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Gamification doesn't start with a game. It starts with a different way of getting a team to act. At Algeria Business Bay's masterclass on 17 October, Dr. Nizar Djalal Adnani, a gamification expert since 2005, showed how to turn it into a real management tool. Here are the key points.
Gamification means using game design elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et al., 2011): goals, rules, choices, challenges, feedback and progression. It's not the same as a serious game (a game designed for a serious purpose), serious gaming (using an existing game for a serious purpose) or degamification (removing a mechanic that has become harmful, such as a leaderboard).
The manager doesn't disappear; their role changes. They move from a directive posture (explain, prescribe, monitor, correct) to a facilitating one (frame, offer choices, observe, give feedback). In practice:
- an order becomes a mission;
- an imposed answer becomes a framed choice;
- a final check becomes continuous feedback;
- a punished mistake becomes an analyzed attempt.
For example, “Report customer pain points” becomes “Identify the 3 causes behind most complaints.”
Good gamification is more than points. Drawing on the work of Ryan & Deci and Nicholson, it supports four needs: autonomy (a real choice), competence (visible progress), belonging (a shared identity) and meaning (a clear link to a business goal).
Every department can have its missions: resolving a customer dispute without damaging the relationship, balancing cash flow against growth in finance, rescheduling deliveries after a stock-out in logistics, or investigating the source of a defect in production without looking for someone to blame.
And you don't need a big budget: start with paper, cards, dice and missions. Design matters more than technology.
Participants ran NOVA, a fictional SME under pressure, in three teams, with three decisions to make over two timed rounds. The twist: each team lead lived the shift from participant to manager, collecting votes, making the call and reporting back. A game reveals posture; it doesn't measure it.
Before launching your first mission, ask five questions: what behavior should change, what result will you observe, which mechanics will you use, who facilitates, and how will you measure before and after? Avoid constant competition, disguised surveillance and points disconnected from real work.
So in your company, which activity could you gamify tomorrow?
Join Algeria Business Bay to watch the replay and take part in our next masterclasses: www.algeriabusinessbay.com