We Learn from Games: The Secret to Team Engagement & Retention

I have a passion for delivering technology that is fun and motivating to use. I spent the early part of my career (before the internet) working for educational software publishers to help K-12 students use the computer through games (think “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” and “Oregon Trail”).  We created games to encourage children to learn a variety of different topics, from geography and math to writing and coding.  Over time a formula emerged for creating engaging software experiences to ensure that the educational games we designed were successfully “sticky” and promoted repeat play.

At the heart of any great game experience is the gameplay’s ability to tap into an individual’s basic psychological needs -- Autonomy (self-directed), Mastery (desire to improve) and Purpose (relevant to a higher goal that inspires). This widely regarded strategy for designing great games led Daniel Pink to coin the term “Motivation 3.0” as an approach to tap into and drive intrinsic employee motivation, effectively drawing game design principles into a framework for the modern workplace.

• Autonomy - ability to work independently and make a contribution. Feeling that strengths are being utilized and contributions are valued.
• Mastery -- developing skills and work products that are recognized and valued.
• Purpose -- making an impact that matters to those you care about. In this case the ability to help the company achieve its goals.

Applying game mechanics to encourage employee engagement and loyalty was also advocated by Bunchball founder and CEO Rajat Paharia in his 2013 book “Loyalty 3.0”.  Companies like Adobe have built this concept into product engagement strategies like Level Up for Photoshop. Visible leaderboards and scoreboards help reinforce the desired behavior, and when tied to the company goals, helps to weave together the power of Mastery and Purpose.

Daniel Pink advocates intrinsically driven self-motivation, and in an ideal world this is all we would need. But most team leaders realize that a blend of tactics is required to engage and motivate teams to perform quarter after quarter.

Extrinsic frameworks (bonus programs, incentives, leaderboards, scoreboards) tie points and achievements to work that matters and enable leaders to directly reward individuals and teams for the progress they make on their goals. In software, both intrinsic and extrinsic tactics are sometimes referred to as "gamification". 

There's an app for that!

I believe project management and employee recognition software can help motivate employees by weaving together the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators that lead to employee engagement.  Points and rewards are not the only ingredient. A dashboard that allows a team to clearly articulate goals, track progress and make achievements visible helps feed the intrinsic motivators. Having everyone on one platform aids collaboration and coordination, and provides the transparency that leads to appreciation of everyone's contributions.

However, 'gamified" project management, employee recognition tools and visible dashboards don't cover the whole job. Without enforcing progress check in, or not having a weekly dialog to uncover challenges and blockers, or not creating social accountability by drawing everyone's attention to the dashboard each week, the software becomes just another tool that management makes everyone use. And that is how NOT to drive employee engagement.

What motivates and drives individuals are as different as people are different. A 2016 engagement trends report compiled by Quantum Workplace surveyed over 500k employees across 8700 organizations in the US, and noted that while engagement drivers mostly relate to trust in leadership and opportunities for career growth, creating an employee experience that delivers on these core drivers and truly engages everyone every day is tough to do. A recent ebook written by Page Up lists 60 ways to increase employee engagement. Clearly there is no silver bullet for any organization.

While the reasons employees are engaged or not engaged may differ from organization to organization, there are a few basic truisms to keep in mind.

• Team members are motivated when they are productive and feel valued.
• Teams are engaged when they can see a direct relationship between the work they do and the results that they achieve for the company. 
• Clarity and consistency ensures ongoing success

The takeaway? A "gamified" software tool that applies intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to engage employees is not enough. There need to be processes in place to create accountability.

Creating an Accountability Culture

What do leaders need to do to truly create employee engagement? They need to create an accountability culture that promotes clarity, good communication and transparency in a consistent manner every week, every month, every quarter throughout the year.

Principles to follow:

1. Clarity. Clearly articulated goals are always visible 24/7.
2. Empowerment. Easy to see how each person impacts company goals.
3. Consistency. There is an ongoing process for defining goals, reporting progress and earning rewards.

Weekly Processes:

1. Visible recognition of achievements.
2. Clear communication about progress and blockers.
3. Social Accountability via a group meeting that brings attention to what's been accomplished/not accomplished.
4. Regular dialog about personal and professional goals.
5. Encourage teamwork, relationship building, collaboration.
6. Earn rewards together to build camaraderie.

Holding teams accountable for achieving their goals doesn’t have to be painful.  Creating an accountability culture featuring clear goals, transparency around goal progress and visibility across the team engages and motivates teams as they are recognized for the significant contributions that positively impact the bottom line.  An accountability culture is the feedback loop that drives intrinsic motivation as described by Pink.

There is software that will do this, too. Milestonia supports leaders in implementing all 9 aspects of an accountability culture, while also including high level project management and employee recognition software features in a manner that drives employee engagement. From check in reminders to colorful dashboards, and the opportunity for individual recognition for points earned while also earning rewards as a team, Milestonia automates the process and makes it easier for leaders to consistently deliver on an accountability culture.

Accountability Cultures can be Fun

The core of an effective employee engagement platform leverages the concepts that lead to intrinsic motivation as outlined by Pink. Weaving in extrinsic motivators, as determined by the team leader provides more effective support for leaders by tying points and rewards to achievement of clearly articulated goals. While incentives for achieving goals have always existed, technology makes it possible to manage the process for leaders so they don’t have to recreate a system for themselves.  And when the team is confident that there is consistency in the process, trust is built.

When you use software and a process that reinforces Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose, combined with recognition and rewards, you’re tapping into an Intrinsic+Extrinsic motivation strategy that can be fun and build camaraderie. But don't forget to invest in the principles and processes that will create an accountability culture. Doing so will truly engage your team and lead to greater business growth and profitability.