Today, I am going to show you some real gamification examples in business. We’ve talked about gamification quite a bit, and I’ve spent a good amount of time lauding how innovative it looks on paper. I cited theoretical scenarios where its many unique strategies can make the training process far smoother and less tedious, and I think most people are in tune with me on this, at this point.
The naysayers have mostly silenced, and the proponents have grown in numbers. It is being used, but we haven’t given you any real world examples of gamification in action, and it is only now that I realize this. Well, that needs to be remedied, I think. So, let’s look at a few gamification examples in business that are being practiced today. These aren’t necessarily training-related, but the principles apply either way.
First up, we have Kudos Badges, which are used by the IBM Connections service. As users gain likes of files and information they share, or as they approve and share links to other files, they can earn these badges. They are displayed with files, and other stats users have, and is a good competitive but non-dramatic way to promote heavy, diverse use of the system for exterior means and exterior ends.
Kudos don’t incentivize heavily, but they do seem to work, which high Kudos being a coveted stat on the site.
Connections continues as another example, where it implements a gamification package. This is a new concept, gamification packages, and Buncbhall’s Nitro is the one of choice for Connections. It’s a mission-oriented system where a user is assigned missions, which are simple and common tasks that can be performed in Connections itself.
As missions are completed, levels are earned, and the standing of a user as an expert in the community will be higher. This earns them higher regard and higher respect from others, and gives them a strong and empowered identity within the service.
Xerox is using gamification in a similar, though more fleshed out manner, with a social game mechanic for management training. Stepping Up is a module and mission-oriented platform which has trainees complete on the job tasks that they would normally perform after completing training. As they progress, ratings and progress is listed on a leaderboard. While competition is powerful, teamwork can also be applied to this, and multiple teams can then compete. Yammer integration allows for a higher level of social interaction as well, thus cementing the teamwork concept even further.
These are only a few examples of gamification in business, so you can imagine how diverse and flexible the gamification model can be. Of note is the previously mentioned gamification platform package, which is a new thing. Bunchball isn’t the only one out there working on them, as services like Badgeville are becoming popular as well. Gamficiation is clearly becoming the method of choice for incentivization and engagement for a lot of activities, so there’s no reason that it can’t work for training just as well.
With a system and package already available now, it’s easier than ever to use gamification in your training, with minimal setup effort.