Gamification in the enterprise is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a must. Examples of successful gamification projects are being seen across the globe, transforming business operations and changing the way organisations engage and motivate employees. For HR teams, workplace gamification should be an integral part of performance management and learning strategy.
Businesses need look no further than the modern computer game industry – particularly those designed for mobile. The mobile games industry has grown at a phenomenal rate in recent years, breaking more than £1bn in revenue for the first time in 2017.
Mobile game developers are expertly applying game mechanics and intuitive user interfaces to keep players coming back for more. Opportunities to win rewards, hone skills, progress through difficulty levels, move up leaderboards, and interact with other players, keep gamers interested, engaged, and active over time.
In her 2011 book, Reality is Broken, American game designer Jane McGonigal highlighted four key elements she believes underpin the reward process that motivates an individual gamer:
- Satisfying work – the opportunity to improve and progress
- A perspective of success – feedback and rewards
- Socialising – interacting and connecting with others
- Significance – recognition through leaderboards
Businesses that can harness these gamification methodologies can amplify individual employee ambitions, enhance team collaboration skills, and motivate their workforce to perform and engage with learning that can be immediately applied to the realities of their day-to-day work.
Giving employees the satisfaction of seeing the outcomes of their actions and a chance to succeed and progress is a powerful way to boost employee engagement. It makes it possible to initiate a performance management approach that’s real-time, nimble, individualised, and focused on fuelling future performance, rather than assessing the past.
Interested in finding out how you can boost employee engagement with gamification? Sign up to our free webinar in partnership with People Management.