Team Building Gamification: It Works, Here's Why

Team building binds employees together, nurtures professional relationships, boosts morale, and cultivates a positive work environment.  Though, it can be challenging to keep it consistently engaging and effective. That’s where gamification comes in. It is a modern approach that infuses playfulness into otherwise mundane tasks, turning them into compelling activities that employees actually look forward to participating in. 

In this blog, we will dive deeper into the application and advantages of gamification in team building. We’ll discuss how it enhances employee engagement, fosters collaboration, boosts productivity, and more!

Understanding Gamification

Gamification is the integration of game mechanics into non-game contexts. In simple words, it’s about making activities more like games to motivate participation, engagement, and loyalty. Rewards, leaderboards, badges, quests, and narratives are some common elements of gamification. Sounds familiar? 

Markets and Markets report illustrates a projection where the worldwide gamification market inflates from USD 9.1 billion in 2020 to a whopping USD 30.7 billion by 2025. These figures underscore the increasing adoption of gamification in various sectors, including corporate team building activities.

When applied to team building, gamification breathes new life into traditional activities. By presenting tasks as challenges or competitions, employees become players, the work becomes a game, and achieving company goals becomes a quest for victory.

Enhancing Employee Engagement

For any organization to flourish, the engagement of its employees is a fundamental necessity. It influences productivity, employee retention, and even customer satisfaction. According to Gallup, businesses with high employee engagement rates are 21% more profitable.

Gamification can greatly enhance employee engagement in team-building activities. The inherent playfulness and competitive nature of games motivate employees to participate willingly and actively. They’re not just “doing a task”; they’re striving to win a game. This shift in perception creates a whole new level of motivation and engagement.

Take the example of a gamified scavenger hunt. Employees could be divided into teams, with each team given a series of clues leading to hidden objects. The first team to find all the objects wins. 

This isn’t just a playful exercise; it’s a strategic endeavor. Teams collaborate, strategize, and compete, all while developing stronger bonds.

Fostering Collaboration

Gamification is an excellent tool for enhancing collaboration within teams. Setting communal objectives and undertaking collective trials prompts employees to collaborate and back each other, cultivating an environment of teamwork and cooperation. 

For instance, consider the case of a virtual escape room. In this game, teams are “locked” in a virtual room and must work together to solve puzzles and escape within a given timeframe. 

Here’s what this activity requires.

• Shared problem-solving.

• Active communication.

• Distribution of roles based on individual strengths.

The ultimate goal is not limited to room escape; it centers around the collective effort of the team to achieve that goal. This brings them closer, not just as colleagues but as a coordinated unit working towards a common objective.

Improving productivity

Gamified team-building activities can also lead to a significant boost in productivity. According to TalentLMS, 87% of employees feel that gamification makes them more productive. It encourages workers to put their best foot forward by rewarding high-performance behaviors.

Consider a sales pitch competition where teams compete to develop the most persuasive sales approach. They are competing for victory rather than just thinking of sales strategies. This not only fuels their competitive nature but also encourages the growth of useful traits and abilities that apply to activities in the real world.

Utilizing technology

Gamification and technology go hand in hand in today’s highly technological age. Technology has improved the use and engagement of gamification through platforms, apps, and online games. Employees can take part in gamified activities at any time and from any location, eliminating geographical and time restrictions.

Teams can take part in interactive quizzes using gamification integrations from Slack, such as Trivia. This creates a user-friendly setting that makes it possible to set up games, explain the rules, and maintain participation throughout the activity.

Assessing success

It’s critical to evaluate the accomplishment of gamified team-building exercises, just like with any business endeavor. This makes it easier to evaluate their efficacy, make the necessary corrections, and plan new efforts. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs) include task completion rates, feedback scores, and participation rates can offer insightful data. 

Photo by Yan Krukau

Final thoughts

Gamification, when properly implemented, can significantly enhance the effectiveness of team-building activities. It not only injects fun into these activities but also boosts employee engagement, encourages collaboration, and improves productivity.

As the landscape of the workplace evolves, the significance of gamification in fortifying tight-knit, synergistic teams is gaining traction.

Leap into the exciting universe of gamification. Encourage healthy competition, reward efforts, recognize achievements, and, most importantly, make team building a fun, memorable experience. Remember, a team that plays together stays together!