The increasing importance of technology in organisations has opened up new avenues in business, not just in the way in which we work – such as bring your own device (BYOD), which allows workers to be far more mobile and not tethered to the desk from nine to five – but also in how new employees are recruited and how on the job training occurs.
These days, for example, management training at some companies involves a lot more fun and games than it used to. This is because more companies are turning to gamification to not only hire employees, but also for helping their workers become more engaged at the workplace and for teaching them new skills.
“Gamification is when you apply the concept, mechanics and design techniques of game play such as rewarding players by awarding points or letting them advance to the next level; rules of the game; and fostering competition with others,” explains Lize Monametsi who heads up the game-based learning division of Aim, the company responsible for South Africa’s own tailor-made-for-your-business game, The Navigator.
“It is successful in the workplace, because it also taps into that deep rooted desire that people have to achieve status and achievement, which is why it is effective and keeping employees motivated and engaged, since it can get them to work towards goals.”
Neuroscience and research have shown that gamification is extremely effective when applied to learning. “What people learn when playing games seems to ‘stick’ so much better, because games impart knowledge in a fun and colourful way,” Monametsi says. “The other reason why it works can be credited to the interactive and intuitive nature of playing. You essentially learn by doing, since the game offers a first-hand experiential involvement crucial to learning, and the game play engages players socially, emotionally and cognitively.”
Monametsi says she is surprised that it is not used more frequently in the education system. “There is still this idea that games and playing are the opposite of work, and should therefore be left on the playground,” she says.
“Luckily the perception is changing as evidence mounts to support that quite the opposite is true. One former game designer who became a lecturer, Lee Sheldon, decided to implement gamification at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he is a professor. He introduced leader boards, rules, tasks, incentives and scores and in so doing, boosted the school’s average grade from a C to a B and managed to get attendance levels up to 100%.”
Conventional learning mechanisms are often boring, and usually do not provide enough incentive to keep employees focused, motivated and passionate about learning. “It is difficult to keep someone enthusiastic about learning if they don’t see how doing all this work will benefit them in the long run. With gamification they get instant results – what they learn is applied immediately in order to pass a level. This is why 3-billion hours a week on earth is spent by people playing video and computer games.”
At Aim, where the company specialises in creating bespoke games for companies requiring on the job training, Monametsi says they apply all these elements when designing their games. “We believe that every learning moment should be optimised by blending knowledge and technology. And since there is the element of play, as well as an undo button, employees know that they are in a safe environment. And once you remove that stressful element of having to perform, learning also comes much easier,” she concludes.