Mastering mobile-flexible work thanks to board game

Mobile-flexible working means that employees perform their tasks for their employer independently of fixed places and times: Minutes are typed at home in the morning, emails are answered on the train, the customer meeting takes place in the café near the train station. In the afternoon, the team members sit together at the company to discuss the development of a new customer solution.

"Mobile-flexible work today consists of a combination of working in the home office, on the road in so-called third places, for example on the train or at the airport, and in the main office - in other words, in the office," says business economist Adrienne Schäfer from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Sensitize employees

Companies that want to introduce mobile-flexible forms of work in their operations must not only equip their employees with laptops and smartphones. They should also sensitize them to the new challenges. "Time- and location-independent work demands a lot of planning from employees," adds Schäfer. For example, they have to adapt their daily schedules to the tasks because not every location is suitable for all activities and work depends on the available technology. For joint teamwork, appointments must be made well in advance and appropriate rooms reserved. Defined time slots are also needed for the informal exchange of knowledge in the main office.

To help companies raise employee awareness of mobile and flexible forms of work, the Competence Center Typology & Planning in Architecture (CCTP) at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts developed the simulation board game "Work a Round". It is one of three tools developed as part of the three-year research project "iMOW" (see box).

Game ends must function as a team

"Work a Round" is not a board game played at the family table. Rather, it is a simulation game in which strategies for mobile-flexible working can be tested and developed. "Employees should approach the topic in a playful way and learn how other places besides the main office can be used for daily tasks," explains interior designer Jan Eckert.

Under the guidance of a professional moderator, the players solve individual and team tasks in groups of four or four with game pieces: Team meeting, writing an offer, preparing an employee interview, etc. Depending on the tasks and requirements (e.g. privacy, concentration), these can be completed in the main office, in the home office, at a so-called third place or on public transport. The goal is to complete all tasks as a team in as few rounds as possible. There are no winners or losers. "The players should not individually try to work through everything as quickly as possible. Rather, they have to function as a team," says Eckert. Among other things, this means that employees should develop strategies to optimally combine tasks and correspondingly suitable work locations in their everyday work.

After about half of the game time and at the end, the course of the game is analyzed together with the moderator. Which workplaces are suitable for which work, which are hardly used? Where did problems arise? How does the work in reality differ from that in the game world? "The debriefing process in the course of the game is important: Employees reflect on their moves in the game and draw insights for their mobile-flexible form of work," says Eckert.

The simulation board game "Work a Round" is not available in stores.

Try the game "Work a Round

On Thursday, November 26, 2015, the simulation board game "Work a Round" will be presented in Switzerland for the first time. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and the RBS Group invite to a joint workshop where the game can be tried out. In addition, participants will learn more about mobile and flexible working. The workshop will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the RBS Group premises, Hardturmstrasse 169 in Zurich. To the registration.