From Elements to Structures: An Agenda for Organisational Gamification

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gamification is gaining popularity in organisational settings, yet it is unclear if investments in organisational gamification will pay off, given that reports of mixed results are commonplace in the literature. It is important that potential factors behind any mixed results from the initial wave of gamification research be identified and addressed before organisational scholars and practitioners start investing valuable resources into large-scale gamification projects. In this Issues and Opinions paper, we identify and discuss several reasons that may be contributing to the problem of mixed results. We ground our arguments in an umbrella review of the gamification literature. In line with the theme of “Putting more than mere ‘Fun and Games’ into Systems” for this special issue, we propose a framework grounded in Adaptive Structuration Theory and present a set of research questions that can help guide future organisational gamification research. Further, based on the strengths and limitations of our work, we identify several additional avenues to stimulate future research and produce fresh practical insights.