Gamification for Business summary

Picture this: you’re the founder of a tech company that’s expanded to multiple European countries. So far, things have been going well. Your product has been easy to sell and your growth has been rapid. So, what could go wrong from here?

Well, a few things. For starters, working with international clients means that your teams, which are spread across different countries, will need to work more collaboratively and cohesively. Secondly, as multiple competitors enter the market, your need to frequently improve your product, increase customer satisfaction, and ramp up sales will become even greater.

Whether you’re working for a small start-up or a large corporation, having a solid team that works cohesively is essential. And since a lot of games are designed to encourage people to work together to solve a problem or beat an opponent, they’re a great way to improve teamwork.

One standout game that helps individuals get more comfortable with collaboration is LinkXs. It’s played by eight to twelve people, who are divided into groups. Each group is given a task to complete, but information about how to complete all the tasks is divided up and spread across the different teams. Since each group only has access to partial information, they must negotiate with each other to obtain what they’re missing. 

Anyone who has worked for a business has probably had to endure their share of uninspiring meetings – the kind where a presenter is doing a lot of talking and people are nodding their heads politely in agreement, but they’re not really listening.

The problem in this scenario is that nothing important is sinking in. An array of organizational goals and strategies are being thrown in the air, but they’ll probably be forgotten about by the time everyone leaves the room. The majority of attendees aren’t participating directly in the conversation. People’s viewpoints will likely be left out and the most sleepy attendees will miss out on key information. 

For many businesses, keeping existing projects going while also seeking out new and innovative opportunities can seem impossible. 

But according to business thought leader Rita McGrath, it’s increasingly difficult for companies to secure long-term competitive advantages, meaning that they also need to regularly score quick wins to compete. 

Innovate or Dinosaur? The name may sound bizarre, but this collaborative game helps weary organizations that are fresh out of inspiration unlock their innovative potential.

How? Well, that becomes clear when you consider the reasons businesses get stuck in a rut. 

Sometimes, being a manager is no picnic. In addition to all the rewarding aspects of leading a team, you also have to shoulder a lot of problems, have difficult conversations, and make unpopular decisions for the good of the organization. 

Regardless of whether you believe you’re a good manager or not, it’s important to check in with yourself now and again, and consider ways you can improve your leadership. Fortunately, there are several games that can help you do this.