Disruptions have a way of altering how things were traditionally done or used. At first disruptions can be confusing. You wonder, do I need to make this change or should I continue doing it the same way I’ve been doing things all these years. I mean, why change now, right? Why go through the hassle of changing anything unless it’s broken? Take your recruitment process, for example. It’s been working for all these years so why should you change the entire process now? Should you give in to this highly talked about disruptor called gamification?

Disruptions We’ve Adapted and Embraced

Do you remember the time when computers ran on the operating system called DOS? I can tell you it wasn’t easy working on those systems. Enter Windows and things are looking and working much better. It was a disruption that we adapted to fairly easily. But, then when Steve Jobs came out with iPods, Apple was entering a market that was hugely populated by MP3 players, primarily those of Sony. They had stiff competition to take on and of course, there was much skepticism around how successful iPods could be. However, iPods revolutionized the music listening experience.

When Elon Musk said he would make fast electric vehicles there was skepticism around that statement because back then electric vehicles were slow and weren’t powerful enough to sustain long journeys. He proved them wrong and now can boast that he disrupted the entire motor industry enough to have half of the manufacturers jumping ship to electrify their vehicles.

And then there’s Cryptocurrency which has seen its share of skepticism as well. Aside from all the controversies around its stability, rationale, regulations (or lack of) and basis of growth there’s no denying that cryptocurrencies are the future of currency. It’s just a matter of time that there’ll be regulations to standardize and monitor cryptocurrencies better and next thing you know it’ll be another disruption that we’ve adapted to and embraced.

That Challenge of Disruptors

Coming now to the disruptor called gamification – yet another disruptive force that is out to make us change our old ways. While there are some who see the value it, there’ll always be others who view it with skepticism. Some may vocally doubt its ability to make an impact, while others will passively doubt it by avoiding its implementation in their workplace. Nonetheless, like every other disruptor that faced the challenge of acceptability, the disruptor called gamification also faces the same.

Back in 2012 when Yu-kai Chou left his startup to develop the gamification framework of Octalysis people probably thought he was just trying to jazz things up in the workplace without really understanding the value in it. I know this first hand because when I talk about C-Factor, Asia’s fastest growing gamified recruitment platform, people’s first reaction is skepticism. Until of course, they experience the impact and value of C-Factor!

Now here’s an interesting thought. For Elon Musk to get people in his electric vehicles he had to convince them that it’s better, reliable and efficient. For Steve Jobs to hook people onto the Apple iPod and iPhone he had to convince people that these devices can massively enhance their lifestyle. With gamification you have no one to convince. Why? Because everyone plays games in one form or the other. Be it games that are used for marketing products or running promotions, or games on your smart devices or when gaming consoles, everyone plays games! So by gamifying your strategies like recruitment, you don’t have to go through the trouble of convincing people to play it. People are already playing games. You just have to guide them towards YOUR games! And you can’t do that if you’re not willing to adapt to and embrace the disruptor called gamification.

The disruptor called gamification which Yu-kai Chou believed in has now become a vastly accepted and embraced reality. It has revolutionized the workplace. How sales teams are motivated through incentives. How employees are engaged and aligned to the business’ strategies. How the recruitment process has become much more efficient and effective. Gamification is the disruptor that’s fast becoming the norm. It’s just a matter of time until you embrace it as well.

Learn how you can take your leadership teams through a growth model which will help them mature on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and subscribing to the Keijzer Community.

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.