4 ways gamification has redefined today's workplace
If you’re like me, a newbie to the whole concept of gamification and what it’s about, you’d probably be confused as to what the applications of gaming are. To be succinct, gamification has been used in various industries and sectors to facilitate processes and to make the experience more fun for employees—especially in the corporate workplace and the education sectors. However, if you’re still not convinced on the impact gamification can have on the workplace, here are 4 ways gamification has redefined experiences and processes in the workplace.
#1 Job Matching
You’re a graduate from university applying for a job at a company. However, you aren’t very sure about which department in the company you’re best suited for. How do you get to explore the various departments to find out what you have a knack for without wasting time or pigeonholing yourself into a job in the long term? Ian Mitchell was one of such people when he first applied to L’Oreal after his internship, and through a gamified application called ‘Reveal’, he was able to discover and ascertain which department he was suited for via fixed challenges that comprise of scenarios and challenges which span across the various departments in the company.
After players finish the game, personalized feedback is given, and the high-achieving players are then asked for an interview at the headquarters. In Mitchell’s case, he’d just finished his internship in the PR department and he was considering switching to marketing. ‘Reveal’ played a big part in this as the feedback is catered to each individual, and the level of detail is insightful and very useful to participants. Results are generated swiftly and accurately, such that no time is wasted.
In today’s world, where many people have difficulty finding a job that suits them, efficient job matching is vital, and ‘Reveal’ is one of the many ways companies have revolutionized job matching such that they are able to hire the best-fit graduates for the job.
#2 Leadership Training
Negotiation, communication, time management, change management, and problem solving. These are 5 key traits in which all leaders should have. Five key traits in which Imran Sayeed, Chief Technology Officer of NTT Data, thinks these traits can’t be taught, but rather, experienced. Hence, the Ignite Leadership game was created, to allow for aspiring leaders in the company to learn more about the various roles in the company that they can take on, along with the different management sectors within the company.
Through specified role-play scenario challenges, participants are exposed to situations in which leadership qualities have to be exercised. Out of the 70 participants that were a part of the NTT Ignite Leadership game, 50 moved on to undertake leadership roles, which was 50% higher than those that had been trained using conventional methods. From this, we see how the gamification of training methods appears to be highly effective. Furthermore, the rising numbers of companies engaging in gamified training do seem to reflect the programs to be effective as well. It is a method that saves time, manpower, and energy.
#3 Customer Engagement
Keeping customers and clients engaged and willing to come back to patronize your company’s services is one of the top priorities of businesses, and Coca Cola reworked their loyalty model in 2014 to appeal to the millennials and teenagers to do exactly that.
Through gamification of the process, members of the ‘My Coke Rewards’ system can scan codes on products to redeem points which in turn, can be exchanged for rewards, such as gift cards or trinkets like fridge magnets. These extrinsic rewards serve to be great motivators and incentives for the customers to continue patronizing. In the case of Coca-Cola, they partnered with various large establishments such as Wal-Mart and Sephora to obtain the extrinisic rewards for customers.
Badges are also awarded as the user completes certain tasks. This is a form of intrinsic motivator which enhances the gaming experience that encourages customers to continue purchasing products/returning to the company, while keeping them actively engaged due to the ‘fun’ experience. The point-reward system and the element of competition are examples that keep the customers coming back, and clearly, it has been working well.
#4 Workplace Engagement
Doing mundane, day-to-day tasks are now seen as a chore by us 21st Century people. We dread it, we abhor the thought of having to do the little tasks for the day due to our shortened attention span and our increasingly fast-paced lives. Well, guess what? Chore Wars is an online web game that that is essentially a gamified experience of doing chores—AKA the really boring things that you hate to do, but have to do.
Players get to claim experience points by carrying out tasks. In this case, people would be able to utilise this game in a working environment to carry out their tasks. All you have to do is sign up with a couple of friends. Experience points are tracked, and players are able to level up every time they score 200 experience points. Quests, challenges, and combat are all elements to Chore Wars that make the experience fun for players. The element of competitiveness also makes the day-to-day experience less mundane, and it motivates and encourages people to carry out the tasks. Such gamified experiences increase worker engagement, and also participation levels.
Gamification of the workplace has transformed plenty of traditional experiences and has allowed for people in the workspace to gain new insights and learn while playing, and this could prove to have many far-reaching benefits for many companies in the future.
Written by: Wong Shu Ning (TJC Intern)