Gamification and Performance Management: A Tool for Driving Competitiveness through Employee Engagement

Abstract: In the pursuit of improved competitiveness the management of employees has become a more potent part of an organization's competitive strategy. A central aspect of this operation is to ensure that employees are engaged and committed to their work, their organization and its goals. The aim of this thesis is to create a model that promotes employee engagement partially based on established concepts within performance management and motivation and partially based on a pioneer concept within business, referred to as gamification. The aim is further to adapt this model to an organizational setting characterized as potentially unengaging to be able to identify possible benefits and concerns with the model developed. The data collection was done through a case study involving both qualitative semi-structured interviews and observations with professionals within haulage firms. The model created was thereafter configured to the work situation of a truck driver, in order to illustrate how employee engagement can be promoted within haulage firms. An important finding of this thesis is that each component of the performance management cycle can, to various extents, be supported by game elements to drive employee engagement within the performance management process. It has also been found that this model can be adapted to different work situations on the basis of the appropriate style of management control and a means-ends analysis of the constituent game elements that underlie the model. Moreover, this thesis propose how haulage firms, through this model, can promote employee engagement and thereby an opportunity to command a source of competitive advantage.