1. SAMPLE Develop a Gamification Strategy to Improve Employee Engagement
Assess if gamification is right for your organization.
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2. Executive Summary SAMPLE
Your priority engagement drivers will determine if gamification is appropriate. Based on the McLean and Company Engagement Model, the strongest drivers are recognition, employee development, culture, departmental relationships, and co-worker relationships. Applying gamification when not appropriate may (further) disengage the target audience rather than improve it.
Isolating the source of the issue with the priority driver will guide the establishment of feasible goals to improve the priority driver.
The framework for the game design elements (challenge, reward, and social) will be established by determining the dominant organizational culture, establishing the target roles (nature of the work, skill level, and complexity) and identifying the mix of gaming personalities.
The design elements must be meaningful to the target audience, have relevance to their everyday work life, and the outcomes must be aligned to the priority engagement driver goal. This will provide the foundation for the development of the gamified initiative itself.
Gamification does not have to be electronic; many initiatives are “old school” based gamification. It is the application of gaming concepts that are the motivating forces. Above all, games should be fun. If it is perceived as more work or cumbersome, the fun is not there.
The key project steps will include:
1. Make the case for exploring gamification to improve employee engagement.
2. Determine if gamification can address your engagement pain points.
3. Assess your target audience and culture.
4. Conduct a gamification options analysis.
5. Finalize your implementation options.
6. Document your gamified employee engagement strategy.
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3. Guided Implementation
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“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
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4. Use McLean & Company’s process to develop a gamification strategy to improve employee engagement
Download the Gamified Engagement Strategy Worksheet and use it to document:
Follow our five project steps:
Determine if gamification can address your engagement pain points.
The high level goal(s) for your gamified engagement initiative. 1
Assess your target audience to tailor your design. 2
The characteristics of the target audience for your initiative.
Conduct a gamification options analysis.
Design options to suit your goal(s) and target audience. 3 4
A cost/benefit analysis and final implementation options.
Finalize your implementation options. 5
Your implementation and communication plans.
Document your gamification strategy.
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5. Sample Slides
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6. Gamification, the use of game thinking and mechanics outside of traditional games, is on the rise
Organizations are recognizing the motivational power of games in engaging both customers and employees.
Games are an accepted and important part of culture today. Millennials grew up with technology-based games.
Games, whether in the personal or corporate sphere, have, “…four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.” (McGonigal, 2011).
Gamification uses gaming elements outside of traditional games, to motivate and engage customers and employees.
Gaming elements focus on challenging participants, rewarding them, increasing their social interaction, and onboarding them to the initiative. Build upon these with a goal of increasing the motivation and engagement of participants.
Gamification is becoming increasingly popular as a means to improve customer loyalty and employee engagement.
Seventy percent of global 2000 companies will have at least one gamified application by (Meister, 2013)
McLean & Company’s HR Trends and Priorities for survey identified gamification as the highest scoring emerging trend, with a 260% projected growth in planned implementations.
A recent World at Work study predicted that gamification will be more prevalent than social media and mobile applications to promote health engagement and encourage positive behaviour among employees. (Lawrence, 2013)
The world gaming market is predicted to grow to $2.8B US by (Meister, 2013)
Gamification comes from a really powerful cultural phenomenon which is gaming in general. So the enormous power of that medium is something that nobody can have escaped noticing.
- Phil Trippenbach, Account Director, Edelman Digital. Specialist in the design and production of interactive experiences, integrating the power of game design and social media.
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7. Gamification suitability:
Game on! Employee empowerment, development, and rewards & recognition are a natural fit with gamification
Engagement driver:
Gamification suitability:
Employee Empowerment: The degree to which employees have accountability and control over their work within a supported environment.
High - Task goals, guidelines, and feedback are core gaming traits that can be leveraged to help your employees feel a sense of control over their work. Ensure that your employees feel enabled, not manipulated.
Development: A cooperative and continuous effort between an employee and the organization, to enhance an employee’s skill set and meet both their career objectives and the organization’s needs.
High - The opportunity to learn and develop is highly engaging. Use gamification to encourage skill development. Some of the key mechanics behind gamification – fast feedback, rewards, challenge, and social interaction – are directly correlated to developing your employees.
Rewards & Recognition: Rewards (such as cash, cash equivalents, tangible and intangible gifts), and recognition, that employees receive as a form of acknowledgement for a job well done.
High - Rewards are the most tangible aspect of gamification. Using appropriate gamification techniques to improve your rewards & recognition score is a sound strategy. Rewards don’t have to be costly - a recent survey found that employees are more motivated by recognition and virtual rewards compared to financial incentives. (Source: Make Their Day, 2013)
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