Designing Digitally
03/20/2019
Most organizations have a hard time getting employees to sit through corporate training and the reason behind it is pretty obvious. Training sessions can be boring for both employers and employees. Not to mention, these corporate sessions can be time-consuming and can lead to high travel expenses and other costs that employers would not be willing to pay.
In hopes of making training more accessible and interesting for employees, many organizations are incorporating gamification with much success. Gamification is the process of using game thinking and mechanics in non-gaming contexts to solve problems and to engage users. If used correctly, gamification training can leverage behavioral economics and increase loyalty, resulting in successful outcomes. Gamifying complex processes can make information more accessible for employees.
To understand how gamification can be used to increase the effectiveness of a training program, you will first need to understand how people are motivated to learn. It is important to understand that our brains are wired to positively respond to rewards. After finishing an activity, our brain releases chemicals called endorphins. These chemicals result in a feel-good effect that motivates users to continue with the activity. This can be effectively incorporated in learning activities to boost better outcomes.
Building a gamification training program that rewards participants for achieving milestones can lead to positive results. This is the basic science behind why gamification in training is such a success and is now promptly being used in many organizations. Not to mention, this form of learning is more engaging compared to simply displaying information in the form of a presentation.
Here’s why companies are implementing gamification training:
Many companies are ditching traditionally scheduled training programs as it can be disruptive for most employees, distracting them from important office tasks. Whether they are in the creative groove or are trying to meet a deadline, pulling out employees to attend a seminar they will hardly pay any attention to is unproductive and can be a downright costly decision for most employees. Fortunately, gamification training can be implemented according to the employee’s convenience.
Traditional forms of training can be difficult to effectively measure, particularly because they is no sure way to ensure your employees are paying attention to the educational seminar. Fortunately, with the help of gamification, you can allot internal benchmarks which can be conveniently shared and generated with HR Directors, Chief Learning Operators, and Project Managers. While traditional training cannot help employers determine whether employees are learning or not, gamification can offer managers deep insight into the minds of employees. You can use gamification training to determine the strengths and weaknesses of employees, allowing you to manage them more effectively.
How many times have you caught executives yawning during a training session? Traditional training sessions can be tedious and boring. Incorporating gamification is a great way to increase motivation and encourage everybody to be a part of the training program. By integrating enjoyable and interactive learning games, users achieve higher completion rates since there is an increase in motivation to do the training.
Gamification is also a great way to receive constant and up to date feedback from employees. Best of all, you won’t have to put in any effort yourself. By using leaderboards, employees can constantly check up on how they are performing and compare their performance according to the benchmarks they have set for themselves. This will also increase competitiveness among other individuals and teams in the organization. Feedback is an important benefit of gamification and can help employees constantly understand how they can improve performance.
If you are planning on incorporating gamification in your company training, it is imperative you first get the key stakeholders and senior executives on board. This can be done by presenting the results of studies conducted in order to highlight the benefits associated with gamification. You can also have industry successes in your meeting to get decision makers onboard.
Designing Digitally specializes in gamified learning solutions that are designing to increase employee engagement and improve training outcomes. If your company is ready to implement gamification into your corporate learning strategies, request a free quote from our team today.
Related Resource: Gamification in Corporate Training
We bring a personal and effective approach to every project we work on.
