In recent years “gamification” which is the application of game elements such as scoring, competition, rules of play, and rewards has become one of the hottest trends in Talent Management.
The statistics around gamification are staggering. Research and Markets in its report “Gamification Market by Solution (Consumer driven and Enterprise driven), Applications (Sales and Marketing), Deployment Type (On-Premises and Cloud), User Type (Large Enterprise, SMBs), Industry and Region – Global Forecast to 2020” states that the global gamification market will grow from USD 1.65 billion in 2015 to USD 11.10 billion by 2020.
Gamification ties to the basic human desires and motivators (needs of the user) and links to the user’s desire for status and achievement, altruism, competitiveness, needing to win, and social collaboration.
The goal of gamification is to amplify the effects of existing core experiences through motivational techniques embedded in gaming. The end results witnessed in many cases have been higher-value interactions with customers, employees, and partners; more sales; stronger collaboration; better ROI; deeper loyalty; and higher customer satisfaction.
In Talent Management, game mechanics and game design represent promising tools to enhance the impact of activities such as onboarding, safety education, product training, career development, game-based learning and team building.
Features such as achievement badges to spur motivation, simulations with stories, goals, and feedback to practice certain skills or tasks, have made Talent Management more in line with the times and enabled companies to use real-time data on employee performance to enhance their performance in acquiring and retaining talent.
With the widespread use of computers, tablets and/or smartphones, the benefits of gamification are easier to come by as employees flock to the tools that provide them with intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in a fun and engaging manner.
Companies such as Deloitte and PwC are using gamification for Talent Management in unique ways.
- Deloitte introduced the Deloitte Leadership Academy to increase engagement in training. By gamifying learning through missions, badges, and leaderboards, Deloitte was able to considerably increase participation in its training programs.
- PwC helps candidates understand the organization and its challenges by going through a simulation game. This game helps candidates understand what it takes to be successful at the organization and also enables them to perform well during the interview process.Successful companies know that before taking the leap towards gamification, some important things need to be taken care of. These are given below:
- Keep gamification comprehensive, efficient, transparent, fun, and interactive.
- Remember to conduct needs analysis and collect data from those involved in the process. The gamification process must be data-driven and analyzed on a regular basis.
- Learn about the user and the user’s motivation.
- Figure out how to integrate it within the culture of the organization. Benefits will be increased as more people are brought into the fold to participate.
- Always measure feedback and make necessary changes to the gamification process. Monitor the metrics in gamification (engagement, influence, loyalty) to ensure that you are getting the best results possible and that your players are happy.
Gamification is on an upward trend and needless to say that in future companies will continue to incorporate gamification in an increasing manner within their operations. By keeping in mind the important aspects of gamification success, companies can build greater loyalty and engagement within their ranks and build the necessary intellectual capital to be successful.
References:
Gamification: Win, Lose or Draw for HR?
What is Gamification? | Gamification.org – Badgeville
www.badgeville.com
PwC’s Multipoly Boosts Employee Recruitment and Retention:
Author: Written by Nancy Zentis, PhD. CEO and Founder, Institute of Organization Development. You can reach Nancy at nancy.zentis@instituteod.com.