Enterprise Gamication Creating Immersive Engagement In

Recruitment and Training

People do not take actions that are necessarily the most economical, but actions that make them feel
the smartest.

Yu-kai Chou, Actionable Gamication: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards

In a perfect world, the right company chooses the right candidate and as a happy and productive
employee, he lives happily ever after. The dynamics that dictate the real world, however, are
dierent. Organizations around the world nd themselves hiring employees that are not so
suitable for their culture and spend millions in engaging and retaining them. Its hardly surprising
that, according to a study by Gallup, 51% of employees are not engaged or that 17% of
employees are, in fact, actively disengaged. In a job market where the demand for talent far
outweighs the supply, recruitment teams have to spend enormous amounts of time and money
on ltering the candidates best t for their roles. Failing to choose the right candidates adds
further to their woes as disengaged employees are costly to the organization.

Gamication, fortunately, has created a bright spot in this area.

Picture Courtesy : Ingimage.com

So, what is gamication ?

It is the application of game-design elements and game-principles in a non-gaming context. It

taps into the individuals desire for achievement and recognition. The latest crop of gamication
tools are developed by a team of designers, writers, developers, data and behaviour scientists. It
works on the premise that it brings about more involvement in a candidate or an employee
subject to an immersive gamied experience.

First, anyone would enjoy the feeling of achievement that comes with acing the game.

Second, they are likely to view the learning experience more objectively when they are given
feedback in a gamed environment.

Third, they are likely to retain what they have learnt.

Fourth, they are more likely to carry a positive image about the brand of the organization they
have just interacted with.

Fifth, it is quite easy to participate in a game, which these days is available on a variety of
devices including the favorite of the millennials, the smartphone.

How does gamication help recruiters ?

Recruitment specialists often juggle with quite a few tasks and though automation does help
them out, they nd themselves compelled to choose candidates from a talent pool which is
usually spoilt for choice. Here is how gamication tools assist them:

Measure a wider range of skills:

Assessing a candidate by his job prole is one thing, but assessing things like his problem-solving
abilities under duress, aptitude and behaviour is another something that has been given the
short shrift. To ensure that a more comprehensive assessment of skills is done in a short period
of time, recruiters can use gamication tools.

A case in point is Shell, which has launched The Shell Explorer Game to test candidates on
problem-solving and thus arrives at their aptitude and the motivation even prior to the
recruiting process.

Simulate the role played by a potential employee:

By creating a simulation of real work scenarios that the candidate is likely to engage in, the
recruitment gets a clear perspective regarding his suitability for the job.

For instance, according to Forbes, by deploying a game, the organization gets a wealth of
information about the candidate if he is empathetic, risk averse, cool-headed, perceptive, a
quick thinker, agreeable, an introvert/extrovert something traditional time and methods of
interviewing would easily miss.

This is also useful in the long term, because an employee who is thus made aware of what his
future likely has in store is more likely to make an informed decision about joining the company.
Such an employee is likely to be more productive and retainable for the organization.

Reach out to a bigger talent pool:

The beauty of gamication tools is that they can be deployed on social media, thus reaching out
to a bigger talent pool, overcoming the barriers of time and place. Candidates who have aced
these games can then be invited for the next round of interviewing. Thus, recruiters can save a
lot of time and money even before the interviewing process begins. Moreover, they are also in a
better position to choose candidates who are more suitable for the job.

For instance, PwC has invited students on Facebook to play its game called Multipoly that
simulates the nature of work involved in an audit and consulting profession, a grey area for
those not familiar with it. According to PwC, 78% of students were more eager to join the rm
after completing the game. The company saw a spike in the number of applications, too.

How does Gamication help in training ?

In the complex workplaces of today, usually, a training program aims at imparting knowledge
and inuencing behaviour of the employees. Using traditional methods like a classroom session
or a one-on-one presentation, engaging the employees attention is a big challenge. While the
training content may have the best talent behind it, it may not be absorbed or retained by the
employee, much less create the behavioural change it needs to bring about. Here is how
gamication aids training:

Makes learning exciting with rewards:

When an employee uses a gamication tool, he is likely to be visually engaged in a work scenario
that he will relate to and learns changes in policy or applications quickly. She would have to
participate in quizzes that provide him instant feedback, win him points on the leaderboard and
even encourage him to display it as a feather in his cap. Gamication can make it exciting using a
gamut of techniques.

Retains the learning for a longer period of time:

Benjamin Franklin famously said, Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and
I learn.

Gamication is a tried and tested approach to involve the employee in various simulated work
scenarios and this helps him retain what he has learnt better.

For instance, Tesero, a Fortune 100 oil rening company, has deployed our HR solution for
recruitment and training, which simplies the complicated process of oil rening. It was
reported that using this tool, they have achieved higher rates of retention.

Makes learning cost eective:

Several organizations use gamication tools to simulate extremely complicated functions such as
pilot training.

Picture Courtesy: Pexels.com

At Arizonas Luke Air Force Base, 70 percent of F-35 pilot training is completed in a simulated
environment using a Virtual Reality game before the pilot climbs into a cockpit. Imagine the
cost to life and resources saved when a prospective pilot gets adequate exposure in a
simulated environment.

Similarly, the US Department of Defense conducts large scale drills training through
gamication, something extremely costly using traditional methods.

Plays its part in employee engagement:

Digital workspaces are radically changing the way employees are engaged. Since it is likely that
the candidate chosen for the job is not always the best t, organizations need to have a practical
approach to engaging him. Training is a great opportunity to hold his attention and using
gamication can engage him eectively.

Improves employee productivity:

Since gamication has a direct impact on employee engagement and post-training retention, it
results in a much more motivated workforce. And, a motivated employee is a productive
employee. Further, since it stimulates the competitive spirit of the employee, he is more likely to
take on his team members. With each member of the team giving his level best, the team is
assured of scaling greater heights.

Helps achieve desired behaviour with greater ease:

According to Gamication by Design co-author Gabe Zichermann, Gamication is 75 percent

psychology and 25 percent technology.

Since even the best employees are prone to inertia, enforcing behavioural change through
training is often challenging. By stimulating the brains reward circuit, gamication works on the
psychology of the employee and brings about change.

What should organizations focus on?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2015 millennials will overtake the majority
representation of the workforce and by 2030, the hyper-connected, tech savvy generation will make up
75% of the workforce.

And here is what the Zogby poll is saying about them : A majority of 18-34 year olds (57%) told us
that they play video games at least three times a week. We wondered how important they feel
that playing video games is to the development of several work and life skills. Two in three (67%)
said it was important in helping them to learn how to create winning strategies. Seven in ten
(70%) felt it aided them in learning how to solve problems. Almost two in three (63%) noted the
importance of video in teaching them how to work smoothly and successful on a team. (70% of
younger Millennials 18-24). Fifty-nine percent said these were a big part in helping them resolve
conicts (64% of the younger group). And two in three (66%) felt playing video games was vital to
help them understand new technologies that will be useful in life.

Gamication will immediately connect with the psyche of the millennial who is playing video
games to achieve purposes that are beyond what constitute the usual. As employers are
considering how to empower their organizations digitally, it is important to consider who will
work with them in the future and explore the possibilities.

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