Introducing gamification to increase staff involvement and motivation when conducting SPI initiatives in small‐sized software enterprises

Abstract

Small-sized software enterprises have tried for years to make major changes to improve the software development process and, consequently, the quality of their products. Many small companies are focusing their efforts on conducting software process improvement initiatives to mature their software processes and to deliver products on time and on budget. Nevertheless, these initiatives are not always successful because human factors are still difficult to control leading to a high failure rate due to a lack of involvement and motivation. Gamification can be used to motivate staff and increase participation and commitment to improve the chances of success when a software process improvement initiative is conducted in these companies. In this study, a gamification strategy was designed to add game-like elements into the GamiSPI tool for supporting software process improvement activities. Significant research has been carried out, but our approach aims to apply gamification in a distributed way by enabling employees from different enterprises to share information and knowledge, combine efforts, support communication, and collaborate with others towards common improvement goals. The effects of gamification were assessed using quantitative and qualitative methods to show that this strategy can increase the involvement, motivation, and ambition of the participating staff.

Gamification in human resource management—Status quo and quo vadis

“…Moreover, numerous scholars have stressed the importance of designing games through iterative approximation and continuous improvement (e.g. Georgiou et al, 2019;Ivan et al, 2019). Hence, most researchers working in the area of gamification in HRM agree that gathering feedback on gamification environments from as many individual employees as possible, and adapting the design likewise ensures an everincreasing effectiveness of the use of gamification (e.g.…”

“…that evokes intended behavior) considers the employees’ characteristics and needs (e.g. Georgiou et al, 2019; Ivan et al, 2019; Sailer et al, 2017; Sox et al, 2014; Stadnicka and Deif, 2019). Hunicke and colleagues (2004: 5) confirm the centrality of human-centered gamification design by suggesting, “by understanding how formal decisions about gameplay impact the end user experience, we are able to better decompose that experience, and use it to fuel new designs, research and criticism respectively.” Moreover, numerous scholars have stressed the importance of designing games through iterative approximation and continuous improvement (e.g.…”

“…Hunicke and colleagues (2004: 5) confirm the centrality of human-centered gamification design by suggesting, “by understanding how formal decisions about gameplay impact the end user experience, we are able to better decompose that experience, and use it to fuel new designs, research and criticism respectively.” Moreover, numerous scholars have stressed the importance of designing games through iterative approximation and continuous improvement (e.g. Georgiou et al, 2019; Ivan et al, 2019). Hence, most researchers working in the area of gamification in HRM agree that gathering feedback on gamification environments from as many individual employees as possible, and adapting the design likewise ensures an ever-increasing effectiveness of the use of gamification (e.g.…”

“…Hence, most researchers working in the area of gamification in HRM agree that gathering feedback on gamification environments from as many individual employees as possible, and adapting the design likewise ensures an ever-increasing effectiveness of the use of gamification (e.g. Georgiou et al, 2019; Ivan et al, 2019). Against this backdrop, researchers establish models and frameworks specifically customized to the situation and needs of both the employees and the company which evoke intended behavior through iterative approximation and continuous improvement (e.g.…”

“…Against this backdrop, researchers establish models and frameworks specifically customized to the situation and needs of both the employees and the company which evoke intended behavior through iterative approximation and continuous improvement (e.g. Georgiou et al, 2019; Ivan et al, 2019; Pflanzl and Vossen, 2018; Sox et al, 2014).…”