You can rapidly improve employee and business performance by adding a gamified performance management program on top of your existing performance processes.

That’s because gamified performance management is a complementary addition to existing HR tools rather than than a replacement.

I see 5 key differences between gamified performance management and traditional performance management:

1. Participation is optional

Employees choose to join gamified performance management programs because it will benefit them – they will get great feedback on the activities they see as leading to personal career success.

2. Rewards are non-financial

Any rewards given are non-financial – they cannot be converted to cash. E.g. digital high five for a job well done, enhanced status among peers or simply access to higher quality, regular and relevant feedback.

3. Social

While 360 degree reviews have gained in popularity, the fundamental HR appraisal still takes place between the employee and the company. In a gamified world, visible profiles, peer comparison and team performance take center stage. This brings opportunities for valuable social interaction and discussion of performance among colleagues.

4. Externally aware

Gamified performance management programs can recognise employee career goals that go beyond the current company. This means external metrics can be included and the program may even be run by a third party. For example the Rise Social Selling club provides sales professionals within comparative feedback on their social selling performance against both colleagues and those from outside the business.

5. Faster feedback

Gamified performance management programs offer digital, automated  feedback on an instant, daily, weekly or monthly basis. This leads to a faster feedback loop which in turn leads to more rapid performance improvement.