Play and work for greater good: the case of hackathons

Hackathons for sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a widespread form of ephemeral work organization, which is aimed at innovating in special space and time settings, often outside of usual work settings. Investigating the motivations of participants in 15 such hackathons in Europe and in Asia held in 2021 and 2022, we found that the hackathon experience fosters intrinsic motivation, enables an integrated form of “play-and-work”, and gives a sense of purpose in contributing to social good. The key to mobilizing such motivational resources lies in the organizational conditions whereby a hackathon, a special spatio-temporal environment, acquires the qualities the Huizinga Magic Circle of play, encourages kairos moments, and yields an experience that is qualitatively different from the chronos routine of everyday work. The insights derived from this research inform debates in organization science along three axes. First, we show that by providing a safe space to experiment, hackathons enable experiencing freedom within boundaries. Second, hackathons for greater good align with the expectations and well-being requirements of new generations of workers. Third, hackathons provide means for organizational change without disruption. In sum, we show that hackathons for the social good can be a powerful force for stimulating people’s satisfaction as they play-and-work while contributing to the betterment of our society.