Flow(REPORT 1)

Draft 1

In Csikszentmihalyi’s book “Flow”, the concept of achieving optimal experience is discussed. Flow, what the author defines as,” the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”(17), is what any team or organization no matter how large, is ultimately striving to find. Similarly individuals spend their lives trying to find this “flow”. However, the author suggests,  that flow and its intricate components, which will be explained later, are not easily obtainable; especially for those of us who are consciously searching. In fact flow seems to come when we are least expecting it. Perhaps when we take time to look inward, and develop a comfort and understanding with ourselves, we will be better able to harness flow. By figuring ourselves out, we must make it our responsibility to gain control and respect for our intricacies. Including an understanding of our perception of what is happening around us, after all it is said that the only thing you can control 100% is yourself. Controlling perception is a difficult task, and in Flow the author outlines a few devices we can use in attempts to harness ourselves. This is no new notion, as the author suggests, philosophers and ancient rulers alike understood that control of their consciousness was the key to controlling happiness. By becoming consumed with finding an understanding of ourselves, we liberate our consciousness from the restraints of society. As the author suggests, there is much more than obtaining knowledge throughout life; knowledge is to be applied to modify our own habits and desires. We can apply this philosophy to groups and teams as well. Groups and teams could potentially take time in the beginning of their existence to examine, the groups’ entity. Just as the author suggests each of us needs to find a better understanding of ourselves, the group must think of itself as one unit. Once the unit is defined, they will have an opportunity to examine it, get to know it, and ultimately harness its potential. Just like the crew team describing the feeling of the boat lifting out of the water when they achieved synchronization, teams in business settings can also feel similarly. Teams must work to overcome themselves as obstacles, in order to find flow and produce the ultimate experience, which certainly must be the desired experience.