helps one achieve a goal while improving skills. Anyone can experience Flow in all kinds of activities, such as work, play, creative hobby. To experience Flow, one needs to have the relevant level of challenges for his or her particular skill set.

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The Flow Concepts and Its Extension

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The basic idea of the proposed Research Program is to extend the Flow concepts from individual experience to a significant resource for your organization.

The greater the number and frequency of the Flow experiences of key persons in an organization, the better the unit’s performance will be on just about every dimension.

To achieve and sustain Flow, it helps to have the relevant level of challenges for each individual’s particular skill set. How to achieve this match is a key aspect of the Research Program.

The founders of the Research Program have initial hypotheses on how leaders can find Flow and thereby contribute not only to their own well-being, but also to the improved performance of their organization.

“Leadership & Flow” Research

Flow and Organizations

“FLIGBY” simulation informs and gives examples to managers/leaders at to how effectively create an environment in which Flow can flourish.

Good Business

Good Leadership

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A key aspect of good Management and Leadership is to create and maintain conditions under which key employees are experiencing frequent periods of Flow.

The greater the Flow in an organization – that is, the greater the number of key employees who are in that state – the better the unit’s performance.

“Leadership & Flow” Research

Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Professor at the Claremont Graduate University, California, Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian by birth, is one of the greatest psychologists of our age. He earned his fame by defining and providing a detailed description of the Flow state. He has been seeking the answer to the great question of our everyday life: finding happiness.

Various management-development schools have been discovering and rediscovering the theses of Prof. Csikszentmihalyi, although many practical aspects of Flow have not yet been addressed.

The Leadership and Flow Research program aims to successfully apply this concept to organizations. Those capable of fostering and sustaining long-term Flow for their employees can count on all-around increased performance, immediately and in the long run.

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”Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not, depends on the actions we collectively take.”

Professor Csikszentmihalyi

For more information on Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s academic background: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/4751.asp

(Pronounced: me-HIGH chick-sent-me-HIGH-ee)

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Prof. Csikszentmihalyi has already pioneered the extension of the Flow concept to the world of management in his book, Good Business.He interviewed dozens of top CEOs as well as highly successful entrepreneurs, providing fascinating case studies of how such persons have experienced Flow, and how that helped them to be successful.Thus, the professor demonstrated the applicability of Flow in the business world, as recognized by scholars and opinion leaders.

Linking Flow to Leadership

• Ted Turner (vice chairman, AOL Time Warner);

• Sir John Templeton (Financial lnvestment);• Robert Shapiro (farmer chairman and CEO,

Monsanto);• Anita Roddick (founder, The Body Shop);• Jack Greenberg (chairman and CEO,

McDonald's);• Richard DeVos (cofounder and CEO, Amway);• Norman Augustine (former CEO, Lockheed

Martin);• Kenneth Derr (chairman and CEO, Chevron);• Michael Murray (former VP, Microsoft);• Michael Markkula (cofounder, Apple

Computer);• Gerald Greenwald (former chairman and

CEO, United Airlines);• Mads Ovlisen (CEO, Novo Nordisk);• Alfred Zeien (former CEO, Gillette).Check out Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s TED talk: http

://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow

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About Good Business

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Quoting from Harvard Business School review:

“World leaders and sports figures, such as Super Bowl champion coach Jimmy Johnson, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, have all been inspired by the book.”

“Good Business reveals how business leaders, managers, and even employees can find ‘flow’ and contribute not only to their own happiness, but also to improved organizational performance as well as to a just and evolving society. It identifies the factors crucial to the operation of a good business: trust, the commitment to fostering the personal growth of employees, and the dedication to creating a product that helps mankind.”

“This is the foundation book for the

psychology of well-being and

achievement.”Peter F. Drucker

Research Institutions of the “Good Business” Project

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Until now, Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow idea and its relevance for business have been stated as general propositions, along with a desirable set of values on the part of leaders.

The mission of our new “Leadership & Flow” Program is to extend current empirical research that goes way beyond case studies, with a view toward finding best practices and applied tools for creating and harnessing Flow at the organizational level.

“Leadership & Flow” Research Mission

“Leadership & Flow” Research

Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi(Good Business, 2003)

“While most people enjoy working when it provides flow, too few jobs are so designed as to make flow possible. This is where management can make a real difference.”

The „Leadership & Flow” Program is unique, owing to its integration of

three elements

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1. Research focus and approaches – The planned research will empirically tie particular types of workplace and business challenges to subsets of managerial and leadership skills that are the most useful in order to effectively handle particular challenges. Among other things, this would promote Flow. (Attachment 2 provides initial ideas on how.)

2. Research methods – The Research Program will rely – for the first time – on a set of data derived from the information gathered from those many thousands who have played, or will play, the award-winning FLIGBY Leadership and Flow Simulation (Serious Game). (See Attachment 3 on the planned research approach.)

3. Research leadership and organization – In addition to the leading role of Prof. Csikszentmihalyi, a global network of prestigious academic partners are being invited to be involved. (Attachment 1 shows the structure of the research organization.)

Research, Focus and Approaches

Research Leadership and

Organization

Research Methods

Uniqueness of the “Leadership & Flow” Program

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Developed over 3 years by an international team (incl. Prof. Csikszentmihalyi) with an investment of $1 million, the FLIGBY simulation focuses on the managerial challenges of the imaginary (but fully realistic) Turul Winery in California.

The leadership style of the former manager of Turul has destroyed the spirit of the management team that used to be cohesive. You are the newly appointed manager, whose task as a player is to build a well functioning team out of the poorly-motivated, mid-level managerial group.

The aim is to try to bring as many colleagues as possible – even if just for a short time – into a Flow state, by making small and not-so-small decisions, with a view toward improving Turul Winery’s key performance indicators. The game keeps track of your multi-dimensional achievement scores, which are available automatically during the game.

In 2012, FLIGBY won Gold Medal of the „International Serious Play Awards” in the category of Corporate Games in Seattle. The panel of experts selected FLIGBY as the best digital game made for managers.

About FLIGBY®

Screenshots from FLIGBY

www.fligby.com

“Leadership & Flow” Research

Features of the FLIGBY® Simulation

• Enjoyable gameplay trough interactive user interface: playing the game itself has provided a Flow experience to many.

• Multimedia reference library included.

• Action-oriented feedback system to players and to their sponsoring organization.

• Evaluation of 29 basic managerial skills based on the game performance.

• Average learning time: 8 to 10 hrs over a period of 10 to 15 days.

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The screenshot shows Mr. Fligby introducing one of the 8 characters of the Turul team.

On each set of decisions you make (choosing from the options), Mr. Fligby will give you instant evaluative feedback

“Leadership & Flow” Research

• … about the Research Leadership and Administration,

see Attachment 1• … about the Research Foci and Approaches of Leadership and Flow Program,

see Attachment 2• … about the Research Method,

see Attachment 3• … about the FLIGBY Simulation,

see Attachment 4

To find out more…

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“Beyond providing respect and a sense of common purpose, an

organization that does good business is also concerned with

the personal growth of its members.

An evolving system is not static but tends toward complexity.”

Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Good Business, 2003)

You are Welcome to Contact

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Following his Ph.D. from the Wharton School (U of Penn), Paul became professor of international business at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, where he served for 25 years. He was Visiting Professor of Business at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai (2004 & 2006), and at the University of Trento, Italy (2005).Currently, Paul is Professor of Business and Coordinator of Academic Outreach at Central European University (CEU) Business School, Budapest, Hungary.

Prof.Paul Marer

Research Program Management,

member of the Advisory Board

marerp@ceubusiness.org

Prof.Zoltan Buzady

Research Program Management,

member of the Managing Board

zad@aleasgroup.combuzadyz@ceubusiness.org

Mr. Zsadany VecseyResearch Program

Management, member of the

Managing Board

Zsadany received his degree in organizational behavior from the Corvinus University and his MBA from the London Business School.He began his professional management consultant career at Coopers & Lybrand. Afterwards, as the CEO of IQ ConsultinG, he introduced international brands in Central Europe such as the “LEGO Serious Play”. He is the co-founder and CEO of ALEAS Simulations, Inc., California, the producer and owner of the “FLIGBY” concept and serous game.

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Zoltan graduated at the L.S.E. and earned his MBA at the CASS Business School, London. After his Ph.D. he became a professor teaching OB, Leadership and Design Thinking at prestigious universities and business schools in Hungary, Germany, Kazakhstan to MBAs and on executive and corporate education programs.On several occasions he won 1st prize on global case writing competitions.Zoltan serves currently as a Faculty Director of MBA Programs at the Central European University (CEU) Business School, Budapest, Hungary.