This quote captures the essence of gamification as learning by doing is the best way to learn new things.

• Some people are said to be born leaders.

• Some people gravitate naturally to leadership positions in a quest for control or power.

• Some people rise through the ranks.

The definition of a leader, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is straightforward: ‘A person who has commanding authority and influence’. The Business Dictionary is more specific, it includes establishing and realising a clear vision, coordinating conflicting interests and thinking and acting creatively in difficult situations.

At every level of leadership—from the top management to middle management to team managers —dealing with people is an important skill to develop. If not dealt with caution, it can create compounding issues and a complex situation that disrupts the organization overall.

It is simply not true that accepting a position of leadership automatically endows the skills necessary to manage complex people situations. Today’s organizations call for a new kind of leader, one who is willing to reach out and be proactive and address disruptions in a way that not only solves the initial problem(s) but also takes the organization to new heights.

Today acquiring knowledge and skills is equally important as applying those skills in practical. Nowhere we are testing the leaders by simulating such

situations for budding leaders and examining their reactions. This is where gamification comes into role.

Gamification is defined as taking the essence of games—attributes such as engagement, transparency, design, and competition—and applying them to a range of real-world processes inside an organization – leadership development.

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Traditional leadership training has many shortcomings. Many leadership development efforts fail. While there are many reasons for this, the format of the training that participants receive is often key.

Traditional leadership training is falling short in providing an environment in which people can truly change behaviours. Too often, participants leave training programs with little insight into their leadership style, their strengths and weaknesses, or concrete ways to apply what they have learned in their daily lives.

Lack of leadership readiness can result in two significant costs to organizations:

1. Financial performance: Perceived strength of leadership can have tremendous financial implications

2. Employees experiences: Trust in leadership and perception of a leader’s ability greatly influences employee’s own level of engagement and satisfaction.

A recent study revealed that management learning programs that use simulations provide significantly improved leadership competencies compared to those that use traditional learning methods.

Studies suggest that leadership development is best acquired through experience and reflection, yet many traditional leadership training programs are unable to deliver this type of learning opportunity.

Gamification Idea

The key question for considering the strategy, is how gamification evolves from a fun way to engage employees to a tool driving higher levels of business performance and employee engagement?

Addressing the latter is more important than ever these days, with surveys like Gallup’s reporting that employee engagement levels are once again below 30 percent, with that number even lower for staff in the Boomer generation, despite those employees often being the ones in leadership positions. It is no

wonder companies are finally focusing on how re-imagining leadership development can be part of the solution.

In gamification, it’s especially critical to determine the desired behaviour change or other results we want leaders to demonstrate. If we don’t, the learners are just playing a game.

Awareness and Courage: The Mark of a True Leader

First we need to identify the behavior results required in our organization by putting leadership competency model in place to be created through interviews, focus groups and/or surveys. This model should have demonstrable, organization-specific examples of each competency in addition to the underlying knowledge, skills, and behaviors that leaders need to demonstrate this competency. These examples should come from real-life situations and be observable interactions with team members, peers, or customers.

We can then put these examples into a rubric with discernible, concrete levels of progressive performance. The rubric should contain good definitions and evaluative criteria at each level, and you can use it to link levels of achievement when connecting game elements to behavior change.

The factors to keep in mind:

Think Strategy First: Identify and articulate what the business objectives are and what measures progress towards a desired business outcome.  A focus on analytics will help to determine whether a game is successful or not, and how it can be modified for changing business objectives.

It is important to create the right environment for a game to succeed. This includes understanding the demographics and behaviour patterns of the gamers, as well as putting into place the right extrinsic and intrinsic rewards.

Use design thinking: To be successful, a game must be contextual and relevant for the community. It must have the right visual and sensory appeal, as well as a relevant storyline. This requires designing the game with a strong behavioural mindset. It is important to understand what motivates the employees and clients and how to design a game that fits well within the culture of the organization.

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