Changing the game: a case for gamifying knowledge management
| Pages | 143-154 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-01-2017-0002 |
| Published date | 06 April 2017 |
| Date | 06 April 2017 |
| Author | Agnessa Shpakova,Viktor Dörfler,Jill MacBryde |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental technology & innovation |
Changing the game: a case
for gamifying
knowledge management
Agnessa Shpakova and Viktor Dörfler
Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, and
Jill MacBryde
TYMS, University of York, York, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This exploratory paper investigates gamification as a medium for knowledge workers to interact
with each other. The purpose of this paper is to open the discussion around the sustaining impact that
gamification might have on knowledge management (KM).
Design/methodology/approach –The paper employs an exploratory literature review investigating the
current state of the art in relation to KM and gamification; this literature review serves as the starting point of
subsequent theorizing.
Findings –Based on the literature review the authors theorize that the use of gamification in KM can go far
beyond the motivational aspects. To name just a few uses of gamification, it can help in: supporting flexibility,
facilitating transparency and therefore improving trust, visualizing skills and competences as well as
generating requirements for new competences and promoting a collaborative environment among the
knowledge workers.
Research limitations/implications –This paper opens the discussion around KM and gamification and
suggests a wide range of areas for further research.
Practical implications –In this paper the authors argue that by looking at gamification as more than just a
set of tools for improving motivation and engagement a company can address some pitfalls of a particular
type of knowledge workers.
Originality/value –Gamification is a new, but increasingly popular approach, which has been shown to be
powerful in many areas. This paper is novel in that it initiates a dialogue around the impact that gamification
might have on KM.
Keywords Innovation, Gamification, Knowledge management, Knowledge management systems
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Since its recent entrance into the arena of both practice and scholarship of management,
“gamification”has been rapidly gaining ground as a tool of practicing managers, often
specialized consultants, and also as a promising research area of management and
organization scholars. By today it has acquired sufficient legitimacy to claim that it is more
than just another management fad. In this paper we explore the possibility of making use of
gamification for supporting knowledge workers in general, with particular focus on
innovation-oriented organizations –which is a natural context, as adopting gamification at
work today qualifies as innovative.
Gamification is becoming a game changer in some areas, such as marketing (Huotari and
Hamari, 2012; Zuckerman and Gal-Oz, 2014), education and learning (DeVries and Edwards,
1973; Gee, 2004; Malone, 1980). We can also find an increasing number of interesting
examples of using gamification in the vast area of sustainability. Gamification mechanics is
used to increase awareness and facilitate behavioral change in sustainable behavior in
smart cities (Kazhamiakin et al., 2016), ride sharing (Huber and Röpke, 2015), energy
savings in residential buildings (Muchnik et al., 2016) and sustainable nutritional behavior
(Berger and Schrader, 2016), to promote sustainability in tourism by facilitating connection
between the stakeholders (Negrusa et al., 2015) and to teach sustainability through games
World Journal of Science,
Technology and Sustainable
Development
Vol. 14 No. 2/3, 2017
pp. 143-154
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2042-5945
DOI10.1108/WJSTSD-01-2017-0002
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5945.htm
143
Gamifying
knowledge
management
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