American engineers from West Virginia University discovered that gamification of production tasks increases employee well-being and productivity. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (RCIM).
Gamification is the incorporation of game elements into various processes. This can be expressed by introducing competitive principles and receiving rewards for certain achievements.
Scientists designed an experiment that simulated the monotony of a typical manufacturing assembly task using a Lego set. Study participants were randomly assigned to a “gamified” or “control” group. Both groups were required to produce the same telehandler model.
Subjects were asked to assemble a model car 15 times on five separate occasions. However, the productivity of gamified group participants was measured and rewarded through game elements such as progress bars and badges.
Turning work into play significantly increased the productivity of the gamified group, but also significantly increased their stress levels.
According to the researchers, increased psychological stress did not harm the participants but encouraged them to be more active and responsible.
Developers must find a balance between boredom and stress to optimize worker performance when gamifying real-life production processes, the scientists added.
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Source: Gazeta
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