Game Mechanics In Your Business

A while back I blogged about how Joi Ito is experimenting with new management techniques inside of WOW. Here is a great slide show from Shufflebrain about using game mechanics in the context of social software to create applications that are fun, compelling and addictive. One of the keys to social software is giving people a reason to come back after their first visit. Social software needs to do something, or people won't stay. The mechanics presented are the following:

1. Collecting
2. Points
3. Feedback
4. Exchanges
5. Customization
   

In addition to building software, I also feel that these constructs are just as applicable to building a successful business and culture. The wisdom of crowds talks about the success of internal prediction markets which uses game mechanics to engage employees to think collectively. No matter where you are, people love games. Think about the creative ways that these game mechanics could be utilized in your business to improve moral, culture, or delivered business value.

Guild Based Management

The Autumn issue of Booze Allen's Strategy+Business has a great biographical article about entrepreneur Joi Ito. Near the end of the article there is an interesting discussion about how his current obsession with World of Warcraft - a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), is allowing him to experiment with new org design and team management techniques through his WoW guild. This guild is made up of (currently) 250 members from all backgrounds from around the globe including a "raid leader" who is an emergency room nurse, and another important player who is an unemployed bartender.

Mr Ito: "I'm playing with all different kinds of management ideas I've had for companies, with a bunch of people who are actually very dedicated. They will set their alarm clocks for 3 a.m. to run a raid of 40 people. They are committed to each other like people in a normal company wouldn't be committed to each other. So as a test bed for these ideas this is actually pretty amazing".

Personally I am not a member of this online gaming sub-culture, (my wife would kill me) but this concept of guild base management fascinates me. Developing that level of passion in work, and utilizing the concepts to manage, and collaborate has interesting possibilities, as we experience a shrinkage in workforce, globalization, virtual work, and managing people and teams with this level of efficiency.