Despite the fact that my “gamification fame” has fallen into the deep annals of my past, I still can’t help to come across news or articles of the topic.  Recently (I started this draft recently afterwards, but it’s been some time now), someone had posted a question on the Back2ITSM Facebook group asking for interpretations and examples of real situations.  I was happy to give my $.02 worth (or it may have been $.00002 depending on the current exchange rate), but I also couldn’t help pass up a quick blog post about the subject (I’ll be honest, it’s been over two months since I posted something, so I’m scratching to get back on the writing horse).

Gamification will fail.  To be more specific, gamification sanctioned by, and forced upon by, management will fail.  It’s not to say making work into a game is a bad idea.  Considering many of us work for that almighty paycheck (I hate people that win the lottery and say they’re going to keep their jobs because they “love it”), trying to increase motivation and enjoyment is a noble task and something every employer (should) strives to attain.  Unfortunately, there is a psychological element here that we need to address.  That  element is the natural tendency of resistance.

Anyone who works in ITSM is very familiar with resistance, either by fighting against it or (unfortunately) being a perpetrator of it.  No matter what, it’s a key factor when it comes to success of any initiative or project, even gamification.  One way to combat such an enemy is to change the minds and attitudes of those that you’re trying to influence.  A great practice for such a change is the ABC’s of ICT.  In particular, there’s a change to the culture that needs to take place.  The idea that people can have fun while working is a huge shift in the workplace that gamification is trying to achieve.

Now, let me paint a scenario for you before asking this next question.  You’re sitting at your desk on a Monday morning, you just got your coffee and are checking the endless list of emails stating you hadn’t finished your TPS reports.  In comes your manager that says “We’re getting ready to put in a gamification system so you can have fun at your job.”  What’s the first thing that comes into your head?  Personally, for me, the first word would be “bull” followed by a four-letter description of undigested material.  Being told to “have fun” at work just isn’t going to change my attitude towards work.

OK, let me describe another scenario.  You’re sitting at your desk two weeks after learning how to develop in a specific ITSM tool.  Someone stops by and asks “hey, can the tool do this kind of gaming?”  A few days after building some initial code and game screens on your own time, a director comes by and says “I heard you’re building a game.  Let’s get a team together to create it, but keep it quiet so the VP doesn’t know.”  In this scenario, what would be your reaction?  Since it’s based on real-life, I can honestly say my first thought was “hell yes.”

Let me ask one more question.  What’s the difference between the two exchanges?  In the first, a manager is stating there’s a high-level initiative to bring “fun” to work, which is automatically triggering resistance.  In the second, someone is giving encouragement to go against the culture with very little “higher-up” support in order to have a little fun on the job.  In other words, it’s the “top-down” vs. “bottom-up” approach to changing culture.  When it comes to gamification, starting at the bottom is going to drive faster change and acceptance then a C-level sanctioned approach.  Yet for most projects, there needs to be sponsorship at the top.

My final thought on this blog post is to give advice as to “what would I do” if I were a CIO, VP or director that wanted to build gamification into my culture.  To start, I wouldn’t tell any of my immediate subordinates or colleagues.  I would go straight to the “bottom” of the organization and bring the idea to a few key opinion leaders in the ranks (you know who they are, and if not, you better find out).  I would then let the project start at that level, very quietly and with little to no knowledge by management.  The more that they think they’re resisting the current culture of the organization, the more efficiently it will work.  At that point, it’s almost like letting a wild fire start in dry brush.  If it’s hot enough, it’ll take off.  If not, it’ll just fizzle out without any real impact on the organization.

In the end, the goal is to change the culture of the work place.  This isn’t something that’s easy, but if a bit of resistance can be harnessed to help push the change, why not try it?  After all, the most successful companies are those that value change and innovation at every level of the organization.  So why waste time trying the “top-down” approach when gamification itself would be resisted?  Unless you want it to fail to prove analysts wrong.  In that case, go for it.

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Started working in IT in 1999 as a support desk analyst as a way to help pay for food during college. Studied Electrical Engineering for two years before realizing biochemistry was more fun than differential equations, and so ultimately graduated with a Biology degree in 2006. Having (reluctantly) failed at getting accepted into dental school, embraced working in IT and has gone broke becoming an ITIL Expert. Likes to jog, sing camp songs, quote Mel Brooks movie lines and make dumb jokes and loves working for an Israeli tech company where December 25th is a regular work day.