Enterprise Level Business Gamification

Cigna Group

Enterprise Level Business Gamification

Tapping into the power of gamification to motivate employee engagement, technology adoption and learning.

Sector:

Learning & Development, Technology, Software

Responsibility:

Service Design, Experience Design, Strategy, Implementation, Stakeholder Communications

Championing Gamification

Integrating game mechanics to motivate employee participation and adoption.

Some employees adopt changes easily, while others may be a little disinclined to accept the new change. The best way of introducing a new idea is to highlight benefits, involve employees early, provide clear support and by making it easy.

The implementation must enable employees to see that the change is rewarding, and has a positive impact on daily working life. It is also important to have a visible long-term plan in terms of the employees career development.

Cigna’s leadership was betting on enterprise software tools to:
1.Enhance team communication and productivity,
2.Facilitate remote work and knowledge sharing, and
3.Create a culture of self-driven learning.

In collaboration with Bunchball and SAP SuccessFactors, as lead experience designer on Cigna’s Learning & Development program I developed the strategy to incorporate gamification to increase engagement and adoption levels and connect the dots between employee motivation and company success.

Because gamification is data driven, Cigna was able to track the performance of gamification amongst employees, capturing relevant data and putting the strategic insights into action.

Rather than focusing on getting employees to adopt the new enterprise software tools, the strategy transformed the tools and programs to drive motivation towards Cigna’s goals.

Gamification for employee engagement

Project Highlights

Challenge

Overcoming barriers

Designing and implementing Cigna’s gamification program involved overcoming barriers to adoption, ensuring technology integration, data security and maintaining stakeholder interest over time.

Challenges included continually updating the program to keep it relevant and engaging. Additionally, it was crucial to measure the impact accurately to demonstrate ROI and align the program with company business goals and objectives.

Solution

Engaging data analytics

Success was centered around the advanced analytics used to drive performance and engagement across various functions and disciplines. From onboarding to ongoing programs, stakeholders had a unified view of any initiatives, allowing them to make actionable decisions. Other key success factors were scalability and the ability to customize according to stakeholders specific needs and strategy.

Outcomes

Measurable success

Over the course of 2-years incorporating gamification in learning, intranets, and social collaboration platforms, key results included increased employee engagement by 60% (i.e., commenting, posting and improved knowledge sharing), as well as 40% higher adoption rates of training modules (i.e., self-driven learning).

Points
Points can be used to indicate status, identify high priority activities or, in some examples, used to purchase real or virtual goods. Game Dynamics associated with Points include Achievement and Progress (emotional). Users want to feel rewarded and Points can help users keep score.

Levels
Levels show how users reach a milestone, program status, or areas of accomplishment. This can also show long-term or sustained achievement within the gamification program. Levels within game mechanics taps into the human desires/motivations (Game Dynamics) of Competition, Collection, Achievement, and Progress (emotional).

Missions
Missions provide objectives for users to accomplish as a team or as an individual. Once the mission is completed (or challenge overcome), users may feel a sense of accomplishment. Game Dynamics that often work with Missions include Competition, Community, Achievement, Surprise, and Exploration.

Badges
Badges are used to demonstrate mastery over important tasks and goals. These visual indicators of accomplishment can also communicate skill or expertise within a group. Game Dynamics associated with Badges include: Community, Collection, Achievement, Surprise, Progress (emotional), Exploration

Leaderboards Many gamification deployments will feature a “high-score table” which is also defined as a Leaderboard to show how users/teams are progressing against each other. Key Game Dynamics associated with Leaderboards include: Competition, Collaboration, Community, Achievement.

Unlocks Unlocks are used in unlocking missions or challenges. As an example, a user must complete A (mission, task, challenge, etc.), which will then unlock B, C, and D. The Unlocks game mechanic can be deployed with quizzes, activities, and missions containing badges where there is a determined linear progression. Game Dynamics associated: Achievement, Surprise, Exploration.

Events Feed This game mechanic enables users to see how everybody else in the gamification is doing. For example, a user may read on the Events Feed that a colleague has completed a mission and progressed to the next level. Game Dynamics associated: Exploration, Competition, Collaboration, Community, Progress (emotional).

Quiz The Quiz game mechanics allows users to test their knowledge and in doing so, this can be in conjunction with many other game mechanics to help move the user through the gamification program.

Progress A visualization of Progress shows users where they are in completing missions, challenges and in the overall Gamification user journey. Game Dynamics associated: Achievement, Progress (emotional).

A better engagement and performance solution

Gamification takes something that already exists – a website, a training tool, a CRM, an online community or other enterprise system – and integrates game mechanics to motivate participation, adoption and loyalty.

Designing a program

Cigna Group