7 min
Gamification: an innovative strategy to elevate engagement and performance
Written by
Alexandre Diard Gamification is swiftly becoming a staple in modern business environments, especially resonant among digitally savvy younger demographics. This emerging trend leverages their inherent digital fluency, but its applications extend far beyond.
So, what exactly is gamification? How can it transform the HR landscape? More crucially, why should your organization consider adopting it? Dive into our comprehensive exploration to uncover these insights.
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Gamification : Definition
Gamification involves integrating game mechanics and elements into contexts that are not inherently playful. It transforms a task, a process, or an activity into an entertaining experience.
In gamification, the game is not an end in itself. It fosters collaboration, unites people, and stimulates creativity. The more dynamic and personalized the experience, the more engaged the participants become. People enjoy playing and receiving rewards. Gamification uses the universality of play to apply to many fields. It is especially prevalent in marketing, sales, and even human resources.
Frequently asked questions about Gamification
What are the main elements of gamification ?
Creating an engaging gamified experience involves several crucial components:
- Goals: Defined objectives such as enhancing participation, boosting productivity, or facilitating learning.
- Rules: Simple, clear guidelines that everyone can understand.
- Rewards: These might include badges, points, or trophies, with leaderboards to showcase progress.
- Personalization: Options for participants to create avatars or characters, making the experience uniquely theirs.
- Feedback: Continuous, real-time updates to keep players informed of their achievements.
- Social Interaction: Encouraging player interaction to foster a sense of community.
- Narrative: A compelling storyline that draws players deeper into the experience.
- Adaptability: Game difficulty and challenges that are tailored to player skill levels and needs.
- Progression: Clear levels or stages that allow players to track and strive for improvement.
How can gamification be applied to Human Resources ?
Gamification in HR is a useful tool at every stage of an employee’s career. It is a lever for motivation, interaction, and engagement. Gamification promotes learning and skills development with the goal of improving the overall performance of the company.
- Recruitment and Onboarding
Even before employees join the company, recruiters can use gamification. They use it to assess candidates’ skills and soft skills through simulations or challenges. Similarly, the application form is transformed into games or puzzles about the company. These mechanisms help the employer measure candidates’ curiosity, innovation, and overall vision. Thanks to this, they can detect the best talent and the most motivated applicants.
Once the employee is recruited, it is appropriate to welcome them under good conditions. An interactive onboarding experience, an escape game to meet their team, and a gamified sponsorship program facilitate integration.
- Training and Development
To enhance skill acquisition, there’s nothing like using stimulating and immersive tools. Learners are more willing to engage in the exercise if it is playful. Thus, quizzes, scenarios, and MOOCs can be included in training. A leaderboard and a reward system are also added. And do not hesitate to show the employee their level of progression to boost their confidence and encourage them to improve.
- Performance Management
Gamification is also a good tool for boosting employees’ performance. They are more likely to take on a challenge when there is a reward involved. Gamification naturally motivates employees. It pushes them to be more productive without them realizing it, as they are absorbed by the playful context and enjoyment.
- Retention
Some companies do not hesitate to use innovative and attractive methods to retain their employees. Working in a game-like form captures and retains employees’ attention. Just like reward systems and recognition programs, they develop employees’ enthusiasm for their job and their company. They feel proud, become ambassadors, and help promote the brand image around them.
What are the benefits of gamification ?
Using gamification in the company is beneficial for both the employer and the employees. It helps to value humans, convey messages playfully, boost motivation, and facilitate change.
- Gamification for the company:
Gamification has a positive effect on employee motivation and retention. The enthusiasm generated by serious games and role-playing games leads them to engage more. They are more willing to achieve given objectives, for example. They also enjoy developing their skills more. All this contributes to making the company efficient and competitive.
Beyond the benefits it has on results, gamification is an engaging and powerful communication tool. It allows sharing the culture and values of the company while having fun. Employees willingly gather around an attractive support. And in the case of gamification across multiple channels, information can be transmitted virally.
A company that uses gamification is considered innovative and contemporary. It attracts candidates and promotes talent retention. This is particularly the case for younger generations. Thanks to gamification, a company can consolidate its employer brand.
- Gamification for employees:
On the employee side, they appreciate the frequent feedback on their performances. In some structures, the employer displays the results of the week or month on a visible board. The recognition and valorization of their work reassure and motivate them.
Gamification creates a virtuous circle in which the employee develops their skills in a pleasant manner. They evolve in an enriching and caring environment. This allows them to improve their self-esteem and motivates them to offer innovative solutions to advance the company.
Gamification encourages collaboration through, for example, team missions. Employees learn to cooperate, exchange knowledge, and strengthen their professional relationships.
Reducing stress is also easier when working in a warm, relaxing, and entertaining environment. Gamification is then a component of well-being at work.
How can we implement it easily ?
Introducing gamification into HR practices may seem trendy and attract many companies. However, it is not a simple endeavor. There are “do’s” and “don’ts” to follow, especially if you want to achieve the best results.
- Prepare the ground
Clearly define your goals. Try to understand your target audience to adapt your gamification. Make sure it aligns with your strategy and values.
- Consider areas of application for gamification
Will you use gamification mainly in your recruitment, onboarding, training plan, or even throughout the HR dimension? Especially think about deploying it coherently and educationally.
- Take care in execution
Employees should experience an immersive game. Therefore, set up attractive games, with neat graphics and well-crafted scenarios. Stimulate the participants to ensure the initiative takes off. And especially do not skimp on the reward system, as it is highly anticipated by players. You can draw inspiration from the game design of video games for this.
- Encourage employees
Regularly debrief with your employees about their experience. Encourage them to give you their feedback. Listen to their proposals to improve your gamification.
- Avoid pitfalls
Note that the exercise has its limits and can quickly become counterproductive if not handled carefully. The game must not supplant work. And it is important to ensure that employees do not realize that only the tasks that are rewarded are being performed.
Gamification stimulates the spirit of competition. However, rivalry must remain healthy and not degenerate into individualism. Otherwise, the group’s cohesion could be impacted.
To avoid participants’ fatigue, you can implement novelties regularly. The game should not be too simple or too complicated either.
The financial aspect is also one of the limits of gamification. Developing such activities, of quality, has a cost that must be anticipated and supported !
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