The continuous search for a highly qualified and engaged workforce has driven companies to explore new approaches to developing their employees. In this scenario, gamification has stood out as an effective strategy for increasing engagement and making corporate learning more engaging and motivating.
By incorporating game elements such as challenges, rewards and rankings, gamification creates a more interactive, competitive and fun learning experience.
This article explores how gamification can be applied in corporate education to motivate employees to become more involved in development activities and achieve meaningful results. In addition, examples of how gamification has been successfully used by companies will be discussed, along with an analysis of its benefits and positive impacts on employee performance and engagement.
What is gamification?
Gamification is the use of game elements and mechanics in non-game contexts to engage, motivate and encourage user action. In corporate education, gamification can be applied to training courses, development programs and other learning activities to make them more engaging and interactive. By transforming learning into a playful experience, gamification seeks to awaken the intrinsic motivation of employees, leading them to become more actively and enthusiastically involved in the proposed activities.
Elements of gamification
To effectively incorporate gamification, it is important to identify which game elements are most relevant to corporate education. Some of the main elements used include:
Challenges and goals: Establish clear challenges and goals for employees to achieve during the learning process. This creates a sense of purpose and direction, encouraging them to persist and overcome obstacles.
Rewards: Offer rewards, such as points, badges or medals, to recognize employees’ achievements. Rewards can be tied to different levels of progress, performance, or task completion.
Rankings and leaders: Introduce rankings and leader tables to encourage healthy competition among employees. This encourages the search for better results and creates a sense of community and belonging.
Stories and narratives: Develop engaging stories and narratives that contextualize learning and emotionally involve employees in the development journey.
Immediate feedback: Provide immediate feedback on employee performance, allowing them to understand their progress and identify areas for improvement.
Personalization: Offer personalization options so employees can choose learning paths that meet their individual preferences and needs.
Benefits of gamification in corporate education
Incorporating gamification into corporate education brings a series of benefits that contribute to employee engagement and success. Some of these benefits include:
Increased engagement: Gamification makes learning more attractive and fun, which encourages employee engagement in development activities.
Intrinsic motivation: By offering challenges and rewards, gamification activates this feeling in employees, which serves as fuel, leading them to seek growth and self-improvement.
Autonomous learning: Personalization allows employees to take control of their own development, choosing the paths and content that are most relevant to them.
Continuous feedback: The immediate feedback provided by gamification helps employees understand their progress and take corrective actions quickly.
Healthy competitiveness: Rankings and leaderboards encourage healthy competition among employees, stimulating performance and collaboration.
Examples of gamification in corporate education
Several companies have adopted gamification as an effective strategy to improve corporate learning. One example is the technology company SAP, which developed the game "Roadwarrior" to train its salespeople. In this game, salespeople earn points for completing sales tasks and receive rewards for reaching specific performance goals.
Another example is the training program of the e-commerce company eBay, which uses gamification to train its employees in various skills, such as customer service and project management. Employees can participate in challenges and competitions to improve their skills and earn badges that symbolize their achievements.
Gamification is an innovative and effective approach to increasing employee engagement in corporate education. By incorporating gaming elements such as challenges, rewards and rankings, companies can make learning more fun, competitive and engaging. With gamification, employees are motivated to seek continuous development, taking control of their own learning and collaborating more actively. With the support of the Group Take 5, companies can successfully implement gamification strategies and reap the benefits of a more dynamic, productive and motivating learning environment.
