Fostering Flow and Organizational Commitment
In my short time as a game design intern here at Tiltfactor, I’ve found the real difficulty
rests in the balance between challenge and simplicity (as it often does with the rest of life).
How do you foster arenas for motivation, learning, and fun without tilting too far into states
of boredom or anxiety (as described in the Three Channel Model of flow)?
Three Channel Model of Flow:
Three channel model of flow (Kiili 2005, 16)
In his paper “Digital game-based learning: Towards an experiential gaming model” Kristian
Kiili (2005) argues for an educational game model, integrating educational theories and
game design, that facilitates “flow” of flow theory in order to design meaningful and
engaging educational games.
Kiili defines flow as a “state of complete absorption or engagement in an activity and refers
to the optimal experience…[in which] a person is in a psychological state where he or she is
so involved with the goal driven activity that nothing else seems to matter” (Kiili 2005, 14).
How can we channel flow in game design and could this be an important model to expand
into other areas of life? Kiili’s game design discussion shares several elements within the
Goal-Setting theory in the field of Organizational Behavior.
Framework of flow in computer-mediated environments (Kiili 2005, 15)
According to Jason Colquitt, Jeffery LePine, and Michael Wesson in Organizational Behavior:
Essentials for Improving Performance and Commitment, the field of organizational behavior
studies attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in organizations. The application
of knowledge about these attitudes and behaviors can then improve performance and
commitment in the workplace, which contributes to organizational performance.

Job performance: the value of the set of employee behaviors that contribute, either
positively or negatively, to organizational goal accomplishment (Colquitt, LePine,
Wesson 2009, 25).
o Performance = ability x motivation

Organizational Commitment: the desire on the part of the employee to remain a
member of the organization (Colquitt, LePine, Wesson 2009, 25).
So where does flow and organizational behavior come together? The two entities each have
a desired positive behavior and psychological outcome – experiences of flow and high
organizational commitment and job performance respectively – and look to foster
environments for the desired outcome. It comes down to craft. How can you craft an
environment or situation that is likely to produce a desired outcome?
Motivation, an element Kiili hopes to foster in educational games, acts as a key element
within the organizational behavior framework that precedes the end states of the model –
Job Performance and Organizational Commitment.
Looking at the Goal-Setting Theory within organizational behavior, creating a successful
game does not stray far from creating a successful organization. Players and workers need
environments that foster motivation that is “internally consistent and fair” (Kiili 2005, 20)
– that address their skill levels appropriately and that provide feedback and clear goals.
In game design, organizational behavior could correspond to the attitudes and behaviors of
players prompted by the game experience; job performance to game play success or failure
– do players engage in game play? And organizational commitment to players’ commitment
in continuing game play.
In fostering motivation designers can lead to a greater likelihood of experiences of flow and
positive organizational behavior. While not adequate in itself as an approach to game or
organization design, facilitating experiences holds substantial power in making positive (or
negative) changes in user, player, or employee experiences. Games in a large way mimic the
greater experiences in life and their design theories and craft can and should be taken into
consideration for larger structure and organization design.
References:
Colquitt, Jason, Jeffery A. LePine, and Michael J. Wesson. 2010. Organizational behavior:
essentials for improving performance and commitment. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Kiili, Kristian. 2005. “Digital game-based learning: Towards an experiential gaming model.”
The Internet and Higher Education. 8 (1): 13 – 24.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2004.12.001