Gamification Mechanic Monday: qualifiers
With the IAAF world championships on television one game dynamic which is key for all the athletes is qualifying for the world championship out of their country first of all, then for the popular events also from the heats into the semi-final and then the ultimate final. The big prize for athletes a gold, silver or bronze medal, personal best times and potentially world records. As a fan of athletics and a long-time follower of the sports, the often split seconds between qualifying or not made me think how this can be applied in gamification for business.
In sales gamification I have seen sales people qualify for special awards or travel incentives and it does come down to the very last week of a quarter or the qualifying period for some. The adrenaline and excitement when all of a sudden a deal starts to materialise and the subsequent calculations of whether that shall bring them into qualifying positions is always great to watch. With success follows a great buzz and typically excitement from the whole team and with a near miss that horrible feeling of ‘what if’. For both athletics and sales, it is about putting in the ground work and then delivering when the time has come to do it. Some people thrive for these occasions others dread them with passion, equally the win condition of making it through is what makes people take part over and over again.
Only those who have never qualified find it hard to understand, which is why in gamification scenario’s I tend to also create relative quests and comparisons based on competency levels and maturity to give all players a fighting chance in experiencing success. Success can also just be a feedback measure, it doesn’t have to be a prize or reward, but for this sports analogy there obviously is a clear reward to be earned.
I can also see this analogy applied to recruitment, project management, pitching, leadership. Where would you see qualifiers as a gamification opportunity in business?
