“Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays.” --Friedrich von Schiller
“Play is the highest form of research.” --Albert Einstein
I had the incredible good fortune to work for the company Affymax from 1990 to 1992. Affymax was subsequently gobbled up by Glaxo and re-incarnated as a pharma company. I can’t speak to today’s Affymax, but I can tell you in the early 90’s it was a very special place to work. Many (or most) of the lessons that I try to apply to my current company (Avidity) were from that period of my life.
I think anyone who worked at Affymax in this time period would tell you that it was one of the most dynamic, innovative, and FUN companies in which to work. Certainly it is the scientist’s dream to work on cutting-edge technology, but what stood out for me were the incredibly creative people and atmosphere.
Managing scientists is a challenge (more on this in a later blog). I think one of the things that set management apart at Affymax was the recognition that when you have a very creative group, play is not only healthy but is to be encouraged, or at least not discouraged. I remember a discussion among the scientists in my group (Molecular Biology) along with another group that occupied common space (Cell Biology) about the Coriolis Effect on the direction of spin of water in a sink. The entire group of scientists stopped what they were doing and gathered around the sink to perform a series of experiments where the sink was repeatedly filled with water, the stopper pulled, and the direction of spin of the water was noted as the sink emptied. The experiment was varied by initiating a spin and then pulling the stopper. As this impromptu experiment was going on, a mid-level manager entered the lab, stopped in his tracks, and observed the goings-on. Managers in many companies would have admonished the group to “get back to work.” In this particular instance, the manager, after asking what was happening, simply left without another word.
In another example, the scientists from the optics group commandeered a room and used their expertise to set up an optical solution to viewing a solar eclipse where the eclipse could be visualized on a wall. Management invited any and all scientists to come view the eclipse.
Neither of these activities could be construed as work-related, but both illustrate the connection and curiosity that scientists have of the world around us, as well as the recognition and willingness of Affymax’s management to acknowledge this important facet of our make-up.
I try to encourage that sense of play in Avidity’s scientists. We are fortunate to get to play with luciferase and fluorescent proteins. Now that I am aware of bioluminescence, I see how common it is in the world around me. And when we make and discover these magnificent proteins, I can’t help but comment about how lucky I am that I get paid to have this much fun.
NEXT BLOG: The one I promised this time, but I was having too much fun—“Question Authority”
