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Welcome to this talk, titled ‘What I Learned From A Clown About Creating Awesome Engineering Culture.’ Unfortunately, the clown, Stefan Bramble, has had a bit of a clown-related emergency and, therefore, is not here right now. I will carry on without him, so please bear with me. Caitlyn did an awesome job introducing us. I have worked in people and people leadership roles at tech companies for a long time, and I met Stefan, the clown teacher, academic, facilitator, and psychodynamic expert, when we worked together at Buildkite in 2020, a time when the world was quite different. We all had to work differently, and while we were already a remote-first organization, the world’s changes forced us to rethink how we collaborated.
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Stefan and I now have a company called Playground, which, as Caitlyn mentioned, aims to help people make work better. By the end of this talk, you will walk away with two valuable insights: first, the Playstate Peach framework grounded in academic research and our practical applications, and second, a practical tool known as the three PS to take back to your workplace. Our task today is to discuss what I learned from a clown about creating an awesome engineering culture.
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I have two roles today: mine is to communicate to you, while yours is to listen, question, be curious, and share your thoughts later. We have only 35 minutes, and I want to make this talk memorable for you. To do this, I’ve asked a friend of mine to join us—his name is Frank the Bear. Please help me welcome him to the stage.
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Though there is no music (and I didn’t bring the thing), let’s welcome Frank! Okay, Frank, are you alright with the stairs and your teddy bear feet? Awesome! Now, everyone, Frank invites you to do something! Whoa, hold on there, that was supposed to happen differently, but it seems Frank has lost his voice, so I’ll have to assist him.
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Frank invites everyone to have some fun and engage with us today. What you just experienced is called experiential learning. Something happened in the room, and I want you to think about how it relates to our discussion. I’m a bit out of breath after that, and I apologize for the lack of music! It created quite the technical challenge, didn't it? Now we are here to delve into what I learned from a clown about creating an exceptional engineering culture. In summary, I’ve dedicated my career to helping people have a positive experience at work, finding joy in that process.
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I’ve often said, and will continue to do so, that people feel great at work when they are doing valuable work and establishing strong relationships. My role in people and teams has always been to support this, building practical solutions and traditional processes to solve problems, helping people get out of their way so they can enjoy their work. However, what I learned from a clown is that incorporating play makes everything faster and much more enjoyable.
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I come from a background in the performing arts and have studied the psychodynamics of groups. Throughout this exploration, I discovered two intriguing perspectives: one being what I learned about engineering culture and the other on reverse engineering play. I recognized that play fosters faster, better results, but combining practical solutions with play results in truly amazing outcomes. I learned how to think like an engineer about group dynamics and the pivotal role that play can have in generating change and achieving incredible outcomes.
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We have somewhat redefined this term—play—because it often carries a negative connotation. Play is fundamentally about enjoying the challenging task of learning, which is essential in our knowledge-driven industry. If we do not learn, we stagnate our progress in technology and fail to adapt. Before meeting Stefan, I was one of those people who flinched at the word ‘play,’ equating it to compulsory fun without genuine enjoyment. Can I get a show of hands if any of you have felt the same way when hearing about play in workplace contexts? Great! So you are not alone.
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What we discovered is that play can simply be defined as having fun while you learn at work, fostering a vibrant environment. We coined the term ‘play state’ to describe when play, fun, and learning occur collectively. Think about it: you know you’re in a group that works well together when people are focused, even during challenging times, yet everyone still manages to find joy in their work. To those who cringe at the term ‘play,’ I argue that it’s not the concept of play itself that makes you uncomfortable, but rather the instances when it’s executed poorly.
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When play is integrated well, it feels organic within a group setting, as I’m sure you’ve experienced in productive teams where work and play seamlessly blend together. Let’s break down the concept behind the Play State Peach framework that we developed. This framework provides a structure that organizations can adopt, offering practical advice on nurturing a play state within groups.
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Think of the mission or task of your group as the seed inside the peach—a vital element for any group’s success.
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A clear central task or mission defines any group’s effectiveness. For example, if you have five individuals on a beach just hanging out, they are not a group, but if one of them starts to drown, and the others help, they become a group. Hence, recognizing the central task in any collaborative setting is crucial, whether you are deciding the color of a button in a meeting or working on an urgent project together.
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Regarding our earlier example with Frank the Bear, we started our talk by stating our task clearly, highlighting that our purpose is to share what I learned from a clown about fostering a thriving engineering culture. Your role involves listening, collaborating, and being curious about the knowledge. The next layer that we need to explore is safety. Tasks cannot be accomplished if individuals do not feel safe.
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You cannot bake a cake with your hair on fire! Those familiar with CPR know that danger is the first step in assessment. Ensuring safety is paramount, similar to how you cannot save someone's life without first ensuring safety. Therefore, safety serves as the foundational layer for the task to occur.
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Safety comprises both physical and psychological environments. If employees fear their boss or worry about safety hazards, they will not be able to focus on their work. The final layer of the framework revolves around boundaries—the skin of the peach. Boundaries encompass crucial safety, as the task necessitates clarity surrounding group dynamics.
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Here’s the interesting aspect: defining and maintaining boundaries is the responsibility of leadership, yet it is also essential for every group member to actively engage and uphold these boundaries. Reflecting on the earlier interaction with Frank the Bear, the environment and dynamics were established before we stepped onto this stage. Management was tasked with determining clear boundaries and having discussions to ensure everyone felt comfortable throughout today’s presentation.
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The foundation of boundaries is crucial when groups come together, fostering the growth of a group identity and reinforcing collective safety. Another key element to keep in mind is that execution takes place in all realms of group activity—missions, safety, and maintaining boundaries that influence interpersonal interactions. If the group's members are unsure of their common purpose, boundaries will falter, leading to group disbandment.
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It is necessary to cultivate understanding within the group, allowing the task to be completed effectively. In essence, we can have a well-defined mission, adequate safety, and clear boundaries within a group, but our experiments at Buildkite have revealed that injecting the play state into group dynamics elevates engagement and originality, fostering the group’s collective wisdom to take charge.
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When groups foster an infectious play spirit, problem-solving becomes organic, and individuals in the group become more proactive in resolving issues. Several wonderful concepts emerge from this injection—concepts such as rupture and repair from psychology, which emphasizes relational strength following conflict resolution. Through the presence of a play state, individuals engage more openly and find it easier to resolve disagreements.
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Self-authorization is another noteworthy aspect within group dynamics. It occurs when members recognize problems yet hesitate to address them, fearing repercussions. By fostering a play state, individuals feel empowered to solve issues promptly. A prime example comes from NASA's moon landings in the 1960s when authorization was pushed down to the lowest levels of their hierarchy. Anyone observing a problem was empowered to address it, showcasing the effectiveness of self-authorization.
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Moving forward, let’s shift gears to how we can cultivate this play state within our organizations. We can focus on three major components: personal development, team dynamics, and organizational cohesion. One therapeutic avenue we can explore is ritual, as rituals have been embedded in human culture since the dawn of time.
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Groups often establish processes and traditions that define their uniqueness. For example, daily stand-up meetings provide not only a structure but often a ritual, giving team members the understanding that they have responsibilities and shared timeframes in collaboration. Rituals can facilitate communication about boundaries, safety, mission tasks, and play.
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Reflecting on our experience with Frank the Bear, we encountered a challenge when submitting a talk at RubyConf to share what I learned from a clown regarding engineering culture. The practical solution we devised revolved around creating an engaging talk filled with useful takeaways for your workplaces, with the goal of fostering a healthcare connection among team members. We sought to ensure that the critical components of our discussion were both memorable and applicable.
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We recognized that remarkably few conferences host a clown dressed as a teddy bear, making this experience unforgettable. Did we cover the connection between learning and play? We did not. When considering Frank the Bear's involvement and my previous mention of experiential learning, it's essential to note that when learning is joyful, it tends to leave a lasting impression.
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Educators know this trick well—positive learning experiences enable learners to internalize understandings and concepts. In our endeavor surrounding Frank the Bear's concept, we aimed to provide a memorable framework for you all. The underlying mechanism relates to how play forms a space between authority and the learner, allowing for exploration without fear of consequence.
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Just as infants develop by forming connections with primary caregivers, they explore and learn through play. This principle persists into adulthood; we all learn in similar ways. Creating environments where people can engage with play and exploration is pivotal to our mission—all accomplished in the context of this talk, which is equally applicable in your organizations.
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We genuinely believe it’s not only frustrating but absurd that as adults learning becomes so burdensome while we overlook playful strategies to enhance retention, understanding, and engagement. We are passionate about catalyzing a change in mindset—encouraging people to embrace play as a valuable learning tool.
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At Buildkite, we confronted challenges in fostering remote connections bluntly, especially following COVID. Seeking out these connections became pivotal to our organizational mission, so we devised practical solutions to facilitate bonding among team members, even outside work-related discussions.
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Among the initiatives we implemented was encouraging informal conversations before meetings, allowing a few moments of social interaction before diving into the agenda. We championed the notion of a 'haircut appreciation time' as a light-hearted icebreaker that originated from an agenda scheduling concealment; it was a humorous way to engage attendees with informal chatter.
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When we put this practice into place, our team actively participated in providing feedback, reinforcing the connection between work and camaraderie while creating a more productive environment for collaboration.
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The second initiative focused on effectively sharing knowledge across the team, as Buildkite grew exponentially, necessitating intentional communication methods to bridge gaps within teams spread across time zones.
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To address this, we established a weekly All-Hands meeting where team representatives shared highlights of their work with the rest of the company. By dedicating time to praise and share accomplishments, teams fostered a supportive environment where individuals felt proud of their contributions.
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However, this meant we had to be mindful of time management. Timekeeping can prove challenging, especially when it involves ensuring someone feels comfortable enough to cut short a presentation. Therefore, we instituted the role of Director of Musical Entertainment—an individual responsible for ensuring meetings remained on schedule while organizing playful lift-offs to engage everyone.
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By integrating playful musical cues and lively interactions, we created a welcoming environment that brought energy while maintaining efficiency in communication. This role not only helped keep the proceedings on track but also added spontaneity and engagement to the rhythm of our meetings.
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We observed that by transforming the role of timekeeper to one associated with creativity and joy, the team became far more engaged and enthusiastic about sharing their ideas.
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We also saw significant changes in presenting dynamics during our All-Hands meetings, which encouraged attendees to strive for concise presentations in anticipation of musical entertainment—a testament to how play can tangibly uplift workplace morale.
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As we come to an end, we want to stress that authenticity remains key in fostering a playful culture in workplace environments. You don’t need gimmicks; rather, you can cultivate your unique brand of play to build a fun and productive atmosphere.
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Our summary of the ideals communicated here today is this: play stands as a powerful tool to enhance team performance, helping individuals remain engaged and focused on task while ensuring that the environment is sincerely enjoyable.
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Finally, we passionately believe that play will be the key to unlocking solutions to the challenges people face in their organizations and will foster collaboration as teams work seamlessly to tackle obstacles together as they explore the possibilities. The world is a constantly changing landscape; embracing play might just be the catalyst that leads us toward a brighter future in how we work.
