Gamification for Better Business Results

Gamification has been with us for some time now, but it’s so versatile that it applies to practically every kind of business. The beauty of gamification is that it can be used for many different purposes –for example: marketing, company culture building, project management, recruitment or even taking care of employee health.

Gamification is a merger of technology and psychology that makes learning/working fun and engaging. Using gamified learning in business training creates environments that motivate and engage employees into greater participation.

Why Gamification benefits Business Results?

Every company, organisation or business wants its employees to reach their fullest- potential. A productive, engaged and motivated workforce heavily influences an organisation’s ability to grow and succeed. The main goal for most companies is to drive business performance. Engaging and motivating employees towards improvement and excellence in their area of expertise, in an effective and sustainable way is a safe way to get there. The 2018 LMS Gamification at Work Survey found that 87% of employees agree that gamification makes them more productive. So, how can gamification be used to achieve that?

Example of Using Gamification to Engage Workers

Target

One of the most classic examples of gamification is Target’s approach. Being a cashier can be a disconnected job. The only time you may get feedback is when your cash register is off or a customer complaint. To increase the engagement of its employees, Target is encouraging them to get in the flow when checking out customers by making it more game-like.

Target stores have implemented a little game cashiers play when checking people out. It shows the cashier in red and green based on whether the item that was just scanned was done so in the optimum time. Then they see their immediate score on screen and know how “in-time” they are with the ideal time.

Before, as a cashier, you didn’t know how you were doing. You just checked people out and if you did something wrong, your boss would come and yell at you. However, with the new gamification application, the feedback is as close to the action as possible and constructive. The employee is rewarded through a feeling that they control their own destiny. The employee can increase their score by improving their performance, which will be visible to colleagues and mangers. This provides further motivation to do well.

Start simple

Gamification may seem like another Silicon Valley buzzword or a concept that only very young or very rich companies can try, but the truth is; it isn’t hard to implement. As an employer you can incentivize your staff through healthy competition and encourage team members to hit work goals in a fun and unique way.

Motivational games don’t have to last long term. In fact, using gamification for a limited period can keep people competitive and prevent boredom. You don’t need a custom app or training tool to use gamification in the workplace. A creative strategy and whiteboard can be just as effective for most teams. Soon your employees could push each other to do better and learn more, while increasing the productivity of your company. Here are some ideas for your business.