Playing Positive Psychology: The Development of a Positive- Psychological Board Game for Team Building

Abstract

Today's work is mostly organized in team structures, which makes successful teamwork a key factor for organizational success. To maximize the potential of teams, organizations use team building interventions. These can take a variety of forms, and also serious games are applied as team building tools. The present study shows the development of a board game for team building. The development of the game is based on approaches of positive-psychological research, such as character strengths, PsyCap, mindfulness or the flow experience. It aims to help team members to learn about their own strengths and those of the team in a playful way, thus improving communication and cooperation. In addition, the already known positive effects of the positive-psychological constructs incorporated in the game are supposed to be transferred to teamwork situations and help teams improve their well-being and performance.

Full text

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 43
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
Playing Positive Psychology: The Development of a Positive-
Psychological Board Game for Team Building
Leonie Kloep, Anna-Lena Helten and Corinna Peifer
Abstract
Today's work is mostly organized in team structures, which makes successful teamwork a key factor for
organizational success. To maximize the potential of teams, organizations use team building interventions.
These can take a variety of forms, and also serious games are applied as team building tools. The present
study shows the development of a board game for team building. The development of the game is based
on approaches of positive-psychological research, such as character strengths, PsyCap, mindfulness or
the flow experience. It aims to help team members to learn about their own strengths and those of the
team in a playful way, thus improving communication and cooperation. In addition, the already known
positive effects of the positive-psychological constructs incorporated in the game are supposed to be
transferred to teamwork situations and help teams improve their well-being and performance.
Introduction
Do you know what your key strengths are? And
how you can use them best at work? For many
people, these questions are hard to answer, and
they don’t feel confident about their strengths.
Individuals often tend to focus on their
weaknesses and problems and forget about their
strengths. However, at work, these strengths can
have beneficial effects on our wellbeing and job
satisfaction and be decisive when it comes to
stressful situations. Research on character
strengths, a set of 24 different strengths that are
supposed to be found in every individual in
different intensity [1], confirms their positive
relation with different job performance indicators
such as task performance and job dedication [2].
Today's oftentimes team-based work
environments can also make it especially helpful
to know both one's own strengths and those of
the team members in order to understand how
best to accomplish common tasks as a team. In
addition, other positive psychology approaches
can have positive effects on people’s working
lives. For example, psychological capital
(PsyCap), the interaction of the constructs hope,
optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy, can help
employees develop satisfaction and well-being at
work [3]. Experiencing flow, i.e. feeling absorbed
in an optimally demanding activity, or practicing
mindfulness, a form of awareness of the present
moment, is also considered beneficial at work [4,
5]. However, these topics are rarely discussed in
everyday working life. The goal of this paper is to
address this need with the development of a team
building tool that aims to make teams get to know
their own strengths and benefit from different
positive effects. As the team building intervention
is designed in the form of a board game, a
creative and playful method is applied. Team
members are encouraged to actively engage with
various positive-psychological constructs and
have the chance to get to know each other on a
new level. In the game, various positive-
psychological contents are introduced in a playful
way, mainly regarding character strengths,
psychological capital, flow experience and
mindfulness, among others. Working on these
topics by means of small tasks integrated into the
game aims to improve variables of collaboration
like for example well-being or flow experience at
work. In the following sections, in which the
positive-psychological contents are described,
examples of tasks related to the constructs are
included respectively. Within the game, these can
be found in the form of playing cards with
reflections, discussions and actions.
After a pilot study has already been conducted
with the newly developed game, its potential but
also its still existing weaknesses were revealed.
In the context of this first study with the game, we

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 44
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
evaluated its effect on flow and team flow, i.e. the
individual and shared experience of absorption
and focus when performing a task [6]. We now
continue to further improve the content and
design of the game. The present paper goes into
detail about the development of the positive-
psychological board game and gives an outlook
on possible future applications in research and at
the workplace.
Team building
To strengthen the performance and well-being of
teams, organizations use various approaches and
methods of team building. Team building
interventions include all types of activities that are
meant to help maintain and improve teamwork,
i.e. team performance, achievement of common
goals, wellbeing in the team and interpersonal
relations among team members [7, 8]. Thus, team
building can be used as a support tool for newly
formed teams in order to support the natural team
forming process as well as for the development
of potentials in existing teams or the solution of
problems and conflicts among team members [7].
However, for an effective team building
intervention, it is crucial that it is designed in an
evidence-based way with measurable outcomes
[9]. Thereby, team building interventions can take
on a variety of forms like classical trainings,
outdoor adventures or online workshops, and also
board games.
Positive psychology
Evidence-based activities for team building often
include approaches of positive psychology [10].
Just like that, the board game of the present study
is developed by applying various positive
psychology concepts in the form of tasks on the
different types of playing cards. At the same time,
the game aims to enhance positive-psychological
factors that can have a positive effect on team-
related variables like well-being, team climate or
team flow experience at work.
The term positive psychology refers to a research
field, which focuses on the strengths, resources,
and potentials of individuals, organizations, and
societies. Its central concern is to explore how to
support well-being and positive development [11].
Especially in the work context, this approach can
play a crucial role [10, 12]. Positive-psychological
interventions can be used at both the individual
and team level and research has been able to
show a long-term positive effect of positive-
psychological interventions on the general well-
being of individuals [13, 14].
In the following paragraphs, different positive-
psychological concepts will be explored that are
applied to the game. These are examples of some
constructs among various approaches of positive
psychology that are incorporated into the design
of the game. It will be explained how they can
benefit teamwork and examples of usage in the
game will be given.
Character strengths
A central concept in positive psychology research
are the character strengths. A classification
system developed by Peterson and Seligman [1]
differentiates between 24 character strengths
that are present in different intensity respectively
in every person, like creativity, gratitude, humor,
honesty or social intelligence [1]. These strengths
are described as positive traits that are personally
satisfying and associated with positive outcomes
for individuals and their environment [15].
All character strengths show interindividual
stability but can be changed over time, for
example due to changes in a person's social role.
Furthermore, character strengths can be trained
and enhanced through interventions [15].
Therefore, key elements of the game developed in
the present study are based on the concept of
character strengths. Through various playing
cards on character strengths, the players should
become aware of their own strengths and those
of the other team members. By displaying
strengths cards with the own character strengths
openly to everyone, players can compare their
strengths to their team members’ strengths and
find similarities or differences. In addition, they
are encouraged to make greater use of their
character strengths and to develop them through
different reflections and exercises. Different
cards of the game ask players to think about past
situations in which they actively used one or more
of their strengths and reflect on how it felt to
them. In addition, they are encouraged to reflect
on how to improve the use of the own character
strengths in future similar situations or even
transfer further onto different situations. Figure 1

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 45
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
shows an example of a reflection card on
character strengths that has been designed for
the game.
Figure 1: Example of a reflection card on character
strengths
Psychological capital
Another central concept of the game is the
psychological capital that marks an individual’s
positive-psychological state of development and
competitive advantage. The constructs hope,
optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy are
combined under the umbrella term and second-
order construct psychological capital (PsyCap),
which does not only describe the shared variance
of these four constructs, but also assumes that
they interact with each other [16, 17].
PsyCap is gaining importance in human resource
development due to its effects on individuals'
attitudes and behaviors. For example, increased
job satisfaction, commitment, engagement, well-
being, and an increased performance were found
to be associated with high levels of PsyCap [3].
Therefore, the concept of PsyCap is also taken
into account and actively integrated in the design
of the present game. Various game cards ask
players to reflect on the different elements of
PsyCap and to recall situations in which they were
able to apply them or imagine future applications
or challenges in which their PsyCap could be
useful. Thereby positive thinking patterns may
also be trained. Figure 2 shows a game card with
a task that is intended to make the players reflect
on their PsyCap.
Figure 2: Example of a reflection card on PsyCap
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a form of attention known from
buddhist doctrine, which can be understood as a
spiritual form of being present [18]. It is defined
as the awareness that arises when one
consciously pays attention to the present
moment without judging it and fully indulges to
that experience. Thus, mindfulness is
characterized by experiencing a particular
openness of body and mind, and includes a vivid
experience of one's sensory impressions and
mental processes [18, 19]. Mindfulness practice
can be shown to have positive effects on mental
health and interpersonal relations [20].
Furthermore, also in the work context
mindfulness can be considered as a positive
factor and is associated with well-being at work
[5] and improved performance [21].
Therefore, the concept of mindfulness is also
taken into account in the development of the
game. For example, short meditation exercises
are integrated into the game as tasks that are
found on the playing cards and the players have
the chance to try mindfulness together and feel
the immediate effects. Furthermore, they are
reminded of the importance of mindfulness and
reflect on how to integrate it in every day work
routines. Figure 3 shows an example of an action
card on mindfulness.

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 46
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
Figure 3: Example of an action card on mindfulness
Flow and team flow experience
Flow experience can be defined as the absorption
and merging of an individual with an activity that
is perceived as a positive state when the demands
of a task match with the individual’s own abilities
to accomplish it. It is a state of self-forgetting in
which an optimal control of the process is felt.
The attention is focused on the task and one step
seems to follow the other fluidly while the
perception of time is accelerated and the activity
performed in flow has an intrinsically rewarding
effect [6, 22].
Besides individual flow, flow can be experienced
in social situations. Team flow is defined as a
shared positive experience of team members
while working on interdependent tasks and thus
on achieving common team goals [23, 24]. A team
experiences itself as a unit in team flow and team
members perceive a shared feeling of control
over the actions and processes [23].
Both flow and team flow are associated with
different positive outcomes at work. Flow, for
example, was found to foster engagement [25] as
well as a positive mood [26]. Similarly, team flow
was shown to be associated with a better mood
[27], increased collective efficacy [28] and
improved team performance [29].
In the game of the present study, playing cards on
flow experience are included in the game, asking
the players to reflect on their personal flow
enhancing situations at work. Figure 4 shows an
example of a reflection card on flow experience.
Figure 4: Example of a reflection card on flow
In addition, various game elements are included
that in previous research have been shown to
relate positively to flow and team flow experience.
For example, flow is likely to occur when learning
new things [30] and the information exchange
within a team is associated with team flow [29].
As these conditions are assumed to be present
during gameplay, we expect that playing the board
game has a positive effect on the flow and team
flow experience. In this regard, a pilot study has
been conducted.
Games for team building
Games are defined as voluntary activities in a
limited setting, providing breaks from daily life
with rules that have to be followed [31]. Thereby,
playing a game is meant to be fun for players [32]
and can completely absorb them [31]. At the same
time, the outcome of a game is not known before
and is influenced by the players’ interactions, their
competition or based on luck [33].
Serious games are a specific type of games that
combine the typical characteristics of a game
with learning content and an intended transfer to
other situations. Thus, they are more than
entertainment and can be used for specific
learning purposes. Hence, the goal of a serious
game is not limited to the game setting itself but
has to be transferred to a context outside the
game, for example the workplace [34, 35].
In serious games, individuals work on realistic
problems and decision making processes in a
playful way while they receive immediate
feedback from the game itself as well as from the
other players [36]. In this way, serious games can

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 47
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
help groups to express emotions and reflect on
their role structures and conflicts [32] and the
interaction that is stimulated by the serious game
can go on even after playing [37].
As a team building tool, serious games are used
especially to train critical thinking skills,
communication, and decision-making within a
group [38]. In this context, often serious games in
the form of computer simulations or virtual reality
games are applied [32, 39, 40]. However, also non-
technical games like conventional board games
can show positive effects when used as team
building tools. Board games can promote
communication within the team as well as
collaborative behavior [41, 42]. The present study
therefore focuses on the development of a team
building tool in the form of board game.
Development of the positive-
psychological game
By developing a game as a team building tool, a
creative approach to design a new and effective
team building intervention was explored. When
designing team building interventions, often
conventional and well known methods such as
workshops with trainers are applied. However,
also an evidence-based game can be able to
combine research findings with a fun approach
and a relaxed atmosphere. We therefore consider
that a board game can be an effective and at the
same time fun intervention for team building. Our
goal was to create a playful way of presenting and
training positive-psychological constructs that
can have a positive impact on teamwork.
Design of the game
The board game is designed as a team building
tool based primarily on the positive-psychological
constructs explained in section 2 in the form of an
evidence-based serious game. Thus, its goal is
not only to entertain the players, but at the same
time to teach and practice new content and
behaviors.
The format chosen in this study was a board
game instead of a digital game. The game
provides team members with an unusual
environment in which they can freely express new
and creative ideas outside of their work
environment. Furthermore, a game can be a
particularly motivating learning context due to its
interactivity [43] and stimulate communication
[41, 42]. To our current knowledge, no board game
that explicitly incorporates positive psychology
has been applied in organizations and at the same
time investigated for its effect on flow and team
flow. It is assumed that positive-psychological
approaches are particularly suitable when it
comes to the design of serious games, however,
this is often associated with digital games [44].
The effects of games in training and team
development contexts have so far been
investigated primarily using online games and
computer simulations [34, 38, 39]. By developing
and applying the board game of the present study,
we can evaluate the effects of a conventional
board game in which players interact directly with
each other.
The learnings the serious game aims at can be
described on a cognitive, affective and behavioral
level [45]. On the first level, players learn about
different approaches of positive psychology, e.g.
character strengths, PsyCap or flow experience.
On a deeper, second level, the game stimulates an
interpersonal exchange of attitudes and opinions
and in consequence aims at strengthening the
team members’ relationships and trust. Lastly, on
the third level, a practical application and training
of new skills takes place. The game is set up in
such a way that there is a constant exchange
between team members and even long existing
teams can get to know each other on a new level
by playing the game. The tasks of the game are
constructed so that team members have the
flexibility to reveal only as much personal
information as they want at any time. In this way,
the positive atmosphere of the game can be
maintained even during tasks that are subjectively
perceived as more difficult by some players.
The game was designed in such a way that it can
have a particularly flow-promoting effect, as
described in previous literature [44]. For example,
the open format of the questions made it possible
to adapt the difficulty of the tasks to the players’
skills. Moreover, players get constant feedback
from their team, which can also promote flow.
To achieve the previously mentioned goals and
benefit from the positive effects of the constructs
incorporated in the game, different game
elements are designed. At the same time, the

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 48
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
game is meant to be fun and absorb players while
providing a break from the daily work routine.
Thus, the game creates a positive atmosphere in
which teams communicate naturally and share
their thoughts and opinions about topics rarely
touched in their everyday work. In this way,
players get to know to each other on a deeper
level than during work interactions.
The key component of the game is the colorful
game board with different fields that encourage
players to take actions by drawing playing cards
from the center. To move forward on the game
board, game pawns for each player and a dice are
provided. Strength, reflection, action, and
discussion cards are part of the game. The
strengths cards explain the character strengths
and help the team members learn about their own
strengths and those of the team. Reflection cards
contain questions to reflect on and invite players
to tell their team members about their personal
thoughts and experiences (e.g. Fig. 1, 2, and 4).
Action cards encourage players for a certain
activity, in most cases including other team
members (e.g. Fig. 3). Discussion cards with open
questions or controversial statements ask the
team members to discuss briefly and exchange
opinions on a certain topic. Other fields on the
game board encourage players to think about
transferring the learnings of the game to their
everyday work as a team. To further strengthen
the transfer from game to work, there are
personal memo cards to take notes during the
course of the game that can be kept by the players
also after playing. Figure 5 shows the game setup
of the first prototype of the game with its game
board and different playing cards.
The game starts by the players identifying their
own character strengths and displaying them with
the corresponding strengths cards openly on the
table. Thus, the whole team can see the strengths
the different team members identify with during
the course of the game. Then, players roll the dice
and move their pawns the corresponding number
of fields on the game board. According to the
symbol on the field on which a player is standing,
a playing card is drawn. This can be a reflection,
discussion or action card, as described above and
comprises a question or activity including one of
the different positive-psychological topics, like for
example PsyCap or mindfulness. The task
described on the card is now performed by the
player or, if the card calls for it, by the entire team.
Figure 5: Game setup
This takes, depending on the complexity of the
task, between one and approximately five
minutes. Then it is the next player's turn to roll the
dice and draw the next card from the center.
This game mechanism is characterized by its
randomness, which ensures that the team
members perform the different task categories in
a random order and that a certain feeling of
suspense is maintained during the course of the
game. The randomness of the game events,
however, does not mean that the importance of
the content of the game is disregarded. Whenever
a card is drawn, the players pause a moment to
process it. In this way, it is possible to engage in
complex reflections on one's own strengths or
small mindfulness exercises that require the
players’ full attention. However, complex
reflections are varied and constantly interrupted
by playful events in order to maintain interest and
ability to concentrate on the contents of the
game.
Pilot study
We already developed a first prototype version of
the board game. An initial pilot study was
conducted in which the game was played and
evaluated by 12 work teams of different
companies. These came from different industries,
as the game was not developed for a specific

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 49
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
domain, and it was assumed that it would be
applicable in different areas.
With the help of questionnaires one week before,
directly after playing, and two and four weeks
after playing its immediate and long term effects
on flow and team flow were measured. In this
case, flow and team flow are variables that are
both addressed in the content of the game itself
and served as outcome variables for evaluating
the effect of the game. Also, the players’
subjective evaluations of the game as a team
building tool were obtained.
The results confirm that the players experienced
flow and team flow during gameplay and an
increased team flow two weeks after playing was
found. In addition, the game received positive
ratings in the players’ subjective evaluation of
design and outcome dimensions [Kloep, Helten &
Peifer, under review]. Thus, the potential of the
game for creating positive effects for team
members was revealed. Nevertheless, the game
and study design also had some weak points, e.g.
a limited amount of topics covered in the tasks on
the playing cards or the missing control group in
the pilot study. Therefore, we are continuously
engaged in its improvement and are preparing a
revised version of the game.
Outlook
A first prototype of the game exists and has been
tested with various teams in a pilot study. This
first study has already shown that the game may
be suitable for team building, as the significant
increase in team flow two weeks after playing and
the players’ positive evaluation of the game
confirm. The approach of positive psychology as
the basis when developing a team building game
can be seen as a useful and effective one. At the
same time, the game can provide entertainment
and pleasant moments a team spends together.
As a result of the teams’ experiences when
playing the game and their evaluations, in an
upcoming project, the game will be further
developed with regard to its contents and design.
For this purpose, playing cards on various
positive-psychological constructs like the ones
described above are developed, especially
focusing on communication patterns in the team
as well as the team members’ trust and openness.
Moreover, new interaction and fun elements are
incorporated and the design of the game board
and playing cards is modernized. Thereby the
players should engage more intensely and feel
more absorbed into the game, making it feel like
a conventional game one would play with friends
or family. Another idea is to adapt the game to
specific domains in order to better meet the
different needs of teams from different fields,
both in terms of content and design. In addition,
further transfer elements should be integrated to
facilitate the transfer of the experiences and
learnings from the game to the work context.
A second study to evaluate the game is currently
being planned. We aim at examining more
precisely the effects of the game during gameplay
and in the long term. In an experimental design
with one group playing the positive-psychological
team building game and a control group playing a
conventional board game, the effects of the newly
developed game on team performance indicators,
e.g. team flow experience, can be demonstrated.
Moreover, in a future study with an experimental
and control group design, not only flow and team
flow and the evaluation of the game in general
should be measured. Variables such as team
climate, communication and trust in the team
could also be worth considering. Focus groups for
a detailed analysis of the game design are also an
option that should be taken into account.
For future applications in organizations it would
also be interesting to embed the game in a team
building process that is composed of different
elements like team trainings in general, playing
and reflection sessions. Furthermore, repeated
applications of the game, that are possible due to
the wide range of tasks on the playing cards and
their randomness in the game, would be
interesting to try and examine.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that positive psychology
offers a useful approach to the design of team
building tools and a wide range of applications is
possible. For example, learning about one's
strengths can have various positive
consequences that can be beneficial in a variety
of work contexts. Therefore, the integration of
positive-psychological constructs is particularly
suitable for the design of evidence-based team

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 50
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
building tools in order to promote positive effects
on the individual as well as on the team level.
The development of future team building tools
and interventions moreover should consider the
openness of various teams towards a wide range
of methods. In addition to conventional team
events and online interventions, games also seem
to be relevant for team building, given that their
development is based on scientific evidence.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the teams that
played the prototype of the game and thus helped
to develop and improve it.
References
[1] C. Peterson, M. E. P. Seligman, Character
Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and
Classification, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
2004.
[2] C. Harzer, W. Ruch, The Role of Character
Strengths for Task Performance, Job Dedication,
Interpersonal Facilitation, and Organizational
Support, Hum. Perform. 27 (2014) 183–205. doi:
10.1080/08959285.2014.913592.
[3] J. B. Avey, R. J. Reichard, F. Luthans, K. H. Mhatre,
Meta-analysis of the impact of positive
psychological capital on employee attitudes,
behaviors, and performance, Hum. Resour. Dev. Q.
22 (2011) 127–152. doi: 10.1002/hrdq.20070.
[4] C. Peifer, G. Wolters, Flow in the Context of Work,
in: C. Peifer, S. Engeser (Eds.), Advances in Flow
Research (2nd ed.), Springer, Cham, 2021, pp.
287–322. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4
[5] P. P. Schultz, R. M. Ryan, C. P. Niemiec, N. Legate,
G. C. Williams, Mindfulness, Work Climate, and
Psychological Need Satisfaction in Employee
Well-being, Mindfulness (N. Y) 6 (2015) 971–985.
doi: 10.1007/s12671-014-0338-7.
[6] M. Csikszentmihalyi, Beyond Boredom and
Anxiety. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco,
1975.
[7] G. Comelli, Anlässe und Ziele von
Teamentwicklungsprozessen, in: S. Stumpf, A.
Thomas (Eds.), Teamarbeit und Teamentwicklung,
Hogrefe, Göttingen, 2002, pp. 169–189.
[8] M. L. Shuffler, D. DiazGranados, E. Salas, There’s a
Science for That: Team Development
Interventions in Organizations, Curr. Dir. Psychol.
Sci. 20 (2011) 365–372, doi:
10.1177/0963721411422054.
[9] C. Lacerenza, S. L. Marlow, S. I. Tannenbaum, E.
Salas, Team Development Interventions:
Evidence-Based Approaches for Improving
Teamwork, Am. Psychol. 73 (2018) 517–531, doi:
10.1037/amp0000295.
[10] C. Peifer , C. Syrek (Ed.), Special Issue: Positive
Psychologie im Kontext von Arbeit und
Organisation, Wirtschaftspsychologie 19, 2017.
[11] M. Brohm-Badry, C. Peifer, J. M. Greve, Positiv-
Psychologische Forschung im deutschsprachigen
Raum - State of the Art. Pabst Science Publishers,
Lengerich, 2017.
[12] M. Salanova, S. Llorens, H. Acosta, P. Torrente,
Positive Interventions in Positive Organizations,
Ter. psicológica 31 (2013) 101–113, doi:
10.4067/s0718-48082013000100010.
[13] L. Bolier, M. Haverman, G. J. Westerhof, H. Riper,
F. Smit, E. Bohlmeijer, Positive psychology
interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized
controlled studies, BMC Public Health 13 (2013).
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-119.
[14] M. A. Cohn, B. L. Fredrickson, In search of durable
positive psychology interventions: Predictors and
consequences of long-term positive behavior
change, J. Posit. Psychol. 5 (2010) 355–366. doi:
10.1080/17439760.2010.508883.In.
[15] R. M. Niemiec, Charakterstärken: Trainings und
Interventionen für die Praxis, Hogrefe, Bern, 2019.
[16] F. Luthans, C. M. Youssef, Human, social, and now
positive psychological capital management:
Investing in people for competitive advantage,
Organ. Dyn. 33 (2004) 143–160. doi:
10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.01.003.
[17] F. Luthans, C. M. Youssef, B. J. Avolio,
Psychological Capital: Developing the Human
Competitive Edge, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
2007.
[18] J. Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness-based interventions in
context: Past, present, and future, Clin. Psychol.
Sci. Pract. 10 (2003) 144–156. doi:
10.1093/clipsy/bpg016.
[19] S. L. Shapiro, H. Jazaieri, S. de Sousa, Meditation
and Positive Psychology, in: C. R. Snyder, S. J.
Lopez, L. M. Edwards, S. C. Marques (Eds.), The
Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (3rd ed.),
Oxford University Press, New York, 2016, pp. 1–30.
[20] K. W. Brown, R. M. Ryan, D. J. Crewell,
Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and
Evidence for its Salutary Effects, Psychol. Inq. 18
(2007) 211–237. doi:
10.1080/00952990.2016.1188935.
[21] J. Reb, J. Narayanan, Z. W. Ho, Mindfulness at
Work: Antecedents and Consequences of
Employee Awareness and Absent-mindedness,
Mindfulness (N. Y) 6 (2013) 111–122. doi:
10.1007/s12671-013-0236-4.
[22] J. Nakamura, M. Csikszentmihalyi, The Concept of
Flow, in: M. Csikszentmihalyi (Ed.), Flow and the
Foundations of Positive Psychology: The

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 51
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,
Springer, Dordrecht, 2014, pp. 239–263.
[23] J. J. J. van den Hout, O. C. Davis, M. C. D. P.
Weggeman, The Conceptualization of Team Flow,
J. Psychol. 152, (2018) 388–423. doi:
10.1080/00223980.2018.1449729.
[24] C. J. Walker, Social Flow, in: C. Peifer and S.
Engeser (Eds.), Advances in Flow Research (2nd
ed.), Springer, Cham, 2021, pp. 263–286. doi:
10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4
[25] B. Plester, A. Hutchison, Fun times: The
relationship between fun and workplace
engagement, Empl. Relations 38 (2016) 332–350.
doi: 10.1108/ER-03-2014-0027.
[26] C. J. Fullagar, E. K. Kelloway, ‘Flow’ at work: An
experience sampling approach, J. Occup. Organ.
Psychol. 82 (2009) 595–615. doi:
10.1348/096317908X357903.
[27] L. N. Zumeta, N. Basabe, A. Wlodarczyk, M.
Bobowik, D. Páez, Shared flow and positive
collective gatherings, An. Psicol. 32 (2016) 717–
727. doi: 10.6018/analesps.32.3.261651.
[28] M. Salanova, A. B. Bakker, S. Llorens, Flow at Work:
Evidence for an Upward Spiral of Personal and
Organizational Resources, J. Happiness Stud. 7
(2006) 1–22. doi: 10.1007/s10902-005-8854-8.
[29] C. Aubé, E. Brunelle, V. Rousseau, Flow experience
and team performance: The role of team goal
commitment and information exchange, Motiv.
Emot. 38 (2014) 120–130. doi: 10.1007/s11031-
013-9365-2.
[30] N. Shin, Online learner’s ‘flow’ experience: an
empirical study, Br. J. Educ. Technol. 27 (2006)
705–720. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-
8535.2006.00641.x.
[31] J. Huizinga, Homo ludens: vom Ursprung der
Kultur im Spiel, Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg,
1956.
[32] M. Pivec, Editorial: Play and learn: potentials of
game-based learning, Br. J. Educ. Technol. 38
(2007) 387–393. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-
8535.2007.00722.x.
[33] F. Gobet, J. Retschitzki, A. de Voogt, Moves in
Mind: The Psychology of Board Games,
Psychology Press, Hove, 2004.
[34] O. Allal-Chérif, M. Makhlouf, Using serious games
to manage knowledge: The SECI model
perspective, J. Bus. Res. 69 (2016) 1539–1543.
doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.013.
[35] A. Hoblitz, Spielend Lernen im Flow: Die
motivationale Wirkung von Serious Games im
Schulunterricht, Wiesbaden, Springer, 2015.
[36] C. C. Abt, Serious Games, University press of
America, Lanham, 1987.
[37] T. D. Henriksen, K. Børgesen, Can good leadership
be learned through business games?, Hum.
Resour. Dev. Int. 19 (2016) 388–405. doi:
10.1080/13678868.2016.1203638.
[38] M. Pivec, O. Dziabenko, I. Schinnerl, Aspects of
Game-Based Learning, in: Proceedings of I-KNOW,
2003, 216–225.
[39] O. Allal-Chérif, M. Makhlouf, Using Serious Games
for Human Resource Management: Lessons From
France’s Top 40 Companies, Glob. Bus. Organ.
Excell. 35 (2016) 27–36. doi: 10.1002/joe.21668.
[40] J. B. Ellis, K. Luther, K. Bessiere, W. A. Kellogg,
Games for Virtual Team Building, in: Proceedings
of the Conference on Designing Interactive
Systems: Processes, Practices, Methods, and
Techniques, DIS, ACM, Cape Town, pp. 295–304,
2008. doi: 10.1145/1394445.1394477.
[41] M. Berland, V. R. Lee, Collaborative Strategic
Board Games as a Site for Distributed
Computational Thinking, Int. J. Game-Based
Learn. 1 (2011) 65–81. doi:
10.4018/ijgbl.2011040105.
[42] J. P. Zagal, J. Rick, I. Hsi, Collaborative games:
Lessons learned from board games, Simul.
Gaming 37 (2006) 24–40. doi:
10.1177/1046878105282279.
[43] M. Metz, F. Theis, Digitale Lernwelt – Serious
Games: Einsatz in der beruflichen Bildung,
Bertelsmann, Bielefeld, 2011.
[44] A. Alexiou, M. Schippers, I. Oshri, Positive
Psychology and Digital Games: The Role of
Emotions and Psychological Flow in Serious
Games Development, Psychology 3 (2012) 1243–
1247.
[45] R. Garris, R. Ahlers, J. E. Driskell, Games,
Motivation, and Learning: A Research and Practice
Model, Simul. Gaming 3 (2002) 441–467. doi:
10.1177/1046878102238607.
Contact details
Leonie Kloep
University of Lübeck, Department of Psychology,
Research Group Work and Health, Maria-
Goeppert-Str. 9a (MFC 8), 23562 Lübeck,
Germany
Westphalian University of Applied Sciences,
Institute for Innovation Research and
Management, Buscheyplatz 13, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
E-Mail: leonie.kloep@student.uni-luebeck.de
ORCID: 0000-0002-1492-2685
Anna-Lena Helten
E-Mail: anna.helten@live.de

StartPlay 2022 | Koblenz, Germany 52
Interdisciplinary Conference on Gamification & Entrepreneurship 2022
Corinna Peifer
University of Lübeck, Department of Psychology,
Research Group Work and Health, Maria-
Goeppert-Str. 9a (MFC 8), 23562 Lübeck,
Germany
E-Mail: corinna.peifer@uni-luebeck.de
ORCID: 0000-0002-6373-0866