Abstract:

Innovation is increasingly considered a key competence in nowadays work settings. Empirical research has shown that innovation is positively related to organizational development and success. The innovative capacity of organizations lies up largely in their workers. The intentional introduction of new ideas and new ways of doing things that innovation implies not only leads to better organizational performance. It has also been postively linked to the psychological well-being and occupational health of such workers. Moreover, regarding negotiation process innovation behaviors can be also be beneficial, not only in early stages as the preparation of the negotiation, but also in the latest to help negotiating teams in achieving the highest outcome. It is not surprising, therefore, the interest in advancing in innovation behaviors understanding as well as in the identification of its correlates, as in example, some resources as mindfulness.

The future workers of tomorrow are university students today. It is in the educational context where the acquisition and cultivation of competencies as key as that of innovation could also take place through the use of games. In a very broad sense, Game-Based Learning approaches can be regard as a product, in that they imply the design of complete (serious) games. Using game mechanism learning is generated. In fact, empirical evidence have supported that the use of such game experiences positively impact several types of learning outcomes. Moreover, Game-Based Learning experiences fostered several valuable competences as innovation, as well as some of its correlates as mindfulness and engagement amongst university students. However, most of the research at this level comes from the context of digital games, and the importance of face-to-face games in the classroom context for skills development and transfer has been highlighted.

In this context, this paper deals with testing the effects of a game-based learning experience in the context of negotiation, called “The House of Lost Hill” on undergraduates´ innovation behaviors, mindfulness and engagement. Our results, obtained from a sample made up of a third of the Psychology students taking the optional course Conflicts and Negotiation in Organizations who voluntarelly played it in teams, showed that after playing the game they exhibited more innovation behaviors, as well as higher mindfulness and engagement. These results are useful for cultivating innovation behaviours, as well as for fostering mindfulness and engagement in Higher Educational Environments.

Keywords:

Game-Base Learning, innovation behaviors, mindfulness, engagement, Psychology undergraduates.