In many companies I see a rather disturbing pattern: engineers are incentivized with some internal “points” or “currency” for published articles or other “public” activity, then these points can be exchanged for items like merch or additional PTOs. Sometimes those who contributed the most are celebrated as “top contributors” on some leaderboard.
This approach is usually referred to as “gamification”.
Games are profoundly influential in human development and learning. Esteemed theorists like Huizinga even believed #1 that our entire lives are structured around play – a sentiment echoed by many from Vygotsky #2 to Berne #3, and Elkonin #4 to Gross #5, whose ideas influenced the Montessori #6 approach.
However, gamification differs from traditional games. It involves applying game-like elements to non-game settings #7. My perspective is that while gamification is effective, its effect is not necessarily positive. Its effectiveness stems from our innate understanding and comfort with game mechanics, leading to easy engagement.
But gamification comes with several clear drawbacks:
1️⃣ The overjustification effect #8 – this occurs when external rewards decrease a person’s internal motivation. In essence, giving someone an external incentive erodes their intrinsic drive over time. “Incentives work, and that’s the problem” #9. This is problematic as features like leaderboards can motivate people to do more, but not necessarily in a healthy or sustainable way. Deming would also argue #10 that a system should be designed to promote teamwork and collective success rather than individual accolades, in order to achieve optimal organizational performance and quality.
2️⃣ Stress #11 – Introducing competition in a workspace inherently brings additional stress. This is particularly detrimental in fields requiring intellectual labor.
3️⃣ Diminished autonomy and diversity – Gamification tends to push individuals towards predefined activities, framing their behavior within narrow confines. This can stifle creativity and discourage exploration of new methods or ideas. For example, a gamified system might reward writing articles over innovative audience engagement methods.
The most significant issue with gamification is its focus on individual or team competition, which can undermine a collaborative spirit. It raises the question of how altruism and teamwork can thrive in an environment where individuals or teams are pitted against each other.
In a corporate context aiming for collective customer benefit, internal competition seems out of place #12. Instead, the focus should be on competing against external challenges, uniting as a strong, synergistic group.
In conclusion, I believe gamification is often used as a band-aid solution to address deeper internal issues. If employees are reluctant to engage in tasks like article writing, it could be due to a lack of skills, fear, or insufficient time and motivation. Implementing gamification in such situations might appear beneficial but can ultimately be more harmful.
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