The Learning Curve | Empower Your Team: Gamification, Culture, and Transformation
Game on: Empower your team with motivation and cultural renewal.
In a world focused on efficiency, we can forget that people are at the heart of every organisation.
Understanding what drives your team members can transform your workplace dynamics. Creating a motivating experience means more than just adding game mechanics. It should empower and inspire.
“The truth is, simply incorporating game mechanics and game elements does not make a game fun.” ― Yu-kai Chou, Experience Designer, Author of Actionable Gamification
Today, I intend to help you level up your team dynamics.
Ready? Press start.
At a glance:
Something to read: 8 Core Drives of Gamification - Yu-kai Chou
Something to watch: How to Start a Cultural Transformation - Simon Sinek
Tools and systems to implement: Choose your level and start playing
Something to read: 8 Core Drives of Gamification
Gamification, in simple terms, is the addition of game mechanics to non-game environments. For example:
Online Learning Platforms encourage continued education by awarding badges and certificates for completion and reaching milestones.
Fundraising Campaigns use progress bars to show how close they are to their goal. This motivates donors to contribute and reach the target.
Limited-time offers create urgency and drive customers to make purchases by using time limits and countdowns.
Yu-kai Chou, the godfather of Gamification. Breaks down what drives us to act into 8 core drives, and I've added some examples.
Epic Meaning and Calling: Motivated by a sense of purpose and calling. A volunteer joining a nonprofit to make a difference.
Development and Accomplishment: Driven by skill improvement and achievements. An employee setting and achieving career development goals.
Empowerment of Creativity and Feedback: Motivated by creative expression. Posting artwork on social media for feedback.
Ownership and Possession: Desire to own and control assets. An employee taking ownership of a project from start to finish.
Social Influence and Relatedness: Need for social connection and influence. Joining a club to meet like-minded individuals.
Scarcity and Impatience: Drive to obtain limited or exclusive items. An employee who thrives on working on last-minute deadlines.
Unpredictability and Curiosity: Desire to explore the unknown. Watching mystery films to solve the puzzle.
Loss and Avoidance: Motivation to avoid negative outcomes. An employee learning new skills to reduce the chance of losing their job.
This brief list serves as an introduction or a game guide if you will. For the full manual, here's the list in more detail from Yu-Kai himself.
Something to watch: How to Start a Cultural Transformation - Simon Sinek
Have you been there too? When we receive a new corporate initiative or program in our inboxes, we are expected to embrace it. This is a common situation: employees feel disconnected, managers worry about lost productivity, and the initiative usually fails.
In these moments, we're left wondering, "Is there a better way?". Well, yes. Simon Sinek presents a different system. It doesn't rely on rules from higher-ups. Instead, it empowers everyone to shape their own work culture.
Let's call it a cheat code.
If you don't have 9 minutes, let me help out, using the example of a company implementing a training program:
The driving force behind cultural transformation is innovators and early adopters. The majority are practical and cynical, only embracing ideas when they see others do so. Focus energy on the right people.
Exclude senior executives and directors, and have employees apply to take part. This process filters through those interested.
During the session, let them know there is no pre-made program. They will create it together. This approach empowers and motivates employees, creating enthusiasm that spreads throughout the organisation.
Address common objections like "I'm too busy" or "What's in it for me?" by making participation slightly challenging through the application process.
When both upper and lower levels of the organization are involved, information and enthusiasm flow naturally. This helps bridge the gap between the initial 10% and the crucial 15% for adoption.
Using this requires patience that most companies don't have. (Personal experience confirms this for me)
Leveling up together to unlock a new and exciting chapter where every member of the team becomes a 'game changer', is better than 'game over'.
Tools and systems to implement: Choose your level and start playing.
Beginner: Try this voluntary experiment with your team or peers. To understand their work preferences, feedback, strengths, current projects, stress reactions, and how to assist them, ask them to complete this "Manual" and save the results for later. You'll work better together. Credit to Nathan Dale.
Intermediate: While not perfect from a UX perspective, the Octalysis Tool can be a valuable resource for practicing Octalysis principles.
Advanced: Get stuck into Yu-kai Chou's book Actionable Gamification. He's generously shared the PDF version for free here.
Conclusion:
If you got this far, thank you.
Today, we covered the 8 core drives of gamification. We have a system to implement for cultural transformation at work. We have some actionable tools to understand our peers and make our workplaces more positive, regardless of our position.
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