Exploring Intrinsic Motivating Factors in Gamified Context: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

“Employee Motivation” is the most significant factor affecting quality and efficiency in organizations. In every job, there are aspects that employees enjoy; still, some other elements remain tedious and laborious, and many employers have gamified their performance management system to motivate the employees. Practitioners and academicians often strive to determine the concise form of motivation, intrinsic motivation; still, there is a scant insight into how external interventions influence employee perception and, subsequently, intrinsic motivation. Game-reinforced generations have become the majority in the workplace, which makes studying gamification and intrinsic motivation an especially relevant subject. However, gamification has not always been successful. Therefore it is essential to determine the factors influencing employee perceptions of gamification. The three primary objectives of this study are to examine whether employees’ perceptions of the gamified performance management system (PMS) result in enhanced performance, examine the motivation derived (intrinsic versus extrinsic), and analyse the factors that contribute to employee outcomes in this context. This research includes two studies; the initial study is a qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews were conducted. Study I discovered “Perceived supervisor support” (PSS) as a significant moderating variable. Study II employed a survey approach to empirically examine these relationships among employees who have been working under a gamified PMS. This mixed-method study confirms the mediating role intrinsic motivation plays in the relationship between gamification and employee performance and the moderating role of PSS. Interestingly, these findings follow recent research on intrinsic motivation, concluding that even external interventions can boost intrinsic motivation when the needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met. Additionally, PSS as a moderator illustrates that just because gamified systems increase intrinsic motivation does not imply a supervisor’s role is limited when the system is gamified.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ebina Justin M A

Ebina Justin M A is a full-time research scholar, pursuing her Ph.D. at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), India. She has been researching workplace gamification for more than three years. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals on performance management and gamification.

Manu Melwin Joy

Manu Melwin Joy is an assistant professor at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Throughout his career, he has been a trainer and researcher in gamification who has conducted more than 120 faculty development programs. He is a research guide with numerous publications and all scholars research on gamification.