State-based management: A process for reducing customer waiting in over-the-counter service operations

State-based management (SBM) is a specific form of the game-play methodology (GPM) - an approach to the application of constraints in humanity activity systems. The theory that supports GPM was developed using a team sports model and promotes a coordination of workers' efforts, without limiting their individual abilities to be creative in support of corporate goals. This paper reports on research undertaken to prove the applicability of GPM to a business environment. The case studies focused on over-the-counter (OTC) banking services. The use of game-play tactics (SBM) in the banking chamber was highly successful. It provided a mechanism for designing constraints that addressed issues of the incomplete and inaccurate system state knowledge usually held by the tellers. Further, the process promoted the development of a team ethos, and this change in attitudes had positive repercussions on the overall working environment.