My stumbling - what game are we playing?

Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist, deeply influenced the psyche of capitalism in the 1970s. Friedman stated: “there is one and only one social responsibility of business, to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game.”

This concept trickled through society for many decades transitioning directors and leaders from stewards to short-term gain. The average life of a company in 1950s was 60 years. Today, it’s less than 20 years.

I stumbled into James Carse book about Infinite Games differentiating the types of games we play in our life. If there’s more than one person involved then we are in a game. If we’re playing catch with our child, then we’re in a game. If we’re playing monopoly with our family, then we’re playing a game. If we’re competing with a friend in a tennis match, then we’re in a game. If we’re competing on a big bid to win a contract for next spring, then we’re in a game. All sorts of games but there’s a critical distinction of understanding the types of games. 

Finite Games & Infinite Games:

 Finite Games = Agreed-upon objectives and clear end of the game. Example: Football.

 Infinite Games = Infinite time horizons with no clear finish line. Example: Marriage.

Finite Games that have a clear ending we can have a goal of winning. Finite games are all about maximizing the resources and the situation to win within the confines of the time of the game.

Infinite Games have no clear ending nor do they have a hard & fast blue print. Infinite games are a journey. The infinite games are all about long-term value and advancing the cause. No one is the declared “winner of life.” When I play catch with my daughter, I’m certainly not trying to “win.” In the same vein, I’ve never seen a company be declared the “winner of business” either.

Business and life are infinite games! They are not finite. There’s no clear end date. The game of infinite games is to keep playing the game. To perpetuate the game. The game of business is about how we did it.

The great game of business is about the journey. The lens of the infinite game and having an infinite mindset helps us see past the short-term, so that we instead build a foundation for those who come after us. The mindset to be good stewards and not simply squeeze and manipulate for our personal gain for the short-term. Having a finite mindset (i.e squeeze) in an infinite game deteriorates trust.

The vision and values we have put in place this year are providing us a compass to steer the ship forward into the infinite horizon of the infinite game of business. A horizon where it is our job to keep the game going for those who come after us. An environment of high engagement, unparalleled commitment, and pure ethics.