Gamification in the workplace: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Gamification has increasingly been applied to various life domains and environments, including work and the workplace. Accordingly, research on gamification has grown considerably in the past years. This study presents a systematic review of the theoretical and empirical literature produced in the past 11 years about the application of gamification to the work domain. We analyze the available literature about why gamification is important in work and human resources management, how it can be guided, and which are the examples of gamification in this domain. The systematic review was based on 35 articles, including theoretical papers, empirical (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods) studies, case studies, and other types of papers (presentation of new resources for gamification). Findings are summarized in terms of the sample, country of the study, study type, main results, and gamification and work dimensions associated. The results show that research on the applications of gamification in the workplace is scarce and mostly exploratory. Most studies were conducted using quantitative methods, but with small samples and simple research designs. Although the literature suggests evidence for the usefulness and appropriateness of gamification in the workplace, there are significant limitations in the research, translating a gap between HR practitioners’ concerns and academic developments in this field.