Gamification is the use of game techniques in a work context, with the aim of engaging users and solving problems, inducing action through, mainly, challenges and rewards.
Traditionally, companies and educational institutions have been introducing games to simulate a competitive environment between participants, but outside the work environment.
Currently, gamification intends to stimulate the self-development of people in their day-to-day work, reinforcing the best practices of their function. Imagine a freight transport driver who receives feedback on the quality of the vehicle's driving during the journey, and has his career development linked to his performance history.
Ultimately, gamification has as its central objective the increase of productivity, through self-development, aiming to encourage desirable behaviors and mitigate the adverse effects of tedious and repetitive tasks. Games can be used to keep work focused on a clear objective and, if there is a points system, they can be used as a component of employee evaluations, and even be tied into pay raise policies.
In short, gamification is when game mechanisms are used to engage someone to do something desirable. According to Gartner Group, about 50% of the entire global innovation process is gamified, and 50% of the companies listed on Fortune 500 will use gamification extensively by 2020.
“We were so impressed with the results of the gamification that we decided to implement it in our logistics, in the format of a motivational campaign”, reports Ricardo Buteri, Director of Operations at Wine.com.br. This was a testimony on account of his participation in the International Logistics Mission in Europe in 2015, organized by ILOS, when he discovered, in two large organizations, the concept of gamification, aimed at improving the performance of day-to-day processes in the company.
Gartner also points out that “gamification has become an essential part of any business strategy as a way to motivate people to digitally overcome the barriers of time scale, distance, connection and cost”.
It is important to emphasize that the focus of gamification is to stimulate healthy competitiveness, when dealing with human nature that motivates people from the desire to overcome (others or themselves) in some aspect. Our brain likes challenges and, through the 'gamification' of activities, countless opportunities are opened for people to feel challenged to perform positively in line with the objectives of companies.
