What Can Video Games Teach Us About Work Motivation?

You probably know someone who happily spends many hours playing online video games. That same person may begrudgingly go to work and show little motivation to do their job. How can we become so “addicted” to games, but have little motivation at work?

Research on employee motivation by psychologists Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer discovered that the strongest source of motivation for many workers is the idea of "small wins"—making positive progress in their job. Making progress did more to enhance day-to-day work motivation than did extrinsic incentives like bonuses or other rewards.

In their book, The Progress Principle, Amabile and Kramer studied dozens of workers in a variety of companies and asked them to fill out daily surveys describing one event from the day that stood out in their minds. They also assessed employees' attitudes about their jobs, their motivation, and performance. An analysis of more than 12,000 of these daily surveys found that small events, such as making progress in your job, solving a vexing work-related problem, or getting positive recognition from a supervisor or colleague, increased motivation and satisfaction at work. On the other hand, a setback to making progress was demotivating.

The authors recognized what video game designers had already learned: that people are motivated to make progress—to reach that next level, to advance to the next tier. Just as in games, people are happy and motivated by small accomplishments—it’s the psychology of “small wins.”

Interestingly, Amabile and Kramer found that top-level leaders and managers were unaware of the important role of progress in motivating workers, ranking it near the bottom of motivational techniques. Yet, using the motivational techniques inherent in video games can be a blueprint for more effective leadership.

How can leaders use this "progress principle" to their best advantage?

Here are the keys:

• Become a Catalyst for Progress. Keep employees moving forward, recognize the small wins, and confront problems and setbacks directly. A leader’s job is to remove the roadblocks to progress and success.
• Provide Support. The leader's task is to support the team and make it easier for individuals and teams to be successful.
• Emphasize Meaningful Work. Leaders should focus on the value of the contributions each worker makes to achieving team and organizational goals.
• Set Goals. Setting clear goals, including both long-term and short-term objectives, is a proven motivational technique that leaders need to adopt. Celebrate the achievement of goals, both small and large.
• Monitor Progress and Provide Feedback. Amabile and Kramer studied the best practices of leaders who support progress, and in their book, they provide managers with a checklist for encouraging daily progress.