The power of gamification to improve your business productivity

Gamification has been consolidated as an effective tool to promote the improvement of the productivity of organizations based on the motivation of their employees But what is it and what does it do? Gamification is the process of using game mechanics to solve business problems and in turn motivate employees, promoting changes in behaviour through positive and immediate feedback. Systems such as points, rankings, badges and other components are basic mechanics that, well articulated and combined, can be a great incentive for the adoption of certain desirable behaviours in organizations.

Applications and advantages of gamification in the business world

Applying gamification dynamics in the workplace brings numerous advantages to both the company and the worker. They are, therefore, highly effective tools that can be used to make more attractive the strategies and business projects of the different work teams.

However, these are not the only benefits we get from applying this technique. Do you want to know what other aspects gamification improves and how to apply it? Take note!

• Motivation. In the business field, one of the most recurrent uses of gamification is to motivate employees. Through the implementation of positive reinforcement systems, we can create a workplace model in which workers do not perform their tasks for the simple fact of receiving their salary, but now they have the incentive to raise levels and unlock rewards. The First Stop workshops achieved, thanks to a platform that simulated a motorcycling race, their employees to perform training and sales tasks with the aim of reaching the first positions, for which they would be awarded.
• Training. Another of its applications is learning, because through interfaces based on this technique, we can achieve that knowledge is acquired and retained in a more efficient way. The games provide us with knowledge that lingers in the memory as they are linked to an emotion or feeling and, in addition, change the entire study process into a more pleasant and entertaining experience. Internet giants like Google or eBay have long used gamified platforms to improve learning processes and make them more attractive.
• Productivity. The autonomy generated by the systems of achievements and levels creates a healthy competitiveness that improves the productivity of the company. Our employees will seek to meet the objectives in the most possible efficient way in order to acquire their rewards. The Aberdeen Group is an excellent example of how to apply this technique, as by acquiring the Fantasy Sales Team platform it boosted the productivity of the commercial team to boost their income, through the promotion of competitiveness and the creation of a positive cultural change inside the company.
• Communication. We must not forget the important social factor that goes with gamification, which is a strong point in the application of this dynamic to teamwork. Leaving aside the individual competitive factor, facing challenges in a group to obtain a global reward encourages cooperation and friendship. For example, Siemens has a platform that simulates its own production plant, where its employees play together with the objective of getting to know each other better, as well as the different parts of the manufacturing process.

Conclusion

The gamification correctly applied on a specific area of the organizations will allow an improvement of the results, will stimulate the resolution of problems on the part of the users and will encourage the collaboration between all the actors. In addition, it will promote the development of new ideas always from an alignment of objectives between business and users.

The key to success with gamification, such as any type of technique or mechanics that we want to introduce in our application, is not to introduce a series of game mechanics, because we must have clear the objectives we want to achieve, the tools we have at our disposal and to design a process that suits our needs and objectives.

From Izertis, we help you to bring these dynamics to your company. Our consulting service, in collaboration with the Smart Software Labs team, will design a plan that adapts to the needs of your business and implement the most attractive and enjoyable solution to increase motivation, innovation, performance and engagement to your employees.