Applying gamification isn’t as simple as people make it out to be. It’s not about simply incentivizing objectives and goals. Nor is it as simple as coming up with rewards and badges and hoping things will work out. To effectively implement gamification you need to have a clear idea of what your objectives are, what behavior you’re aiming to promote and what you’re trying to achieve. Gamifying your corporate strategies is more than just creating an engaging and entertaining world.

So how do you implement a fun, interactive and engaging platform that delivers on your corporate goals and strategies? Here are 7 effective and correct ways to do it:

1. Focus on Results

Earning rewards and winning badges isn’t what your gamification strategy is about. Instead, they’re simply ways of helping your gamers (employees) aim for the desired outcomes and stay focused and motivated. Hence, it’s imperative that when you’re trying to effectively implement gamification you have a clear understanding of your corporate objectives and goals and then figure out how the game mechanics fit into it. By staying focused on the results and outcomes you’ll avoid getting too caught up with the “fun” aspect of gamification.

2. Maintain Transparency

The world of gamification can be complex, if you let it be. However, if you have clear navigations in your platform. By providing your employees the opportunity to see where they’re headed to in the game you’re helping them navigate their path to success. It also gives them an understanding of where they are, how far they would like to go and what all they must do to get there.

3. Accept the Social Opportunities

The beauty of gamification, among many others, is how it drives groups of people together. Generally speaking, in the gamified world you’re collaborating, socializing and fostering relationships that can help you progress in the game. Sure, you’re also progressing yourself, however, the game dynamics can be designed in a way that really nurtures and rewards social networking.

4. Set Realistic Expectations

You could implement the best gamification platform that’s out there, however, all that effort will fall short if you’re not setting realistic expectations for your users. Why are they playing these games? What’s the purpose of it? What are you trying to achieve and what should they aim to accomplish? What will they experience and what will be the outcome of their achievements? All these questions need to be addressed before you immerse your users into the game.

5. Keep Competition Clean

In the gaming world it’s easy to get caught up in competition. We all have a natural tendency to be competitive, however, focusing too much on competition can also lead to the failure of gamification’s ideology and purpose. Yes, competition is good in the gamified world as it enables people to push themselves out of their comfort zone and achieve higher. However, too much competition can be counterproductive. Remember, all your employees aren’t motivated by competition. Hence, don’t just focus on the competitive aspect of gamification.

6. Choose the Right Rewards

I know I said that you should be focusing more on results than rewards, however, having the wrong reward is equally ineffective. Rewards are necessary in the gamified world and so choosing the right game mechanics that can be aligned with the desired behaviors and objectives is imperative to effectively implement gamification. Whatever the reward you choose in your gamification platform, make sure it points users to the right direction and offers them the motivational boost they need to keep progressing.

7. Keep it Simple

Your biggest objective of gamifying your strategies is to encourage desired behaviors and help your employees achieve their goals. Building upon that notion, make sure your gamification platform is simple and straightforward. A gamified world that’s hard to navigate and understand and is full of complexities and twisted rules is just going to tune off your employees. Keep it simple. Keep it concise. And keep it to the point, i.e. stick to the goals and objectives.

When going for a gamified solution keep these points in mind so that you can truly and effectively implement gamification that can work for you, your employees and your company.

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Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.