Rewards without the gamification pitfalls: recognition for what was learned

The three pitfalls of gamification

Gamification is easy to do badly. Three patterns keep coming back.

• Only a leaderboard. For the fastest learners it is fun; for the rest it can be discouraging. Whoever is at the bottom often drops out.
• Points without meaning. If nobody knows what they are for, points become noise. People start chasing the points instead of the material.
• Rewarding what already comes naturally. Research on motivation (self-determination theory) warns that an external reward for something you intrinsically enjoy can weaken that motivation.

The light layer: points, leaderboard and challenges

In CoVince you get points per question, with a deduction on a second attempt, and there is a leaderboard. You can challenge a colleague (learner versus learner) and there is a wheel of fortune for the playful side. This works best as an addition, short and optional. Let the organisation decide what fits: for a team training a leaderboard may be appropriate, for a sensitive subject it is not.

Recognition with meaning: awards with a reason

An organisation can set up to three kinds of awards, with ranks. Colleagues give each other an award with a required reason. That is the key word: the reason turns an icon into a compliment that says something about behaviour. In the member list you see who has which awards, and there are automatic rules for them.

Recognition from colleagues is also a form of feedback; read more in feedback that works.

Certificates that prove something

A certificate per learning journey, as a PDF, with a public verification page: someone else can check that it is real. That makes it more valuable than an image anyone can make. Each person has a certificate collection. Especially for compliance and professional competence a verifiable certificate matters. See compliance training that sticks.

Growth paths: tying learning to career

A growth path consists of levels and roles with requirements: completed learning journeys, certificates and skills. Managers can confirm, assign and coach, and there is analysis, automatic promotion and a Word export. That visibly ties learning to what it delivers: a next level, a new role.

That is the strongest form of reward: not a small prize, but progress at work that you can see and discuss.

An example of a considered combination

Take a learning journey for new team leaders. The light layer: points per question and an optional challenge against a colleague, for those who feel like it. The recognition: after completion a certificate with a verification page, and colleagues can give each other an award for help in the first weeks, with the reason stated. The career: completing it counts as a requirement in the growth path to the next level, and a manager confirms it in a conversation.

That way nobody has to be competitive, but whoever wants to can be. The recognition is visible, and the learning has a place in the career. That is less spectacular than a scoreboard, but it lasts longer.

See whether it works

Every reward is a hypothesis: "if we do this, people will learn more". Check it. Do people keep going after a certificate, or do they stop as soon as they have it? Do people at the bottom of the leaderboard drop out? Are awards mostly given to the same people? The reports and statistics per learning journey show it.

Be prepared to abolish something that does not work. A reward that makes people cynical costs more than it yields. See measuring learning for the questions you can ask.

Culture determines what works

The same reward turns out differently in one organisation than in another. In a culture where competition is normal, a leaderboard can motivate. In a culture where collaboration comes first, it can disturb it. So look at what already works in your organisation, and build on that instead of taking over a model from outside.

Ask the people themselves too. Let a small group try a few forms and tell you what they think. A reward that people experience as patronising backfires, however well meant. Keep it fair and make sure the rules apply to everyone, managers included.

Where do you start?

Start with the simplest layer and only expand when you see it is needed. First points and progress, so people see where they stand. Then a certificate for those who complete a learning journey. Only when there is a need, awards between colleagues and a growth path. Evaluate after each step with a few participants: did this feel like recognition or like coercion? A simple start with an honest eye does more than a complete system nobody trusts.

How to choose

1. Start with the goal. Do you want volume (more people learning), quality (deeper mastery) or recognition (visible growth)?
2. Choose fewer, not more. One or two elements that fit the goal are better than everything at once.
3. Make it meaningful. Every point, award or certificate should come with an explanation.
4. Make it optional where you can. Whoever does not like competition may stay out.
5. Look at what it does. Do more people continue, or is there only clicking? The reports show it. See measuring learning.