Game principles have the power to transform any mundane task into an exciting challenge. On a daily basis, we naturally incorporate game thinking into our routines. Enterprise gamification programs follow this basic concept: using game-like principles to create greater audience engagement in a non-game situation.
When employing this strategy in the workplace, it is important to begin by establishing company-wide missions, goals, and objectives. Businesses must also understand employees’ and customers’ individual needs. Once these aspirations are determined, the company can align personal and company-wide goals, incorporating them into gamification programs and creating effective incentives.
Gamification programs utilize incentives such as status level, points, honors, competition, socialization, and teamwork to engage users. When goals resonate with employees on a personal level, they take on greater meaning. In this way, gamification programs increase an individual’s emotional investment, motivation, and commitment towards company objectives.
Gamification systems help employees visualize their progress and receive immediate feedback. These programs also help businesses clearly see the overall performance of the organization, and distinguish areas for improvement. Analytic tools allow companies to determine which incentives create results and make adjustments with ease. Interactive marketing tools, including gamification, help businesses stand out from the competition.
In addition to increasing employee engagement, gamification tools are also useful for retaining, educating, and engaging customers and website visitors. Gamification is not just for enterprises and social engagement: The US Army even utilizes online games for recruiting purposes.
In upcoming years, we will see greater cohesion in company-wide gamification programs. Look for opportunities in your organization to apply game-like concepts. Start small internally to test the waters and improve upon your gamification strategy as you build traction.