How to use gamification in training and development initiatives

The market is consistently evolving, and businesses that want to compete must keep up with L&D trends, best practices, and technological advances.

While there are many methods companies can use to approach employee training, the gamification of employee training and development has quickly become one of the most popular and effective strategies. Recent studies show that companies using gamification for training have employees that are more engaged (60%), driven (72%), and productive (90%).

Corporate gamification training shows incredible potential for companies that wish to set their employees up for success. Learn more about how your company can leverage the power of gamification in training as well as how to implement gamification best practices.

What is gamification training?

Gamification employee training is the process of enhancing training and educational exercises with gaming principles. By making learning fun, and adding an element of friendly competition, organizations encourage employees to engage with, understand, and retain training content better.

The purpose of gamification in training and development is to create a more skilled, engaged, and productive workforce.

The desire to win isn’t just physical, it’s primal. Incorporating gamification elements, like the ability to win digital rewards, into training content can recreate that same desire in employees—the desire to succeed and achieve.

How to gamify training

Companies can initiate the gamification of employee training and development through dedicated gamification software or the inclusion of game mechanics in existing training programs. However, the simplest and most effective way to gamify training is to use an LMS with built-in gamification capabilities that can be tailored to your own learning content.

Essential elements of successful corporate gamification training include the following gamification best practices:

1. Defined pathways to achievable goals

For gamification to be successful, employees must have a clear understanding or roadmap of what they need to do in order to achieve a designated goal. This may include completing several training modules or mastering a new skill.

2. Scoring systems

A scoring system is essential in gamification. It gives employees real-time feedback on their progress and encourages them to continue on their designated path. Points, badges, leaderboards, and virtual currency are great ways to show an employee’s progress.

3. Reward systems

Rewarding employees for reaching important milestones is a great way to maintain employee motivation and engagement. Companies using gamification for training might consider using creative incentives as a way to motivate and celebrate employee success.

4. Engaging user interfaces

The user interface (UI) is the design of the actual platform that employees will interact with during their training. Therefore, it’s important that a powerful LMS designed for gamification in training and development be well-designed, engaging, and simple to navigate for its users. A good UI will help ensure employees look forward to using the system, while a poor UI will quickly lead to frustration, dissatisfaction, and disengagement.

How to incorporate training and development gamification

Now that you can answer "What is gamification training?" you may be ready to start implementing it in your own processes. Here are some ways you can begin to roll out gamification in your organization:

Enhance onboarding experiences

Reports show that 47% of employees feel more engaged when participating in gamified training. Introducing onboarding content through gamification is a great way to welcome new hires. Consider developing a customized onboarding experience that incorporates gamified content to engage them from the very start.

Promote Skill Agility®

Successful gamification in training and development can lead to employees who are better equipped to deal with change and adapt to new situations. As the business world continues to advance, it's more important than ever for employees to upskill and reskill—improving upon their current skillsets and building new ones.

Elevate team building

Modern business leaders must have the ability to lead passionate and committed teams in a collaborative way. This can be challenging, as many obstacles stand in the way of creating a unified group of individuals. Gamification is a great way for employees to push each other to reach their objectives and celebrate wins as a team.

Incorporating training and development gamification into your organzation can help employees:

• Learn how to work together
• Become more motivated
• Promote participation
• Increase productivity
• Achieve sales goals

The possibilities are endless when it comes to gamification.

Start using the gamification of employee training and development in your organization

With the gamification market expected to reach $58.8 billion by 2028, companies that invest in this strategy now will be well-positioned in the long run against competitors or new technological advances.

Your employees are your competitive advantage. When they are better equipped to deal with change and adapt to new challenges, you’ll see returns such as enhanced productivity, increased engagement, and company growth.

Are you ready to up your game by implementing gamification of employee training and development at your organization? Then it’s time to leverage gamification best practices with Unboxed Training & Technology (Unboxed).

Unboxed helps L&D leaders at enterprise-level companies like yours develop and deliver effective training systems built on the latest learning theories. Our programs are designed to help employees overcome modern-day business challenges.

Request a demo of our custom eLearning games to learn how Unboxed can help you introduce gamification in training and development at your organization.