How can leaders embrace gamification?

A little competition in the workplace will often breed the best results. Whether it’s between individuals, different departments or even against rival companies, having someone or something to aim for and ultimately beat can provide extra motivation.

To that end, should more leaders be embracing gamification?

Firstly, to define it. The idea is a relatively simple one. Basically, games – particularly in video form – are especially good at engaging players, so channelling their ideals into the workplace would seem like a logical step on the path to better productivity.

So, if you’re a leader looking to incentivise staff and gamify, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Define the point

Before putting any plan in place, it’s important to consider what exactly is going to be gamified. If you don’t set out what you’re looking to achieve then changing any processes will likely be fruitless.

Try to come up with at least one or two areas that can be made more competitive in efforts to boost productivity. For example, if it’s a case of simply getting more work up and running, prepare a points system which rewards those that commence the most major projects.

Get digital

While gamification can be of benefit in the physical world, its biggest positives can be found electronically. Technology insights firm Gartner suggested that it’s important for companies to get their staff to digitally, rather than personally, engage with any gamification efforts.

For example, the best goals and the ones that staff will achieve most quickly are those that can be monitored on their computers, smartphones, tablets and wearable devices.

Keep track of success

Any efforts to gamify should be tracked effectively. As noted by The Harvard Business Review, gamification is most effective if it’s started on a relatively small scale, found to be successful, and then rolled out to the wider company.

While gamification is still in its relative infancy in the work-related arena, many of those in positions of power will likely have to embrace it as part of any set of advanced leadership skills in years to come. Implementing it may not be easy, but the potential boosts to employee engagement and productivity cannot be underplayed.