“Leadership & Flow” is an innovative global program, making use of the “serious gaming simulation” approach to analyze managerial behavior and leadership roles. The program is sponsored by the Quality of Life Research Center (Claremont, California) lead by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who created the world-famous Flow theory and who is a legendary pioneer of Positive Psychology. The broad objectives of the “Leadership & Flow” Program are: (1) to extend and apply the Flow concept to the world of organizations and (2) to make original, empirically-based contributions to the literature and practice of leadership/management. While the broad direction and administration of the Research Program have been arranged, we are inviting scholars from around the globe to join the Network and to contribute to the Research Program.

1. “Leadership & Flow”
A Comprehensive Research Program
and Network
Date: 8 September 2014
Version: v3.0

2. “Beyond providing respect and a sense of
common purpose, an organization that
does good business is also concerned
with the personal growth of its members.
An evolving system is not static but tends
toward complexity.”
Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(Good Business, 2003)

3. Summary and Invitation
3
“Leadership & Flow” is an innovative global program, making use of
the “serious gaming simulation” approach to analyze managerial
behavior and leadership roles.
The program is sponsored by the Quality of Life Research Center
(Claremont, California) lead by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who
created the world-famous Flow theory and who is a legendary pioneer
of Positive Psychology.
The broad objectives of the “Leadership & Flow” Program are:
1. to extend and apply the Flow concept to the world of
organizations and
2. to make original, empirically-based contributions to the
literature and practice of leadership/management.
While the broad direction and administration of the Research
Program have been arranged, as detailed in Attachment 1, we are
inviting scholars from around the globe to join the Network and to
contribute to the Research Program.
“Leadership & Flow” Research

4. 4
Research Objectives
Most research on Leadership tries to identify skills for
effective leadership without tying those skills – or a
subset of those skills – to the different kinds of
challenges that organizations typically face.
If and when an individual possesses the type of skills
most useful for effectively managing particular
challenges, he or she will likely gain the “Flow”
experience. An organization can greatly improve its
performance the greater the number of key
employees who experience Flow recurrently.
The planned research focuses on identifying and
grouping the kinds of managerial/leadership
challenges that organizations typically face today and
in the foreseeable future.
The expected outcome of the research is to provide
prediction and guidance to individuals and
organizations how to match skillsets with challenge
clusters to achieve more Flow states.
The planned research will
empirically tie particular types
of workplace and business
challenges to particular subsets
of managerial and leadership
skills that are the most useful in
order to effectively handle
those challenges and to achieve
Flow and thus improve
organizational performance.
“Leadership & Flow” Research

5. Program Participation Benefits
5
You and your institution’s participation in the network (free,
but by invitation only) will provide
1. Access to the innovative, award-winning FLIGBY
Leadership Simulation Game*, a revolutionary and
instantly exiting teaching tool;
2. Access to a large, as-yet-unexplored, and continuously
expanding database of leaders’ simulated decisions;
3. Opportunities for potentially lucrative management
consulting for which we’ll provide unmatched new tools.
Attachment 1 summarizes the types of participation
available and the expected credentials.
*Check out the FLIGBY trailer on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swdsmvdKYs
“Leadership & Flow” Research

6. The Flow Concept
Flow is the mental state in which a person engaged in an activity is fully immersed in it and has
an energized focus, feeling elated during the process. The Flow “channel” is depicted below.
Flow is characterized by intense
concentration, loss of self-awareness,
a feeling of being
perfectly challenged, and a
sense that "time is standing
still”.
Flow is an intrinsically
rewarding experience; it helps
one achieve a goal while
improving skills.
Anyone can experience Flow in
all kinds of activities, such as
work, play, creative hobby. To
experience Flow, one needs to
have the relevant level of
challenges for his or her
particular skill set.
“Leadership & Flow” Research 6

7. The Flow Concepts and Its Extension
7
The basic idea of the proposed Research Program is to
extend the Flow concepts from individual experience to a
significant resource for your organization.
The greater the number and frequency of the Flow
experiences of key persons in an organization, the better the
unit’s performance will be on just about every dimension.
To achieve and sustain Flow, it helps to have the relevant level
of challenges for each individual’s particular skill set. How to
achieve this match is a key aspect of the Research Program.
The founders of the Research Program have initial hypotheses
on how leaders can find Flow and thereby contribute not only
to their own well-being, but also to the improved
performance of their organization.
“Leadership & Flow” Research

8. Flow and Organizations
The greater the Flow in an organization – that is, the greater the number of key
employees who are in that state – the better the unit’s performance.
Good Business
“FLIGBY” simulation
informs and gives
examples to
managers/leaders at to
how effectively create
an environment in
which Flow can flourish.
Good Leadership
8
A key aspect of good
Management and
Leadership is to create
and maintain
conditions under which
key employees are
experiencing frequent
periods of Flow.
“Leadership & Flow” Research

9. Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(Pronounced: me-HIGH chick-sent-me-HIGH-ee)
Professor at the Claremont Graduate University,
California, Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian by birth, is
one of the greatest psychologists of our age. He
earned his fame by defining and providing a detailed
description of the Flow state. He has been seeking the
answer to the great question of our everyday life:
finding happiness.
Various management-development schools have been discovering
and rediscovering the theses of Prof. Csikszentmihalyi, although
many practical aspects of Flow have not yet been addressed.
The Leadership and Flow Research program aims to successfully
apply this concept to organizations. Those capable of fostering and
sustaining long-term Flow for their employees can count on all-around
increased performance, immediately and in the long run.
9
For more information on Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s academic
background: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/4751.asp
“Leadership & Flow” Research

10. Prof. Csikszentmihalyi has already pioneered the
extension of the Flow concept to the world of
management in his book, Good Business.
He interviewed dozens of top CEOs as well as highly
successful entrepreneurs, providing fascinating case
studies of how such persons have experienced Flow,
and how that helped them to be successful.
Thus, the professor demonstrated the applicability
of Flow in the business world, as recognized by
scholars and opinion leaders.
10
Linking Flow to Leadership
• Ted Turner (vice chairman, AOL Time
Warner);
• Sir John Templeton (Financial lnvestment);
• Robert Shapiro (farmer chairman and CEO,
Monsanto);
• Anita Roddick (founder, The Body Shop);
• Jack Greenberg (chairman and CEO,
McDonald's);
• Richard DeVos (cofounder and CEO, Amway);
• Norman Augustine (former CEO, Lockheed
Martin);
• Kenneth Derr (chairman and CEO, Chevron);
• Michael Murray (former VP, Microsoft);
• Michael Markkula (cofounder, Apple
Computer);
• Gerald Greenwald (former chairman and
CEO, United Airlines);
• Mads Ovlisen (CEO, Novo Nordisk);
Check out Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s TED talk: • Alfred Zeien (former CEO, Gillette).
http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow
“Leadership & Flow” Research

11. About Good Business
11
Quoting from Harvard Business School review:
“World leaders and sports figures, such as Super Bowl
champion coach Jimmy Johnson, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair,
have all been inspired by the book.”
“Good Business reveals how business leaders, managers,
and even employees can find ‘flow’ and contribute not only
to their own happiness, but also to improved organizational
performance as well as to a just and evolving society. It
identifies the factors crucial to the operation of a good
business: trust, the commitment to fostering the personal
growth of employees, and the dedication to creating a
product that helps mankind.”
Research Institutions of the “Good Business” Project
“Leadership & Flow” Research

12. Until now, Prof. Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow idea and its relevance for
business have been stated as general propositions, along with a
desirable set of values on the part of leaders.
The mission of our new “Leadership & Flow” Program is to
extend current empirical research that goes way beyond case
studies, with a view toward finding best practices and applied
tools for creating and harnessing Flow at the organizational
level.
12
“Leadership & Flow” Research Mission
“Leadership & Flow” Research

13. “While most people enjoy
working when it provides flow,
too few jobs are so designed
as to make flow possible. This
is where management can
make a real difference.”
Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(Good Business, 2003)

14. Uniqueness of the “Leadership & Flow” Program
The „Leadership & Flow” Program is
unique, owing to its integration of
three elements
14
1. Research focus and approaches – The planned
research will empirically tie particular types of
workplace and business challenges to subsets of
managerial and leadership skills that are the most
useful in order to effectively handle particular
challenges. Among other things, this would promote
Flow. (Attachment 2 provides initial ideas on how.)
2. Research methods – The Research Program will rely
– for the first time – on a set of data derived from
the information gathered from those many
thousands who have played, or will play, the award-winning
FLIGBY Leadership and Flow Simulation
(Serious Game). (See Attachment 3 on the planned
research approach.)
3. Research leadership and organization – In addition
to the leading role of Prof. Csikszentmihalyi, a global
network of prestigious academic partners are being
invited to be involved. (Attachment 1 shows the
structure of the research organization.)
Research, Focus
and Approaches
Research
Leadership and
Organization
Research
Methods
“Leadership & Flow” Research

15. Developed over 3 years by an international team (incl. Prof.
Csikszentmihalyi) with an investment of $1 million, the
FLIGBY simulation focuses on the managerial challenges of
the imaginary (but fully realistic) Turul Winery in California.
The leadership style of the former manager of Turul has
destroyed the spirit of the management team that used to
be cohesive. You are the newly appointed manager, whose
task as a player is to build a well functioning team out of
the poorly-motivated, mid-level managerial group.
The aim is to try to bring as many colleagues as possible –
even if just for a short time – into a Flow state, by making
small and not-so-small decisions, with a view toward
improving Turul Winery’s key performance indicators. The
game keeps track of your multi-dimensional achievement
scores, which are available automatically during the game.
In 2012, FLIGBY won Gold Medal of the „International
Serious Play Awards” in the category of Corporate Games
in Seattle. The panel of experts selected FLIGBY as the
best digital game made for managers.
15
About FLIGBY®
Screenshots from FLIGBY
www.fligby.com
“Leadership & Flow” Research

16. Features of the FLIGBY® Simulation
• Enjoyable gameplay trough
interactive user interface:
playing the game itself has
provided a Flow experience
to many.
• Multimedia reference library
included.
• Action-oriented feedback
system to players and to
their sponsoring
organization.
• Evaluation of 29 basic
managerial skills based on
the game performance.
• Average learning time: 8 to
10 hrs over a period of 10 to
15 days.
16
On each set of decisions you make (choosing from the
options), Mr. Fligby will give you instant evaluative feedback
The screenshot shows Mr. Fligby introducing one of the 8 characters of the Turul team.
“Leadership & Flow” Research

17. • … about the Research Leadership and Administration,
see Attachment 1
• … about the Research Foci and Approaches of Leadership and Flow Program,
see Attachment 2
• … about the Research Method,
see Attachment 3
• … about the FLIGBY Simulation,
see Attachment 4
To find out more…
“Leadership & Flow” Research 17

18. “Beyond providing respect and a
sense of common purpose, an
organization that does good
business is also concerned with
the personal growth of its
members.
An evolving system is not static
but tends toward complexity.”
Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(Good Business, 2003)

19. You are Welcome to Contact
Zsadany Vecsey
Research Program
Management,
member of the
Managing Board
19
Prof.
Paul Marer
Research Program
Management,
member of the
Advisory Board
marerp@ceubusiness.org
Following his Ph.D. from the Wharton
School (U of Penn), Paul became
professor of international business at
the Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Bloomington, where he
served for 25 years.
He was Visiting Professor of Business at
the China Europe International Business
School in Shanghai (2004 & 2006), and
at the University of Trento, Italy (2005).
Currently, Paul is Professor of Business
and Coordinator of Academic Outreach
at Central European University (CEU)
Business School, Budapest, Hungary.
Prof.
Zoltan Buzady
Research Program
Management,
member of the
Managing Board
Mr.
buzadyz@ceubusiness.org zad@aleasgroup.com
Zsadany received his degree in
organizational behavior from the
Corvinus University and his MBA from
the London Business School.
He began his professional management
consultant career at Coopers & Lybrand.
Afterwards, as the CEO of IQ
ConsultinG, he introduced international
brands in Central Europe such as the
“LEGO Serious Play”. He is the co-founder
and CEO of ALEAS Simulations,
Inc., California, the producer and owner
of the “FLIGBY” concept and serous
game.
Zoltan graduated at the L.S.E. and earned
his MBA at the CASS Business School,
London. After his Ph.D. he became a
professor teaching OB, Leadership and
Design Thinking at prestigious universities
and business schools in Hungary, Germany,
Kazakhstan to MBAs and on executive and
corporate education programs.
On several occasions he won 1st prize on
global case writing competitions.
Zoltan serves currently as a
Faculty Director of MBA Programs at the
Central European University (CEU)
Business School, Budapest, Hungary.
“Leadership & Flow” Research