GUIDE

The 2024 Guide to Gamification

Trusted by leading enterprises:

Gamification isn’t just a buzzword. It is and increasingly popular and solid enterprise strategy that boosts employee motivation, engagement, and performance. However, driving strong business results requires a firm foundational understanding of gamification, what makes it effective, and how to implement a successful, sustainable program that drives long-term results.

In this guide, we’ll cover the following:

What workplace gamification is and how it works
Gamification in the age of AI
Strategies and actionable tips for a successful gamification program
The “Do’s and Don’ts” of gamification
Industry-specific use cases

Guide Teaser

Introduction

Gallup reports that employee engagement hit an 11-year low in early 2024. The causes are usually a lack of clarity around roles, disconnection from their organization’s mission, and not feeling cared about at work.

Disengagement is expensive. Gallup reports that disengaged employees have:

37% higher absenteeism
18% lower productivity
15% lower profitability

The cost? 34% of each disengaged employee’s annual salary.

It is more important than ever to invest in the employee experience. Gamification is a strategy that is gaining traction across organizational types and industries to address these challenges.

While an effective tool for employee motivation, engagement, productivity, and performance, it must be thoughtfully implemented to deliver consistent results over the long term.

How Gamification Works

Gamification taps into intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards (recognition, prizes, etc.). Intrinsic motivation involves internal rewards (learning for its own sake, self-actualization, etc.). 

For instance, an intrinsically motivated person will run 10 miles because they enjoy it and feel an internal sense of accomplishment. An extrinsically motivated person will run 10 miles to train for a race with external rewards, such as a trophy or prize money. Each motivator keeps users engaged in the activities and, as a result, drives performance.  

Gamification in the Age of AI

Gamification AI integrates artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with gamification, creating highly targeted and responsive experiences that cater to individual user preferences, behaviors, and learning styles, ultimately increasing user engagement and performance.  

The Do’s and Don’ts of Gamification

When getting started with gamification, it’s easy to fall into traps that can prevent your program from achieving long-term, sustainable results. Here are a few recommended do’s and dont’s:

Do clearly define objectives and goals.	Don’t implement gamification without a clear purpose.
Do tailor the game mechanics to fit the company’s culture.	Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach.
Do ensure the gamification elements are inclusive.	Don’t create games that only appeal to a specific demographic or group.
Do provide meaningful rewards that align with employees’ values.	Don’t rely solely on monetary rewards.
Do use gamification to encourage collaboration and teamwork.	Don’t foster unhealthy competition among employees.
…	…
…	…