About a year ago, technology research and advisory firm Gartner predicted that 80 percent of gamification applications would by 2014 “fail to meet business objectives,” such as increasing productivity. Gartner cited poor design as the primary reason for that forecast.
Brian Burke, a research vice president and lead on gamification for Gartner, tells CMSWire.com in a recent article that the firm is standing by its prediction. Gamification is poised to move from the “Peak of Inflated Expectations” to the “Trough of Disillusionment,” he says.
However, we believe it’s too bold to say that gamification is never going to take off or that it’s a failing concept. While it’s not likely to ever become the next big thing, gamification does work well for very specific use cases. Certain businesses and business models can leverage gamification technology to help facilitate and provide visualization for internal competition to improve productivity and collaboration.
Trying to motivate people isn’t a new concept. After all, isn’t that what offering employee-of-the-month parking spots for high performers is all about? The difference is that gamification relies on a digital engagement model that can be more easily leveraged to large groups of employees.
For example, we’ve worked with organizations that use badging for Q-and-A forums and participating in communities of practice within their collaboration platform. Users can earn badges through their participation, such as by posting a microblog, responding to questions or liking a document.
This helps to incentivize users to be more action-oriented within a cross-functional community of practice. Gamification certainly doesn’t apply to all scenarios or organizations, but many will continue to use it as a way to align employee goals with company goals. And as long as it’s serving a specific purpose and isn’t just there because it’s trendy, why not take advantage of gamification?
Source: CMSWire.com, December 2013
