Short bursts of energy can lead to more workplace productivity
The fitness and weight-loss world is being revolutionized by the popular concept of interval training – the concept is as simple as it is effective: alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity instead of steady-state pacing throughout the exercise.
Take walking for example. If you’re in good shape, you might incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you’re less fit, you might alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. Gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts as you physically and mentally adapt to your routine.
Interval training improves your aerobic capacity, strength and endurance; even more importantly, it keeps boredom at bay and makes working out achievable so that you stay motivated to keep your routine up.
Couldn’t we also apply this model to our gamification design for a similar effect on workplace productivity?
Adapting “interval training” mentality at your workplace morphs it into an effective tool that helps elevate productivity (your own and also that of your team-members). Gamification facilitates the interval process by providing clear call-to-actions that can constitute as high-intensity bursts or recovery time, depending on the nature of the assignment. Doing so enhances employees’ focus and concentration by announcing the task at hand and the gamified rewards for completing it.
Managers can, therefore, control the length, frequency and required effort of each interval – utilizing the Gamification platform to not only boost motivation, but to also keep it constant. Working in intervals reinforces the determination to achieve goals, knowing that even though the current interval is perhaps complex and challenging, the next one will be easier and will allow the user the needed downtime to recover. This strengthens the workforce’s determination to keep on applying itself in the face of complicated situations, making continual improvement possible.
One way to increase the intensity for a short period of time is to integrate “boosters” into everyday work. Boosters are quick challenges and competitions implemented in the Gamification platform, usually rewarding the first few that achieve a certain humble goal – for example, the first ten employees that open five new leads at a given amount of time. This sort of call to action clearly defines an attainable goal that requires a focused effort. It raises productivity and efficiency for a concentrated interval, leading to fast results without causing employees to burnout.
Another form of intervals used in Gamification is the “accelerators”, a sort of gamified happy hour in which all rewards are doubled for a specific period of time. Utilizing this tool at the end of a month or a quarter could infuse the workforce with a sense of urgency and motivation to start the next interval as a higher ranked player due to the many points that can be accumulated during the accelerator phase.
A workforce that is always pushed to its maximum ability and beyond can quickly become fatigued, apathetic to the firm’s goals and jaded towards motivation efforts. Implementing intervals avoids this complication, permitting managers to control just how much effort their employees are demanded to put it, all the while ensuring that relaxed periods are taken into consideration. Gamification that is executed with an interval method in mind, provides an enjoyable platform that encourages employees’ engagement and improvement.
Do you have additional ideas for implementing interval Gamification ? Do you have additional ideas for Infinite Gamification process ? please leave comments
Gal Rimon, CEO & Founder of GamEffective.com, a former CEO of Consulting companies in the fields of Performance management, Analytics, Marketing and Customer service.
