Gamifying OD

DESCRIPTION:

Gamification, the application of game dynamics to non-game experiences to increase engagement and participation, is increasingly being viewed a serious business strategy to move behavior.  While games are solely played for pleasure, gamified experiences are now used widely within companies as a tool to incent people for behaviors the organization sees as contributing to the organization’s success.  Gartner recently forecasted that by 2015 fifty percent of companies will have embraced gamification.

The reality is that game thinking is infiltrating the world of business, yet it is an unclear concept for many Organization Development practitioners.  Will you be prepared to speak to the topic when your CEO, COO, client, etc. asks you about gamification?

At our April program Barry Kirk, gamification expert, will help us understand:

• What gamification is, and how it is different from “games”
• Who is most inclined to respond to it
• How it is relevant to OD
• How gamification is used to motivate behavior
• Examples of companies who use gamification and how they use it
• Who is talking about gamification

The STL-ODN Program Committee will then facilitate a discussion that explores what we heard and how it fits in with our beliefs and experience. We’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages that gamification presents by answering the questions below and more:

• Will this growing trend of gamification quickly shape employee expectations?
• Is this just a continuation of what we, as OD professionals are already doing, only the technology is new?
• Are there organizational cultures that are more appropriate for this type of approach?
• Does using gamification as a way to recognize employees go against the philosophy that people are motivated by intrinsic drivers versus extrinsic rewards?
• How does this help or hinder the connection the employee has to the company mission and vision?

Our April program is designed for participants willing to explore the questions "Can game thinking support organization development efforts?” and “How could the gamification of the enterprise provide levers for greater on-going, incremental development and change?”   Bring an open and inquisitive mind so that you can choose for yourself if competition, levels, or scenarios can drive change.

CONTRIBUTOR

Barry Kirk, VP of Loyalty and Motivation, Bunchball

Barry leads the loyalty and motivation practice at Bunchball, a Silicon Valley-based start-up and leader in the emergent gamification space. Prior to Bunchball, Barry led the consumer loyalty practice at Maritz Loyalty & Motivation.