Technological innovations have considerably evolved in recent years and corporate gamification has found more and more applications within HR processes.
From a Start Magazine recently published analysis, 35% of the Italian population between 6 and 64 years old plays video games: an audience of over 15 million people who spend an average of over 8 hours a week to virtual games.
Corporate gamification: what is it and how is it applicable to training?
Let's start from the foundations: by corporate gamification we mean the application of the techniques and dynamics typical of online games and social channels within the company's operational processes. It is easy to understand how the logic of these tools lend themselves to perfectly offering a stimulating and engaging Employee Value Proposition, especially in these times when smart-working and hybrid work are increasingly widespread and the sense of belonging to the organization struggles to remain solid.
We have already explored in this article the role it can play in attracting talented candidates. Now let's see together 5 tips to successfully apply this technique to personnel training processes, accompanied by 5 practical examples.
5 tips and examples to apply gamification techniques to training
- Enhance talent:
The use of gamification techniques applied to training can support in enhancing the most of people's talents and abilities. One of the most interesting ways to exploit it, it’s to design real role-playing games, assigning characters and roles based on employees’ profile, creating the basis for learning soft skills and progressively improving their skills. In this regard, there are new and specific professional figures, such as the gamification designer, who combines the principles of gaming with the logic of marketing and social psychology, to imagine experiences that go beyond pure fun to become real training from which to learn new knowledge, concepts and improve skills and competences;
- Reward diversity:
Undoubtedly one of the most important advantages of virtual learning is the fact that "behind the screen" people are all the same, with the same opportunities to improve without risking any discrimination (even involuntary). Participating in training challenges, individually or in groups, allows people to increase self-esteem, stimulating healthy and positive competition in the business context and helping to create and strengthen interconnections between colleagues. The important thing is not to force these mechanisms: not all employees are stimulated by competition, and participation should be optional, offering equally interesting alternative opportunities;
- Make the experience accessible:
One of the aspects that made the traditional corporate training less interesting is the fact that it was rigid, often structured in modules to be physically managed in the classroom, in person. The application of gamification and its digital logic makes the user-experience in terms of training much more attracting, with the possibility of accessing content and challenges from any device and at any time, thanks to the use of dedicated apps and web services. The new generations, those closest to the digital world and gaming such as the Millennials and GenZ, will only appreciate such an innovative and flexible approach;
- Offer variety of content:
Many companies have implemented virtual training programs, structured as real training academies in which employees can constantly access updated content and participate in quizzes and challenges with increasing levels of difficulty, just like in virtual gaming. It is a mechanism that, through recognition and achievement of intermediate objectives, the receipt of virtual rewards and the dynamics of scores and rankings, stimulates learning more quickly and effectively. One of the best-known examples among the larger companies is the Deloitte Academy, which has been active for many years with programs and courses that include classroom courses, virtual classrooms, e-learning and tailor-made training;
- Personalize the experience:
The combination of gamification and training can be considered among the new pillars on which to structure the Employee Experience business strategy. It is essential that the ways of using virtual content, games and immersive experiences, in order to increase knowledge and skills, are adapted to the organization, to the spirit of colleagues and the corporate culture. The logic changes according to the market sectors, the size of the organization and the style of management: it is advisable to rely on professionals who are able to recommend the best and most effective solution for your needs as a company; Glickon Glow, among the available solutions to involve employees from the first to the last day of work, offers a unique and personalized Employee Experience based on the different company needs, combining training and gamification through dedicated and content-rich learning paths, to map and develop skills within working teams.
