Organisations are embracing the forward thinking concept of using gamification for their rewards, recognition and loyalty programmes. This solution is the key contributor to being well positioned and taking advantage of new platform features as they arise.
Part one of this 3-part blog series introduced how the recognition and rewards industry is being transformed by the Nexus of Forces: the convergence of social, mobile, cloud, and information. In this blog, we identify how technology and the Nexus of Forces can be used to gamify motivation, change behaviour, and drive programme success.
Motivation with Gamification
Gamification in software applications has become a major business disruptor. Gaming features such as badges, points, levels, and leaderboards are now some of the most successful motivators of consumer behaviour. These features are reshaping employee training, strengthening customer loyalty, driving innovation, and changing behaviour patterns.
The immense increase in gamification is due to the union of social, mobile, cloud, and information. The Nexus of Forces has become the platform model for digital business and is driving transformational change. Companies that embrace this new model for their recognition, rewards, and loyalty programmes will be well positioned to take advantage of new platform features as they arise.
In his book Gamify, Brian Burke, Research Vice President at Gartner explains, “Gamification is about rethinking motivation in a world where we are more often connected digitally than physically. It is about building motivation into a digitally connected world.” Burke cites Foursquare as an early adopter of gamification that leveraged the emerging trends and technologies, including GPS enabled smartphones and cloud computing.
Changing Behaviour
At Power2Motivate, we recognised the game-changing potential of gamification and built it into our cloud-based recognition and rewards solution. We partnered with Bunchball, the leading provider of online gamification solutions, to create a compelling and enjoyable experience for our clients and our partners. We embedded gamification concepts into our platform and increased opportunities for peer-to-peer acknowledgment. Game mechanics such as leaderboards, feedback loops, and other visual indicators of achievement have helped to bolster social recognition. This aspect of gamification is highly important to Generation X and Millennials who are more motivated by praise and encouragement than money alone.
The Future of Gamification
Emerging technologies will continue to drive the use of gamification in software technologies. Gamified “smart” applications will eventually be able to provide users with customised content by learning your habits, understanding your needs, and tracking your health indicators. Gamified applications will continue to integrate with social networks and increase participants’ motivation with social recognition and sharing.
Companies that adopt gamification effectively can gain a point of differentiation from other businesses and engage their audience. “The key to gamification success is to engage people on an emotional level and motivate them to achieve their goals”, states Burke. When the power of gamification is properly harnessed, people are more motivated to achieve company objectives.
Are you ready to up the ante and gamify your workplace or loyalty programme
for maximum results?
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Author: Rob Purdy
Gartner Inc., Technology Overview for Employee Recognition and Rewards Software, June 16, 2015.
“Gamify: How Gamification motivates people to do extraordinary things.” by Brian Burke, April 8, 2014