Congratulations for applying for a job at Gamification Inc – Just apply to Five More jobs and you’ll earn a really cool badge which you can proudly display on your resume! How great is that?!?!?!?
What does it tell you when the ability to win and display Cheesy Badges gets people hotter and “more engaged”? Do the he words “pathetic” and “demise” come quickly to mind?
On many levels, gamification is one of the better ways to engage the average 68% (plus/minus one standard deviation) of a talent community on a common task; for those in the upper 16% – the intrinsic reward of performing is likely to be sufficient by itself. The irony is that for those companies that claim to hire only the best, the presence of gamification in the hiring processes proves that in fact they don’t hire “only the best” but “tease the average.”
Perhaps it really is too difficult for many companies to have open discussions with candidates about the real problems to be solved once hired.
Weird science, if you ask me…
The Recruiting Inferno 
Hi Steve. Interesting post. I wonder if companies are intimidated by ‘hiring the best’? Might they think the actually problems that occur within the organization will not be as guided or structured so they seek flexibility? Gamification in the hiring process is interesting. I would like to see some examples of companies utilizing it. Keep the thoughts coming!
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@MRB gamification is “common” with certain software tech companies – think code challenges (among others, Google has used these). the challenge is developing “games” that are job relevant – which is why the JDs have to be performance focused rather than than the very poor task focused ones. imagine how tough it would be for HR knowing that job descriptions are dynamic rather than the static stuff that gets passed on year after year after year.
but no, I don’t believe companies are afraid of hiring the “best” – they just haven’t a clue as to what the “best” is and how to attract them. most will toss around branding standards like “we are a world class…” without creating culture, leadership, etc that is needed to support hiring and retaining the best. as I wrote, it’s weird science…
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