Gamification is certainly one of this year’s buzzwords and the science of gamification (i.e. the use of game mechanics/dynamics to drive game-like engagement and actions in non-game environments) is a topic of great interest to me at the moment.
But how can we use gamification in the workplace? And should we even try?
Whilst it’s true that there is a moral hazard to avoid, the trick to successful gamification is making sure it doesn’t feel like the target is being played. Let’s take an example that well established in the workplace: flexitime. The motivation is for an employee to accrue enough additional work time to “earn” a day off; ability is controlled by the rules that govern the flexitime scheme; and the trigger is the point where sufficient “credit” is available to take some additional leave!
I have to admit that flexitime is not one of my benefits at Fujitsu but for those businesses that have such as scheme, it has benefits in terms of employee flexibility and morale. And there are other examples where we can re-engineer our business processes and introduce some elements of gamification.
Take, for example, the idea of a results-oriented work environment. What if, instead of being paid a salary, or an hourly rate, employees were given the opportunity to pick and choose their work and remunerated accordingly? Critics may see such an approach as a return to factory processes and piecework. Others may see an opportunity to free themselves from their 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6, or 6 to 8 work routine) and work in a more flexible manner. My background is as a solutions architect. What if projects were to be crowdsourced so that a pool or architects to pick tasks from a list of activities? Different values could be attributed depending on the difficulty or time sensitivity of the task, with all architects having to achieve a minimum number of credits (but the ability to earn more if they so desired). I’m sure there many human resources issues to overcome but I can see this being the “normal” way to work in future.
Problems come when the gamification feels controlling and is associated with “Big Brother”. We have to accept that one size does not fit all – and there is a risk that employees may feel disconnected, or that they are being patronised. Most people are smart and can work out how to “game” the system – so the game mechanics need to be honed to balance motivation and ability, and to trigger employees at the appropriate times.
If we gamify the workplace though, it seems there’s a risk of destroying some of the other elements of successful collaboration. The workplace is far more than just a literal place to work. There are social and environmental aspects to consider too. If we create an internal market of competing architects what’s the difference between that and a group of independant contractors working on a project? At what point do people stop working for a common purpose (the company’s mission) and start working for their own goals? People can’t be our most important asset when we don’t have any people any more!
It may be that gamification is not appropriate for mainstream activities but can be used for those on the periphery – those that are considered extra-curricular. For example, whilst I’d like everyone to want to contribute to our Open Innovation Community, the reality is that people can opt in or out. What if we were able to gamify the innovation process with a system of rewards?
This post doesn’t really provide any answers – it does pose some questions though. How would you feel about the gamification of your work environment? And would you consider there are significant advantages to be gained, or is the risk of disruption just too great?
This post was contributed by Mark Wilson with with grateful thanks to Ian Mitchell and Vin Hughes for their assistance.
There is a certain amount of madness around this idea. Many Gamers are adept at identifying (and sharing) cheats. I suspect that any system put in place will contain flaws that allow the enterprising employee to enter “cheat mode”. Takes “working from home” to a new level!!
Madness is a good word! Sometime the ideas that are a little bit nutty have something in them though… the science of gamification involves many tools and methods to drive people’s motivations and abilities though – the trick is making sure that the game mechanics remain effective and form a system of principles/mechanisms/rules that govern a system of reward with a predictable outcome.
I have no issues with how long people work for – presenteeism is equally dangerous and it could be argued that work is about outputs rather than inputs. Having said that though, the sort of system I proposed does not give me a “warm fuzzy feeling” inside – it’s good to get some feedback on some of the issues it may present!
I agree that one of the measures of effectiveness is outputs, however that is not the only one. Physical presence is more effective (in my opinion) for engaging with your Team and supporting your collegues. Despite the advances in teleconferencing and videoconferencing there is nothing to match physical presence to promote empathy and to be able to detect the non-verbal agenda. My argument is that work is a multi-dimentional experience. Output is dependant on input. Output is worthless without quality. Anyway, and getting back to the point, the idea of turning it all into a big video game is a bit too Orwellian for my liking!
If you haven’t already, you should read Dan Pink’s Drive. People fundamentally want to do good work (and do not want to cheat), and are looking for environments that support autonomy, mastery, visible, progress, recognition and a sense of purpose. Gamification can provide or reflect all of those things, and doesn’t need to be manipulative. We are working on several corporate intranet projects, and would welcome a discussion about opportunities at Fujitsu.
best, – rajat paharia
Founder, Chief Product Officer
http://www.bunchball.com
I am a passionate believer in applying the perspective of game theory across a wide range of business activities.
As far as individuals are concerned, a worrying possible outcome of gamification of the workplace would be endless competition between the doers and the payers. As all too often, that would not increase net productivity but merely provide a fertile ground for internediaries acting as agents, advisers, consultants, aggregators, etc.
Also, yes, ideally it should be outcomes that are rewarded – they reflect the true value that is delivered. However, in an environment in which team working is essential, assessing individual contributions to outcomes is extremely difficult. Even the salesman who is bonused for closing a deal is backed by numerous SMEs who are not thus rewarded and often have the responsbility of delivering what has been sold.
One of the problems of gamification is that you could be setting staff against each other. Or Player vs Player in gaming terms. The above scenario where architects pick from a list of activities sets the architects against each other for the best, and possibly most financially rewarding jobs. In this case what happens to the ‘losers’? In a results based remunaration scenario the knives would very quickly be out.
Any gamification must be Team oriented. Teams are more powerful and effective than the sum of the individual members.
Physical presence is important in a team, but so is the ability to flex-work when you have the bit between your teeth. Flexibility with team members and managers is required as what works for one team may not work for another.
Thanks all for your comments – sorry it’s taken me a while to respond but I’m glad this has developed so much interaction!
@Alan W Smith – I completely agree that there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction: the key is flexibility – striking a balance between remote working and face-to-face. For example, I work from home about half of the time and travel into the office mid-week to meet with colleagues. I find that the “office days” are far less productive, in terms of outputs, but very effective in removing blockers.
@Rajat Paharia – Dan Pink’s “Drive” is on my reading list – and was referenced in Michael Wu’s recent talk at Digital Surrey (which I wrote about on my personal blog).
@Nic – You’re right, there are some significant dangers to avoid in order to ensure that gamification doesn’t actually destroy the workplace (and I don’t think destroy is too strong a word either) – do you have any examples of business activities where you think there is a particularly good fit?
@Steve Gibson – I can see a theme developing here about the need for teamwork, and ensuring the need for gamification to benefit everyone – rather than individuals! I have to admit that the example I gave raises many doubts and insecurities in my mind – but it was deliberately provocative! I totally agree with you on flexible working though. There are days when I just need to get my head down – and those are typically not the days when I’m in the office! Thankfully, I think the work culture (at least in our business) has shifted in recent years to understand that flexible working has advantages for both employees and employers.
So, back to the topic of gamification – are there any real examples where it could be a real benefit – and, other than the need to ensure that it works for teams (or divisions, or the whole company), rather than individuals, are there examples of areas where gamification could help business (not specifically Fujitsu’s, I might add!) to develop and grow?
Hi,
This is a very interesting subject.
@Mark, “do you have any examples of business activities where you think there is a particularly good fit?”
I would like to suggest that in certain industries recruiting may be an area where gamification may would work well.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
@Todd I guess I could argue that recruitment is already gamified through bonus structures, commission, etc. On the other hand, if you can build reputation for placing great candidates and show that somehow then there could be something in it for recruiters, clients, and candidates!
We have developed a solution based on on gamification for Performance evaluation, R&R, Professional Avatar management etc. The URL gives some demos/videos of the solution. Would love to get your feedback on the same
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