The world of games and mechanisms in Human Capital Management

There are over 2.3 billion in the world. Players, and the value of the gaming market in the world in 2018 exceeded $ 115 billion* and all indications are that this number will grow in the next few years. In principle, we all are players. Mechanisms known to us from the world of games are entering new spheres of life. We have seen games for a long time in education, but can they become an important part of business activities?

What is gamification?

Gamification means using mechanisms known from games (building and developing characters, rewards, virtual currencies, badges, levels of character development, story context) to strengthen the expected behaviors of players (clients, employees, co-workers, candidates) in real life situations. Gamification and games were the first to enter the world of marketing and sales (rewarding customers, loyalty programs) as well as customer service and are used to boost Customer Experience (CeX). In addition to that HR teams are now reaching for these solutions as means to increasing the effectiveness of research.

What kind of business processes do teams responsible for Human Capital Management (HCM) use mechanisms known from games?

From my experience, we can use gamification / gamification mechanisms in several HCMs:

1. Development and training

We have been using games and simulations for the development of competences for years. More and more often they take the form of extensive games that can be played in virtual reality and allow you to combine knowledge and experience.

2. Implementation of transformation programs

One of the most successful applications of games that I had the opportunity to observe, concerned the support of the process of complex transformation and change of the model of operation of sales forces in a large telco company. The transfer of new realities into the virtual world, in which employees will operate at various levels, mixing new knowledge, healthy competition and most importantly fun, has significantly reduced the costs of traditional training and incorporate business development and recruitment.

3. Communication of important events such as strategies

In times of excess information, content is as important the way we deliver it. Involving employees into the game world keeps them involved and interested for a long period of time. We can also use the world of game to make them aware of how various elements of the strategy affect each other, their implementation and make the whole process more interesting by using light-hearted, fun methods. It is worth considering whether use some mechanisms or invite employees to participate in the GAME in order to create engagement.

4. Strengthening commitment in order to implement operational processes

One of the biggest challenges facing organizations today is building commitment. Everyone is looking for new, effective ways in this area. Games are often used to give quick feedback, visualization of results and showing progress. They can contain elements of appreciation and immediate feedback in the feedback addressed to players / employees. They can be used to show and reinforce messages about some of the activities in an interesting convention, which are not always met with enthusiasm of employees (timeliness of reporting, participation in training, supplementing data, or other necessary administrative tasks). Well-connected with business systems (CRM), HR systems (Learning Management System), can improve business efficiency, while allowing to meet the needs of new generation so that work gives satisfaction in each of the 3F areas (Friends, Fun, Fame).

Recruitment games?

The category that best connects the world of games from the CeX area and the world of HCM are games used in recruitment. You can already observe successful examples of the use of games in the area of building the employer’s image (Employer Branding), building the involvement of candidates in the recruitment and adaptation processes, inviting students to ambassador programs, or encouraging employees to partake in candidates’ recommendation programmes.

Summary

In the current market, where talents are actively sought after, most organizations are looking for ways in which they can differentiate themselves from competitors and present employer’s offer in the possibly most appealing way  (Employer Value Proposition). I am convinced that taking advantage of a situation where everyone, in either conscious or unconscious way participates in games means that more and more often we will see them or elements of gamification used in the processes of acquiring and maintaining talents.

About Author

Grzegorz Steinke – Consultant at CTER InterSearch Poland

Up till now Grzegorz has been working with HR teams on the Clients’ side, mostly in large and very large organizations. Managed recruitment and development function and teams, was involved in creating the employer’s brand, supported business as an HR Business Partner. Nonetheless, all of that had started in a personnel consultancy company. After 17 years, he now returned to consulting – the same person, and yet not the same, as he has gained unique experience. Joined CTER to assist us in even better and wiser support for our Clients and their organizations.
A graduate of Economics Faculty, Gdansk University and MBA HR at Kozminski University. Experienced speaker and lecturer (the largest business conferences, classes at SWPS and KU), a certified ICC coach, and a specialist in positive vibes, confirmed by eye witnesses. 😉

About CTER
Since 2001 CTER is providing high quality Executive Search and interim management service. Although Poland remains the main field of our activity, we also have a global profile. Since 2002, CTER has been the exclusive partner of InterSearch Worldwide, a leading international network of human resource consulting able to operate in 70+ countries worldwide.