Duringthe past decade, gamification has received its fair share of skepticismregarding its potential to impact employee learning and performance. But, whenapplied effectively and in combination with other effective learning techniqueslike microlearning, gamification has the power to significantly improveemployee engagement and business outcomes.
Conversationsabout gamification have evolved during the last two years. The talk is lessabout gamification as a defining trend and more about how real businesses areusing it with great success. We’re starting to see the results of multi-year gamificationimplementations. Technology is enabling more meaningful, engaging user experiences. Business stakeholders have becomemore comfortable with the concept, especially now that it no longer seems likejust a “trendy” thing to do—prompting organizations like Bloomingdale’s, Walmart, Pep Boys, and many others to leverage it forboosting key business results. Overall, it feels like a great time to dig intogamification as a way to address difficulties with workplace engagement.
Whetheryou’re just getting starting with the idea of gamification or trying to perfectyour strategy, you’re likely to run into some of the same challenges I, as wellas many others, have encountered. Here are the 10 most common objections togamification as well as how to respond, including follow-up questions fordiscussion.
Objection 1: “I don’t get what gamification is all about.”
Response: Simply stated, gamification is anopportunity to improve employee motivation and engagement at work—two vitalconsiderations for the modern workplace. Advances in technology mean we havethe ability to use the same kinds of game mechanics used in the real world(like earning badges for contributing content online or gaining points fortaking actions that promote a particular brand) to improve employee learningand working activities.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Howare we already using game mechanics with our customers?
- Wheredo you encounter game mechanics in everyday life (e.g., loyalty programs), andhow have they motivated people to engage in an activity?
Objection 2: “Games are a waste of productive work time.”
Response: Letting people play games all daywould certainly not be a valuable use of work time and, fortunately, that’s notwhat gamification is all about. Gamification uses familiar methods (such asgame play, points, rewards, and leaderboards) to motivate employees to engage in learning that helps them do the things managementalready wants them to do on the job, such as reach performance goals, completetraining activities, or share their knowledge with their peers.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Howmuch time and effort, and how many resources, are we currently wasting tryingto get our employees to engage in taking the right actions on the job withoutany result?
- Howmuch value would added engagement provide to our employees, customers, andbusiness? Is this value worth the trade for the small amount of time dedicatedto gamification activities?
Objection 3: “Older employees won’t like this.”
Response: While gamification does appeal to“Millennials,” repeated studies have proven thatgame mechanics are about individual preference, not demographics. Factors likeage and gender don’t make a difference when it comes to the potential for gamificationimpact, which means it’s important to put aside assumptions. For example, whilemany people may assume males dominate the gaming industry, adult women now makeup the largest demographic. An effective gamification strategyis designed to accommodate individual preference and workplace culture, notgeneralizations.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Onwhat evidence are we basing our assumptions regarding demographics and employeeengagement?
- Howdoes the reality of a multigenerational workforce relate to the potential ofgamification?
Objection 4: “This won’t work in our culture.”
Response: Every company culture is unique.What works for one organization won’t automatically work for another. The sameis true for gamification. Game mechanics have a proven impact in the real worldacross all demographics and use cases. To be effective in a particularorganization, the gamification strategy must take into account the uniqueelements of the culture and what truly motivates and engages the company’semployees. Take Toyota, for example. The company puts together a hugeknowledge-based competition every year for its dealership repsthat encourages them to compete on what they know about their products for achance to win prizes, including a trip to the Super Bowl.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Whatunique elements of our culture should we keep in mind when designing programsfocused on employee engagement and motivation?
- Inwhat ways may our current perceived culture potentially be inhibiting ourability to try new ideas and evolve as an organization?
Objection 5: “We’re giving people points and badges. So what?”
Response: Badges and points aren’t valuableon their own. An effective gamification strategy ties game mechanics, like points and badges, to real-world value(see the article on Pep Boys linked above). This could include a variety ofvalue propositions, such as tangible rewards, certifications, credibility, oreven bragging rights in a highly competitive environment.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Howare we already using symbolic items, such as certificates and pins, torecognize employee accomplishments?
- Whattypes of workplace accomplishments and recognition would employees potentiallyfind worth sharing with their peers and managers?
Objection 6: “I can see how this would work for front-lineemployees, but this isn’t for professional roles.”
Response: We all learn all the time, regardlessof our roles. While the process is consistent, the topics and context in whichwe learn change based on the nature of our work. Employees in professionalroles often have high levels of autonomy, unique knowledge requirements, andconsiderable time constraints. (Check out these PDF documents—profiles ofemployees who work in professional roles at MCAP, a call center; TBC, a tire distribution firm; and Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson—to get someadditional context on this subject.) For these individuals, engaging andhigh-value learning experiences are of great importance. Not only doesgamification fit in this context, but it can also help address the variety ofdifferent motivators needed with such a diverse audience.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Dowe struggle when trying to engage employees in professional roles in continued-learningopportunities?
- Whatare the potential benefits of using similar strategies to develop our employeesin front-line and professional roles?
Objection 7: “There’s no proof this will work.”
Response: We’re now starting to see evidence of the impact gamification can have on employee engagement and businessresults long-term. Ethicon (see above) regularly sees 90 percent voluntaryengagement among its medical sales teams within its gamified training platform—andthat’s just one example. To achieve early success with gamification, it’sessential to leverage the knowledge and shared experience of gamificationthought leaders to create a unique organizational strategy.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Howdo we typically introduce new, innovative ideas within our organization?
- Whichaudience(s) may be most ready to try out our gamified strategy based on theirwillingness to accept new ideas and related business objectives?
Objection 8: “We don’t have the time or money to build games.”
Response: Gamification isn’t about buildingbig, complicated games. The power comes from using simple, familiar gamemechanics in meaningful ways. This can be accomplished in a variety of waysusing right-fit technology. You also don’t have to jump in with every game mechanic available. It’sabout finding the right place to start based on what you’re trying toaccomplish.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Whattools are we already using that have gamified elements, such as points,leaderboards, characters, or achievements?
- Whoare the right potential partners to engage to help us better understand how wecan apply gamification to our workplace?
Objection 9: “Games have to be integrated with the learningexperience to be effective.”
Response: The relationship between a gameand a learning activity is based on the organization’s desired outcome.Learning games, such as simulations, can deliver content in a gamified manner. Casualgame play can also engage users with orwithout direct connection to the learning experience. This type of simple gamecan motivate users while creating an improved readiness state, or “flow,” thatbetter prepares the user to receive training content. Have you ever tried tointerrupt someone while they’re playing a game? Then you have experienced theimpact of flow.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Onwhat research are we basing our beliefs regarding the connection between gamesand learning?
- Howengaged do we believe our employees are today with the learning activities weprovide? How impactful could an increase in this engagement level be for thesame activities?
Objection 10: “It’s going to be impossible to keep peopleinterested.”
Response: Gamification is about humanbehavior, and that’s a very complex topic. Some early studies pointed to a novelty factor withgamification, suggesting that initial bumps in engagement will quickly trailoff as the mechanics become less motivational. However, new research—includingfindings from Karl Kapp working in collaboration with Axonify—hasshown that a well-designed gamification strategy that takes this into accountcan sustain user interest over time. For example, after more than three years,the impact of elements like rewards, achievements, and leaderboards has notnoticeably changed for sample users who initially found value in these types ofmotivators.
Discussion questions to further the conversation:
- Howhave our learning and engagement strategies evolved during the past 10 years toaccount for changing employee needs and business objectives?
- Whichsubject matter experts and resources should we consult regarding complex workplaceissues, such as human motivation and the science of learning?
Responseslike those above should help you engage in more meaningful conversations aboutgamification with your peers and stakeholders. I also suggest sharing third-partycontent as a discussion follow-up, including research studies and articles from recognized thought leaders,when appropriate.
Userengagement should always be a primary consideration for any L&D strategy.We must provide a clear reason for employees to choose a learning experienceover the myriad of other things they could do with their time. First, ourexperiences must provide clear value to the user. Engagement—and, dare I say, fun—is a very close second.Gamification, despite all of the possible objections, is a great way to setemployee learning experiences apart in the endlessly cluttered world of work.
References
Axonify.“Axonified employee Dei’ Gardner-Jones.” (PDF download.)
https://know.axonify.com/l/34712/2016-04-29/l48k4p/34712/177712/Axonify_Learner_Profile_TBCRetail.pdf
Axonify.“Axonified Employee Fred Argo.” (PDF download.)
https://know.axonify.com/ethicon-employee-profile
Axonify.“Axonified Employee Lisa Iles.” (PDF download.)
https://know.axonify.com/l/34712/2016-07-05/mcpnst/34712/195352/IA_CustomerProfile_MCAP_FINAL.pdf
Axonify.“Toyota uses Axonify-inspired competition to reward top employees with a tripto the Super Bowl.” Axonify: The Knowledge Blog. 12 February 2016.
https://www.axonify.com/toyota-uses-axonify-inspired-competition-to-reward-top-employees-with-a-trip-to-the-super-bowl/
Farzan,Rosta, Joan M. DiMicco, et al. Resultsfrom Deploying a Participation Incentive Mechanism within the Enterprise.University of Pittsburgh School of Information Science and IBM Research. (PDFdownload.)
https://joan.dimicco.net/publications/chi1231-farzan.pdf
Kapp, Karl.“Gamification Myths Debunked: How To Sidestep Failure And Boost EmployeeLearning.” Forbes. 10 September 2014.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2014/09/10/gamification-myths-debunked-how-to-sidestep-failure-and-boost-employee-learning/#63faa6221798
Kapp, Karl.Gamification Research: What the NumbersReveal. SlideShare. 23 March 2016.
https://www.slideshare.net/kkapp/gamification-research-what-the-numbers-reveal
Kapp, Karl.“Playing Games Leads to Better Learning.” ChiefLearning Officer. 7 July 2016.
https://www.clomedia.com/2016/07/07/playing-games-leads-to-better-learning/
Kapp, Karl.“The Gamification of Retail Safety and Loss Prevention Training.” Learning Solutions Magazine. 16 July2013.
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1206/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=link&utm_source=lsmag
Leaman,Carol. “Report Card: Is Gamification All Hype or Does It Really Work?” Learning Solutions Magazine. 4 January2016.
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1877/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=link&utm_source=lsmag
Leaman,Carol. “The secret to attracting and keeping millennial workers.” Axonify: TheKnowledge Blog. 3 June 2016.
https://www.axonify.com/the-secret-to-attracting-and-keeping-millennial-workers/
McIntosh,Chad. “Bloomingdale’s Saves Millions Through Revolutionary Approach to EmployeeTraining.” Learning Solutions Magazine. 2November 2015.
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1844/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=link&utm_source=lsmag
Romano,Aja. “Adult women are now the largest demographic in gaming.” The Daily Dot. 25 August 2014.
https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/adult-women-largest-gaming-demographic/
Souza, Kim.“Gaming software helps Walmart logistics improve safety education, culture.” Talk Business & Politics. 18 March2014.
https://talkbusiness.net/2014/03/gaming-software-helps-walmart-logistics-improve-safety-education-culture/#.UzXJBXewLTk
https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2003/?utm_campaign=lsmag&utm_medium=link&utm_source=lsmag
