Gamification and workers’ training: A systematic mapping review

Gamification is often adopted to increase motivation and engagement in staff development. This mapping review covers 25 papers on gamification in the corporate and public sector, focusing on their geographical and temporal distribution, research methodology, training context, and adopted playful approach. The study highlights that during the pandemic years there was a significant increase in online staff development initiatives where gamification was employed, concentrated especially in Europe, Asia and the USA. As to research methodology, case studies are prevalent (N=12), followed by theoretical or descriptive studies (N=6), experimental or quasi-experimental studies (N=5) and literature reviews (N=2). The training context was mostly online (N=18), and the aims largely consisted in developing know-how (N=7), know-what (N=4) and know-why (N=4). As to the approach adopted, there is a predominance of competitive (N=7) approaches over collaborative (N=4) and mixed (N=3), with a strong emphasis on the use of Points, Badges and Leaderboards (PBL) (N=16), while alternative approaches are in the minority (N=6). While PBL may be functional in the short to medium term, it fosters competition rather than collaboration and lends itself better to knowledge acquisition rather than developing competence. Hence, the approach to gamification design adopted in the reviewed initiatives rarely centres on enhancing intrinsic motivation. That said, interesting trends emerge, including exploration of approaches based on narratives, avatars and tangibles.