Fantasy at Work: Why Escaping Reality Might Be the Best Way to Understand It

Some years ago, during the preliminary research phase before beginning the development of the T3 Method – The Team Tale Rulebook, I carried out extensive research on the theme of Fantasy—not in the generic sense of imagination, but as a literary genre, with its symbolism and cultural depth.

This exploration included mythological traditions, archetypes, and the philosophical underpinnings of sub-creation. Recently, I have published a paper on Academia (link provided at the end of this article) with the aim of stimulating discussion on this topic. Today, I am publishing this article to introduce an issue that is, in my view, fundamental yet too often underestimated in the current landscape of organizational analysis and consultancy methods.

When we speak of fantasy, we often think of elves, wizards, and distant lands. Yet, there is a deeper reason why such worlds resonate universally.

As the T3 Method – The Team Tale Manual explains, classical fantasy draws upon the collective human imagination, embedding archetypes, symbols, and moral frameworks recognizable across cultures. From European legends to Far Eastern and Indigenous mythologies, these stories convey universal human values: honor, courage, collaboration, community, and the allure of adventure.

“The evocative power of Classical Fantasy comes from its roots in folklore, myth, history, and the traditions of a given human culture. Its symbols, archetypes, and behavioral models—respect, honor, collaboration, community, heroism, and the thrill of adventure—are shared across all human societies.” (T3 Method – The Team Tale Manual)

This is not mere escapism. The power of fantasy lies in its concept of subcreation, a term Tolkien introduced in On Fairy-Stories (1947). Unlike Coleridge’s “suspension of disbelief,” subcreation emphasizes the responsibility of the creator: a fantasy world must be internally consistent and credible so that the reader—or in our context, the participant—enters voluntarily, without needing to consciously accept implausibilities. Tolkien writes:

“What really happens is that the story-maker proves a successful ‘sub-creator.’ He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is ‘true’: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it while you are, as it were, inside.”

Translated into the corporate setting, a well-designed fantasy environment allows individuals to step out of their usual work roles and reveal innate characteristics that might remain hidden in conventional office contexts. The familiar yet fantastical backdrop acts as a mirror: while the setting is imaginary, the human behavior it evokes is real. As the T3 Manual notes:

“Fantasy allows individuals to immerse themselves in scenarios where they can safely explore ethical dilemmas, personal strengths, and relational dynamics, detached from their everyday roles yet guided by coherent internal logic.” (T3 Method – The Team Tale Manual)

Classical fantasy also provides narrative clarity and moral contrast. Through the hero’s journey, participants face challenges, navigate dilemmas, and explore decisions without the usual office constraints. Joseph Campbell, in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), illustrates how these archetypal journeys resonate with the subconscious, enabling profound identification and personal insight. Similarly, Bruno Bettelheim, in The Uses of Enchantment (1976), shows how fantastical narratives help process complex emotions and internal conflicts.

The social dimension of fantasy is equally significant. Fantasy worlds often revolve around communities working together toward shared objectives. From Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring to Arthurian quests, these narratives illustrate collaboration, trust, and leadership under pressure. Mark J.P. Wolf, in Imaginary Worlds: The Art of Fantasy (2012), highlights how such immersive worlds foster both individual and collective engagement, bridging narrative experience with social insight.

Why T3 Method - The Team Tale Chose a Fantasy Setting

The decision to employ a fantasy environment in T3 Method The Team Tale is deliberate and strategic.

This is not about escapism for its own sake, but about leveraging the universal familiarity of the fantasy genre to create a space where participants can step outside their professional identities. In this “secondary world,” natural behaviors, leadership tendencies, and interpersonal dynamics emerge more authentically than in conventional corporate simulations.

Of course, adopting a fantasy framework carries the risk of initial skepticism. Observers unfamiliar with the method might dismiss it as mere play or whimsical exercise. Yet, as the T3 Method demonstrates, the immersive and archetypal nature of fantasy is precisely what allows it to generate actionable, organizationally relevant insights: behaviors and patterns that are difficult to surface in traditional training or assessment settings.

By embracing the narrative, symbolic, and universally recognizable structures of fantasy, T3 creates a uniquely effective lens for understanding teams, decisions, and human dynamics—all while participants are engaged, motivated, and genuinely invested in the story unfolding around them. Every choice, collaboration, and conflict within this world can produce measurable data, providing a powerful tool for corporate insight without sacrificing the richness of narrative engagement.

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Fantasy at Work: The Power of Sub-Creation in Organizational Development: https://www.academia.edu/144109240/Fantasy_at_Work_The_Power_of_Sub_Creation_in_Organizational_Development