Case 9 Gamification-Games Feed the New Corporate Culture Using Chapter 9 content from the Schermerhorn, John R. Jr. Exploring Management, Seventh Edition, please completely answer the following questions. To earn full points; it is important to utilize content and examples from the text to support your answers. Would you be surprised to see a coworker playing a video game, and realizing the boss didn't care? Or, that the game your coworker was playing was actually designed to help improve productivity? Companies are increasingly using video games or "gamification" as a way to enhance productivity and increase creativity and satisfaction in the workplace. It is more common today to see people playing games at work and being praised-not criticized-for doing it. The new legitimacy of gaming in the corporate world is called "gamification." Games are being used to promote a culture of learning, individualism, and fun, while also focusing attention on the company's bottom-line performance goals. Enjoyment-Based Economy Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games, says: "We are shifting into an enjoyment-based economy. And who knows more about making enjoyment than game developers?" Gamification is exploding in areas ranging from marketing and politics, to health and fitness, to business and higher education, with analysts predicting that gamification will soon be a multi-billion-dollar industry. The commercial contexts within which gamification continues to grow range from customer engagement, to employee performance, to training, to innovation management, to personal development, to sustainability. Top Firms Are Playing Games High-profile firms are now riding the gamification bandwagon. Many are beginning to use social media-linked games and simulations for recruiting and training. Games are being used to help make a connection with applicants and to help predict how successful they'll be on the job. The mega-consumer products company Unilever has developed an entirely digital, user-friendly recruiting process. Applicants complete a short form connected to their LinkedIn profile, and from there, spend 20 minutes playing a series of games that provide insight into applicants' personality, communication style, and problem-solving skills. Game results are then used to determine which applicants move to the next phase in the process. Gamification has allowed Unilever to streamline the recruitment process, to efficiently evaluate a much larger number of applicants, and ultimately to make the best selection decisions. Marriott also uses social media applications to connect employees (and potential employees) through gamification. Marriott uses a Facebook-based game that allows potential employees insight into available career paths in the hospitality industry. The game also is used for training current employees. Siemens also has developed engaging gamification tools for employee training that are designed to help employees better understand their role with the company. Games serve a growing number of multiple uses. For example, at Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational institution founded by Harvard graduate Salman Khan that reaches approximately 10 million students each month, gamification is a core method for enhancing students' learning experience. An IBM executive says the firm's use of gaming for employees who spend lots oftime working from home or traveling is a "way to help colleagues connect and stay engaged." Software Company SAP uses a game that includes "assigning sales leads and environmental challenges that award points for tasks like carpooling," says its chief innovation strategist, Mario Herger. Games Change Cultures Gaming interfaces also are changing traditional workplace rules and behavioral norms, or at least realigning them with popular culture. Users believe that gaming helps employees feel more engaged and connected in an online environment that they can enjoy separately from work activities. Gaming can be used in strategic planning to simulate various business scenarios. Reward and competition tactics in games can be applied to boost interest in mundane tasks like data entry and invoicing. Although some fear that gaming has the potential to breed unhealthy competition and hurt relationships, experts claim it's a great motivator that can increase employees' enthusiasm for their daily activities and the energy they bring to work. Game-specific problem solving can also enhance critical thinking and analytical abilities, as well as develop desirable personal attributes such as persistence, creativity, and resilience. But, it's also recognized that gamification has to be well integrated with business needs and objectives. Industry analyst Brian Burke cautions: "To achieve success for companies starting in gamification, the first design point is to motivate players to achieve their goals-and those goals should overlap with the business's goals." To Play or Not to Play As the gamification trend continues to grow, employees may be asking themselves whether a virtual badge of gaming accomplishment is truly better than a good old-fashioned pat on the back and verbal "job well done" from a manager. Clearly it's no cure-all for all of the issues that can potentially decrease the performance of a team, or an organization. "Adding gamification to the workplace drives performance but it doesn't make up for bad management," says Kris Duggan, cofounder of game-maker Badgeville. Check the News! The US Army is now using gamification as a recruitment tool, Nike is using gamification tools to engage customers in physical fitness challenges, Starbucks is using gamification as a way to maintain and increase customer-loyalty, and Domino's Pizza is using gamification to help build brand awareness and attract new customers. Is it just a passing fad, or a trend? Is there a downside? When Disney began tracking the productivity of its laundry workers using gamification techniques, workers felt "pushed," with no "breathing space". This effect was referred to as "the electronic whip" by workers who felt compelled to compete with other workers, even when they didn't want to. So, what do you think? Are these techniques too effective? Has gamification gone too far?Case Analysis Questions 1. Discussion (5 Points) What arguments can you make that support the legitimation of gamification in an organization's culture? What examples can you give or create to justify your arguments? 2. Discussion (5 Points) What arguments can you make against trying to make gamification part of an organization's culture? What examples can you give or create to justify your arguments? 3. Problem Solving (10 Points) Consider yourself the go-to "idea person" for friends who head two local organizations-a fire department and a public library. Both complain about morale problems and ask you for advice on creating a positive organizational culture. They want to know how your interest in gaming can be used to improve staff morale and performance. What will you suggest and why? 4. Further Research (Bonus 5 Points) Review how organizations, including major corporations, nonprofits, and the military, are using gaming. What role is gaming taking on in these settings, and how does its use affect the organizational cultures? What does the evidence suggest-is gamification merely a passing trend, or is it here to stay and might it even grow in use in the future