Paper to be presented at the 25th Celebration Conference 2008 on ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION - ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, SYSTEMS AND REGIONS Copenhagen, CBS, Denmark, June 17 - 20, 2008 PLAYFUL TECHNOLOGIES: CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ORGANIZATION Mark Dodgson University of Queensland mark.dodgson@uq.edu.au David Gann Tanaka Business School d.gann@imperial.ac.uk Catelijne Coopmans Tanaka Business School c.coopmans@imperial.ac.uk Abstract: This paper addresses the relationships between creativity, innovation and organization by drawing on theories of play and examining their significance for the use of new innovation technologies in IBM. It contends that by doing so it deepens our understanding of the emerging role of technology in facilitating innovation in the under-researched services sector. By analyzing some central features of play and describing IBM's use of new technologies, such as Virtual Worlds, the paper explores some management and organizational challenges confronting the more productive use of technology to encourage creativity and innovation. JEL - codes: A2, -, -