We’re not going to play a game, surely?
No, of course not. We’re going to learn something. Admittedly, we’ll be using gaming elements to do so, but we’ll definitely be learning. Gamification utilises the latest technologies in combination with gaming elements such as direct feedback and smart reward systems. In this way, the workplace turns into a continuous learning environment. In other words, we won’t be playing aimlessly; we’ll actually be learning things and making the work itself more exciting and fun.
Gamification works because it appeals to our intrinsic motivation. What’s more, it works because humans are curious by nature. Put these two aspects together, and you end up with an interesting formula for achieving change.
If you want to change, you need new skills and new behaviour. There’s a 70/20/10 learning theory which says that you learn 70% from experience, 20% from your interactions and 10% from traditional education. Gamification fully engages with this theory by giving people new tasks, often in combination with personal interactions and sometimes by examining knowledge in a classic manner. This is the power of Gamification.
Suppose you had a 10-year-old nephew. What do you think he would master more quickly: the special moves in FIFA17 or the rules of spelling? The first 10 times tables or the first 10 levels of Minecraft? Precisely! A game motivates you to learn by giving you fast feedback and smart reward systems. And you can start again as often as you like. Gamification supports all these aspects, and it can be used in business contexts too. Through Gamification, you can create a working environment in which you can try out new things, make mistakes and start all over again. And again. And again, as often as necessary until you can do it successfully. Gamification encourages learning, brings an element of fun into the working day and enhances the players’ intrinsic motivation.
In order to apply Gamification effectively, the principles of autonomy, mastery, purpose and fun (which derive from gaming theories) are essential. That’s why we at House of Performance always apply the following golden rules:
A clearly described goal, which may of course be subdivided into smaller goals.
A clear, preferably real-time, feedback system that shows your progression towards the goal.
Rules: a framework of limitations and boundaries that each player must be bound by.
Voluntary participation. This is an essential, yet often disregarded principle.
1
Stimulate collaboration
2
Motivate people
3
Share knowledge
4
Enhance customer loyalty
5
Create awareness
6
Increase revenue
7
Inspire one another
Bruna, a large Dutch retail franchise business, had seen its playing field undergo enormous changes over the past few years. Online sales had acquired a firm position within the market, while customers had come to expect an ‘experience’ during every visit to a physical store – and would share these online in real time.
How could Bruna persuade individual business owners operating its franchise formula to become open and proactive about achieving the necessary performance improvements on their own shop floor?
Help us to get a better grip on implementing our franchise formula so as to improve our business results.
House of Performance created a Gamification pathway to improve implementation of the franchise formula. We based the goals of the game on the goals of the organisation itself.
The most important goals of the game were to:
The desired behaviour that we then decided to encourage was for the franchisee to:
We then used the PDCA approach to ensure we could achieve progress during the entire pathway.
It can be quite an effort to continuously improve performance, push and pull people down change pathways or develop self-managing teams. But there’s an easier and more fun way. The results achieved by the Performance Cup have convincingly demonstrated this.
Help us to find a method that appeals to our intrinsic motivation in order to improve our performance – for ourselves and our clients – and thereby enhance our enjoyment in our work.
We want to know how we can:
We believe that each and every one of us gains pleasure from learning through elements of play and sport. Most of us grew up by doing so, so why shouldn’t we continue using this system to develop ourselves further? In the Performance Cup, elements of sport and play are combined with teaching and developing teams in the workplace.
The Performance Cup is a competition played over a period of 12 to 16 weeks, consisting of short contests linked to relevant themes in the workplace. The Cup can be played by teams within one company or between different companies. The winner is not the person who performs the best, but the person who improves the most.
The most important elements of the Performance Cup are:
Results
The teams achieved results in a variety of goals. Wherever your focus as a team lies, it’s always important to make the results measurable. The Cups already played have shown highly convincing results.
