Gamification is old news. So how do we continue to leverage fun and engagement to drive performance at work? Emily Larson explores what it means to make work itself more playful.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” A familiar phrase to anyone who has read about, studied, or implemented gamification in learning initiatives, this particular sentiment of balancing function with fun is over 350 years old(and no doubt existed long before it was put into a proverb. But although ‘gamification’ has become more and more of a buzzword in recent years, does it truly address what it means to play?
Yuri Scharp et al. reference play as having two distinct dimensions: contest or competition, and fun or childishness.2 As gamification is commonly characterised by competitive elements and a sense of challenge, the answer to the previous question is, in part, yes. However, although some audiences do enjoy competition and could, therefore, also derive fun from gamification, I’d argue that it lacks the fundamental ‘childishness’ necessary to fulfil that critical second dimension.
Think back to what playing meant as a child. Was there creation? Imagination? Humour? Exploration? Typically, it’s all of the above. The goal of play for children is simple: to keep playing. Learning comes as part of the process, not as a necessary first step or hard end goal. Why wouldn’t we apply the same characteristics to learning as adults?
That’s not to say I’m suggesting introducing a literal sandbox into the office space. But we should be looking for opportunities to encourage
the enjoyment of work and learning through playful approaches.
Offering a break from reality.
At this point, some of you may be itching to call out that there’s a second part to the proverb we started with. You’d be right — some writers later added the follow-on, “All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.”3 And yes, we want training that’s applicable to real-world scenarios and concentrated on relevant skills. However, we can do that and allow room to explore, imagine, and create. The two work in tandem.
Playful work design centres on fostering a playful culture, where employees are comfortable to explore, experiment, innovate, and ultimately have fun with their work. Where gamification is driven by using extrinsic motivation to fuel learning, playful work is all about intrinsic motivation — giving people the autonomy to design their work in a way that inspires them to continue. Playing with the goal to keep playing. Empowering employees to choose their own approach is the starting point for the enjoyment of work and learning as a natural outcome.
Gamification almost has it all, right? Almost. What we can’t forget is the joy of play. Leaving space for curiosity, creation, and exploration in the day-to-day is the fastest route to truly playful work — and the spark that powers a brighter future.
