Playful Work Design: A scoping review

Abstract

Playful work design (PWD) occurs when employees proactively create conditions that promote challenge and joy in the work context without changing its content. It is a recent concept proposed in 2020, and little empirical evidence is available. Therefore, this study’s main goal was to map the existing literature on PWD. To achieve this objective, a scoping review was performed, following the extension of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The search for primary studies was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases between October and December of 2023. The search resulted in 25 studies, which were analyzed using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were (a) articles with the search term “playful work design” included in their abstract, (b) articles written in English, (c) articles with an empirical and theoretical nature published between 2019 and 2023, and (d) articles mainly focused on the search term. The exclusion criteria were (a) articles that did not include the search term, (b) articles not written in English, (c) scientific articles published before 2019, and (d) articles not mainly focused on the search term. After the first round of screening, 12 articles met all inclusion criteria. Overall, the results showed that PWD enhances creativity, work engagement, performance, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and occupational well-being. Future studies would be crucial to explore needs, specifically regarding implementing intervention programs that can assist individuals in developing PWD skills.