As we forecast, the adoption of gamification to engage and retain customers (both internal and external) has been gaining momentum.

Unfortunately, though companies are increasingly using gamification for employee performance, training and development, innovation management, sustainability and health, and customer engagement, they are not necessarily being effective.

By 2014, Gartner, Inc., the technology research firm forecasts that 80 percent of these gamification strategies will not meet their business objectives, mostly due to poor design.

However, they take this analysis a step farther and explain that a huge problem is the lack of game design talent and absence of effectual planning.

We have long declared that effective gamification is more than points, badges, and leaderboards. Good gamification must be based on the values and attitudes of the market or the individual. Otherwise, it is doomed to failure.

Gamification is being used in three major areas:

1) To change behaviors,
2) To develop skills, and
3) To enable innovation. 

All three of these objectives require the game designer to have an understanding of human motivation, wants, and needs.
 
Interestingly, Gartner found qualified candidates with gamification skills moderately difficult-to-recruit. Their Hiring Scale ranges from 1 to 99, with 99 denoting hardest-to-fill. Hiring Scale scores are based on a wide variety of factors. The hiring difficulty level will vary depending on the job that requires this skill set. Web Developers and Marketing Managers with gamification experience scored the highest on our Hiring Scale, 93 and 92 respectively.

Other jobs scoring over 75 were "All Other Computer Occupations" (87), Network and Computer Systems Administrators (85), and Software Developers of Applications (77). Not surprisingly, year over year, hiring for gamification skills increased 216 percent.

Gamification will only continue to increase in hiring, if companies wake up to the need for considered and thoughtful planning and design. The potential that gamification offers is tremendous, but it must be done right or should be avoided.

With two tech-savvy generations, demand will continue to grow and recruiting these skill sets will surely become more difficult. If you know young people in marketing or computer science looking for advice, they will do well to include gamification skills in their toolboxes.

Special thanks to Ted Daywalt of Vetjobs.com for calling our attention to this report.

© Copyright 1998-2013 by The Herman Group of Companies, Inc., all rights reserved. From 'The Herman Trend Alert,' by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. (800) 227-3566 or www.hermangroup.com

The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group of Companies, Inc. Reprinted with permission.