Playing Games in Leadership

As an online video game player, I find articles like this interesting. It is from the Harvard Business Review, and it talks about the leadership traits of tomorrow. There are many corollaries that it draws between the online gaming world and the business world, but I think the part I like - and agree with - the most is the following: Perhaps the most striking aspect of leadership in online games is the way in which leaders naturally switch roles, directing others one minute and taking orders the next. Put another way, leadership in games is a task, not an identity—a state that a player enters and exits rather than a personal trait that emerges and thereafter defines the individual. Don’t get us wrong: Leadership stars do exist in games. Some guild leaders have successfully led 100-strong teams for a year or more—an eternity in this new medium. As in business, players with exceptional relationship skills are particularly good at forming effective teams, delegating responsibility, and keeping groups motivated and moving forward. However, games do not foster the expectation that leadership roles last forever.... The leader of a raid knows that someone else’s skills and experience may be better suited to commanding the next effort. Even during the frenzied activity of a raid, the leadership role can be transferred as conditions change or because the person in charge doesn’t happen to be around when the need for a decision arises. Notably, choices about who will lead and who will follow are often made organically by the group—frequently because someone volunteers to take over—not by some higher authority. So, how does this relate to real leadership? The idea of temporary leadership is alien to most business organizations. Companies usually identify people as leaders early in their careers. The selected few carry that designation with them through different jobs, each typically lasting several years, as they move up the corporate hierarchy. That model may not work well in the future. The growing complexity of the business environment means that no single leader will be an expert in every area. Beyond the obvious benefit of matching an individual’s expertise to a challenge, treating leadership as a temporary state can empower employees to volunteer to lead and, thereby, can unearth previously overlooked talent among the ranks. This is to say that leaders should be able to subordinate themselves to others when the other person has the greater expertise in certain areas. This happens all the time in the game world, where the guild leader oftentimes does not lead the actual events. The guild leader is responsible for organizing the guild, recruitment, and so on. The raid leaders, by contrast, are experts in particular aspects of the game, and the guild leader will concede authority to the raid leader for the good of the entire guild. The raid leader is not expected to ask the guild leader for permission or authorization during a raid, and in fact is expected to treat the raid leader as a strategic tool for completing the mission - the same as all of the other members. Additionally, the raid leader will designate other members to lead specific areas of the raid, such as the kiting teams or the healing circle (non-gamers: these are specific sub-tasks that must be performed to ensure the success of the overall raid). These designates have specific authority over these areas, but need not be the same person for each raid. This flexibility of leadership is in direct conflict with current leadership structures, but it allows for such a huge advantage in speed and agility that it is not to be overlooked. On the other extreme, however, sometimes there is a need for authoritative decision-making: The fast pace of leadership has some interesting consequences. For example, the need for ultraquick decision making may occasionally trump team consensus—a tension the leader must carefully manage because of the need to constantly motivate people who are free to leave the team on a whim. Another implication of speed: Decisions are nearly always based on incomplete information and then modified as more data become available. This type of decision need not come from the leader. When a problem occurs, oftentimes the leader is too occupied to deal with it quickly. Therefore, other members are sometimes required to make and execute snap decisions. These members may be identified beforehand, if the guild is experienced raiders. If not, then it is expected that someone will take care of the problem, even without direct instructions. When trying to develop leadership skills, sometimes the best learning comes from the most unlikely places.