Games are serious for business, believes Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM games program manager. Games have a unique ability to spur people to action through fun and competition. They motivate employees to learn processes, achieve goals, and improve their health habits. Similarly, games encourage customers to purchase a company's products and services. In addition to traditional games, these days businesses use technology in their motivational games.
A properly designed game gets people to perform a certain behavior to get something they want. At a conference at the Wharton School, Kevin Werback said the fundamentals of games include motivation, competition and rewards. Games address basic human desires for prizes, praise, status or social conscience, for example. Correct use of games in business makes desired behaviors fun and rewarding. The fun or reward motivates people to repeat the experience.
Basic Business Games
Traditional games in business include competitions and board games. For example, some companies award points for sales amounts, and the staff can exchange the points for merchandise. Publishers and publications such as Reader's Digest use sweepstakes, contests and rewards to gain publicity and motivate customers to purchase their products. Some businesses also use traditional games to train and motivate new employees. Garlands Call Centres, for example, uses a board patterned on the company's operations to train new employees. The game builds team spirit, teaches job roles, and motivates employees to succeed in their jobs.
Technology in Business Games
More and more companies are using the Internet or social media as a platform for games for customers and employees. For example, Nike has a system for measuring your run that comes as part of Nike Plus shoes. An accelerometer in the shoes plugs into a computer so you can track your exercise. You use social networks to compare your workout with others and compete in virtual races. Another organization gives virtual badges as part of employee performance reviews. The recipient shares the award by forwarding it to co-workers, who add comments or value. The badge grows and remains as a permanent part of the employee's brand.
The Downside of Games
As games become more prevalent in both business and personal life, employees and customers may experience game overload. Not all games are equally successful. The best games motivate people to do something of value, said Rajat Paharia at the Wharton Conference. For example, don't reward people for posting just anything on a forum. Rob Lalim of Southwest Airlines warns against offending employees by treating them like children. Use games that provide fun while treating people as adults. A game sometimes also has unexpected results. For example, Kimberly Croft, President of InterWeave, says that incentives sometimes cause motivation to fall when the contest ends.
- Wharton School: Rewards, Motivation, Competition -- How Businesses Can Benefit from the Rise of Gamification
- Call Centre Helper: Motivational Games
- Call Centre Helper: New Interactive Board Game Helps Garlands Train New Recruits
- Forbes: Let's Play! Turning Serious Businesss Issues Into Games
- Forbes: Make A Play Date -- Can You Turn Your Business Into A Game?
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