Gamification consists in applying the motivational factors of video games to the company. It is therefore a matter of identifying the video game mechanisms that can be applied to the company, and then defining the "player" profiles of employees, and even more so their commitment levers. Many experts have proposed various analysis models so far: it is up to the manager to define which one will be the most relevant and the most adapted to his organization.
Discover the concept of Gamification in our dedicated article.
For Alexandre Duarte, French expert in gamification and co-author of "La boîte à outils de la gamification", gamification consists in "applying game mechanisms to a process, an application, a situation, in order to achieve specific objectives. It is primarily aimed at engaging people over time, essentially to build loyalty, motivate, train, involve, challenge and reward." Alexandre Duarte explains that gamification is a "new discipline, it combines four types of approaches: user-centered approaches (User eXperience design, design thinking...), the universe and principles used in games (gamedesign and progression, guilds...), marketing (strategic vision) and behavioral sciences (neuroscience, social psychology, etc.)." He states that "gamification is a serious subject, with a future, and that we must seize it before our competitors do."
For Alexandre Duarte, "gamification is a tool to generate engagement. What company doesn't need to generate engagement these days? Whether it's to build user loyalty, to differentiate from competitors or to train and develop employees? Gamification is a cross-functional tool acting in many sectors of activity. Every company has already implemented or will implement gamification elements where the need for engagement is the most crucial and we believe that these first steps in the world of gamification will spread within companies to eventually be infused throughout the company. The interest in implementing a gamification strategy for a company is therefore immense, it is just necessary to choose the right sites to launch and not hesitate to take the time to train or be accompanied to succeed in its first gamification projects.
Another gamification enthusiast, Frédéric Roulleau, CEO of the Tibco Group and gaming enthusiast, shares his dream during Web2Day 2019: that companies could be inspired by video games. Indeed, all over the world, teams of gamers are formed in a few minutes: they play, win together, and leave with a reward, even though they don't know each other, can be very different, and are thousands of miles apart. Enough to make any manager dream... Among the many mechanisms of video games, Frédéric Roulleau mentions 6 in particular, detailed in this article published on Linked In, and which would deserve to be inspired in companies:
- The player's "avatar" or "class": warrior, hunter, thief, healer, mage... Each avatar has its own profile, temperament, appetite or talent. In the video game, the player can in a few seconds understand the talents of each member of his team and compose a strategy adapted to his team to succeed in his "quest". The same method should be applied in business management: adapting the objectives to the skills and profiles of each employee. Do you know what SMART objectives are? See our article on this subject!
- Skill Badges: In video games, badges are correlated to the player's avatar and "experience". As the player goes through adventures, he accumulates "experience" and the game algorithm will assign him "skills" in the form of badges. In companies, it is difficult to evaluate people's skills... Sometimes, the annual interview is just the occasion to talk about some successes but especially about the weak points and the lacks to correct... We should therefore set up a system of badges as the person gains experience, like in a video game. For example, a supplier accountant who has correctly processed 500 invoices will have a bronze badge. 1500 invoices is the silver badge and 5000 invoices is the gold badge. His experience will have earned him concrete recognition. He will know what he has accomplished, where he stands, what he has to do to get the next badge. This video game-based model values accomplishments over weaknesses.
- The "quest": in a video game, theobjective of the day, of the week, is very clear. There is a "main quest" and "side quests". In a company, the objective of each day can be very vague. In the video game, the algorithm calculates the level of the quest according to the skill level of the player. In business, the goals should also be adapted to the employees' abilities (again, the SMART method!).
- Points and score: in video games, the algorithm allocates points to a player according to clear criteria. In companies, we are used to contesting bonuses, raises, etc. because these are human decisions. On the other hand, nobody will contest a score allocated by an algorithm. We need to create clear rules and objectives in business (SMART method is everywhere!).
- Rewards : it's universal, everyone needs recognition. In the video game, the player can try to complete a quest as many times as he wants until he succeeds and gets a reward. If he succeeds after 725 attempts, he becomes a hero! The game values experimentation. In a company, an employee who has to try an action 725 times would be considered incompetent... The corporate world tends to emphasize failure. So the culture of experience is very different in gaming than in business. Thus, the player who succeeds in a quest, even if it is a side quest, is rewarded with points, which he will convert into rewards, such as accessories for his avatar. An employee who has reached a goal will get a reward, no matter how far he has come to reach it! For example, a sales person who has conducted 300 customer meetings to reach his sales target will have the same reward as his colleague who has reached the same result after 100 meetings. It doesn't matter! Different profiles can achieve the same result.
- Gamer experience and training : at a time when millenials are arriving at decision-making positions, it is high time to decipher them and understand what they can bring. Let's take a look at e-sport competitions, and especially at the apparent calm of the players in relation to their click metrics: it's edifying. In a few fractions of a second, they analyze, decide and act, which suggests a great efficiency. Their relationship to hierarchy is also upset: it is not rare to see good 10 year old gamers supervising adult players. Management could be natural for these gamers, as Forbes magazine states in a 2015 article detailing the 7 ways in which the game "World of Warcraft" shapes better leaders. No doubt something to keep in mind when organizing a challenge and building teams.
The Fire Tiger solution responds to this vision of a fun, motivating and caring world of work. In our application, experimentation and success are valued, and badges are tailored to the experience level of the employee. In addition, managers can set primary and secondary goals, similar to "quests" in games. And the goals are always clear! Finally, with Fire Tiger, the company can select various performance criteria to highlight all profiles, through quantitative but also qualitative indicators.
For Alexandre Duarte, " the study of behaviors is a key factor in the success of a gamification project. Gamification must meet objectives and constraints. Understanding the bottlenecks in a given experience by observing, collecting data, and exchanging with users is crucial to proposing a relevant solution with gamification. Many people new to gamification underestimate this step, which can seem complicated or constraining to perform."
Based on Alexandre Duarte's and Frédéric Roulleau's findings, the first criterion to take into account is the profile of the players and their commitment levers. Read our dedicated article.
There are dozens of models and mechanisms that will allow you to "Gamify" your organization. However, we advise you to focus on the quality and relevance of the model and mechanisms selected rather than their quantity.
Gamification can't be improvised! No matter how mature you are with regard to gamification, the Fire Tiger solution has been designed to adapt to your organization, its context and its needs, and to offer mechanics adapted to your different player profiles, with quantitative and qualitative objectives, friendly rankings where only the first X will appear, etc.
Fire Tiger helps you manage and animate the performance of all your teams in a simple and fun way and boost their commitment, all year long. For more information, please contact our team.
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