=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2186/paper6
|storemode=property
|title=Antecedents and outcomes of middle managers’ adoption of gamification as a strategic alignment tool
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2186/paper6.pdf
|volume=Vol-2186
|authors=Hélder Ferreira,Catarina Roseira
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/gamifin/FerreiraR18
}}
==Antecedents and outcomes of middle managers’ adoption of gamification as a strategic alignment tool==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2186/paper6.pdf
Antecedents and outcomes of middle managers’ adoption of
gamification as a strategic alignment tool
Helder Ferreira
Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Portugal
110427010@fep.up.pt
Catarina Roseira
Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Portugal
croseira @fep.up.pt
Abstract: This paper is part of a research project that investigates middle managers’ adoption of
gamification as a tool of strategic alignment. This study considers middle manager as pivotal on the
implementation of a gamification strategy to mobilize employees’ alignment with the organization’s
strategy. Based on literature review, we identify possible antecedents and outcomes of gamification as a
strategic alignment tool. Regarding antecedents, at the organizational level, the organizational
environment, the role and level of involvement of the middle manager in strategy formulation and
implementation emerge as factors that may impact middle managers’ willingness to adopt gamification;
At the individual level, middle managers’ knowledge of game design elements and their experience with
gaming, as well as the perceived organizational and individual risks and benefits of adopting a
gamification strategy also emerge as important factors in this process. In terms of possible outcomes, we
suggest that gamification may result in increased employee engagement and alignment with strategy and
motivation to keep participating on gamified experiences. Additionally, this paper proposes a conceptual
framework that suggests that organization-related and individual-related antecedents influence the
decision to adopt a gamification strategy and the role of middle managers in the implementation process.
The implementation of the gamification experience will impact employee’s alignment, engagement with
the company strategy and their motivation to participate in other gamification experiences. Finally, the
framework suggests that a positive perception of gamification outcomes may further the adoption of
gamification as a strategic alignment tool. Empirical research is necessary to validate the conceptual
framework proposed in the paper.
1. Introduction
Gamification is used in various sectors in the real world (Hamari et al., 2014) and constitutes a
promising avenue in the organizational context (Landers et al., 2017). Despite the attention that
gamification has recently drawn (Hamari et al., 2014) the field still misses theoretical
foundations, valid and empirical research (Hamari and Koivisto, 2015; Seaborn and Fels, 2015;
Landers et al., 2017) and a proper and comprehensive framework that describes the process
(Hamari et al., 2014) and challenges (Robson et al., 2015) of creating a gamified experience.
In organizational contexts, middle managers have an important role as actors in strategy
processes (Burgelman et al., 2017), namely as they mediate between the organization strategy
and the people and activities that implement it and influence its outcomes (Wooldridge et al.,
GamiFIN Conference 2018, Pori, Finland, May 21-23, 2018 48
2008). Thus, in order to understand if and how gamification can be used as a strategic
management alignment tool, it is necessary to better understand the factors (i.e., the antecedents)
that influence middle managers’ willingness to adopt it. In this context, the main goal of this
study is to propose a conceptual framework to explore which are the antecedents that influence
middle managers adoption towards gamification as a strategy implementation and alignment tool;
how those antecedents influence the gamification adoption process; and how the outcomes of the
gamification may contribute to the willingness to further adopt gamification as a strategy
alignment tool.
The paper is structured as follows. Section 2 provides an overview of the literature about strategic
alignment and middle management showing the key concepts and issues in these areas. Section 3
displays the concept of gamification. Section 4 presents a conceptual framework that integrates
the antecedents, implementation and outcomes of the adoption of gamification as alignment
strategic tool by middle managers. Finally, section 5 presents the main conclusions of the paper.
2. Strategic alignment and middle management
Organizations need to align their strategy, goals, processes, organizational structure and culture to
achieve long-term success (Trevor and Varcoe, 2016). Strategic alignment helps organizations
achieve competitive advantage and provide them with direction and flexibility to react to new
opportunities (Avison et al., 2004). Companies’ people, culture, structure and processes must flex
and change as the strategy shifts (Trevor and Varcoe, 2016) and employees must understand the
strategy, be motivated and committed to support the company (Kaplan and Norton, 2008). In this
context, the perceived alignment of job tasks and strategic priorities is important to secure high
levels of work engagement (Biggs et al., 2014) and the execution of strategy by different teams.
Also, managers should be involved in strategy design and implementation process (Decoene and
Bruggeman, 2006) to execute the strategy successfully (Box and Platts 2005).
Middle managers are considered key drivers in strategy implementation with a central position in
organizational hierarchies as they play the role of intermediaries between top managers and
employees (Huy, 2001, 2002; Mair and Thurner, 2008; Wooldridge et al., 2008; Harding et al.,
2014) and peers (Radaelli and Sitton Kent, 2016). Middle managers are both controlled and
controllers, resisted and resisters, can participate, influence (upward and downward), and take
divergent or integrative cognitive contributions to strategic management (Floyd and Wooldridge,
1992; Harding et al., 2014). The implementation of strategy requires clear communication
throughout the organization (Huy, 2001) and middle managers own a strong base of knowledge
and competencies to do it (King et al., 2001; Parera and Vallejo, 2013). Top management should
involve middle managers in strategy implementation (Floyd and Wooldridge, 1992; King et al.,
2001; Ouakouak et al., 2014), as it is the interest of the organizations that middle managers
recognize and support the strategy and implement it (Mair and Thurner, 2008).
The role of middle managers can be influenced by different factors. At the organizational level,
organizations should create ‘positive conditions’ to develop and promote the involvement of
middle managers with corporate strategy. In fact, Amar (2004) referred that in order to succeed,
‘knowledge organizations’ have to develop a work environment that consistently motivates and
engages their employees. Additionally, the action of middle managers is limited by a lack of
hierarchical power, which Radaelli and Sitton Kent (2016) consider as a possible obstacle to
GamiFIN Conference 2018, Pori, Finland, May 21-23, 2018 49
implement the strategy. At the individual level, Guth and MacMillan (1986) claim that if middle
managers believe that their self-interest is being compromised, they can delay, reduce the quality
or sabotage the execution of strategy implementation.
In the specific context of gamification, considering the pivotal role of middle managers, it seems
relevant to understand how they influence the adoption of gamification as a strategic alignment
tool and which factors may drive them to do so.
3. Gamification
Gamification is present in the daily lives of organizations, employees and customers and it is
used in various contexts (Koivisto and Hamari, 2014; Hanus and Fox, 2015; Robson, 2015). Still,
it lacks theory (Hamari and Koivisto, 2015) and empirical research (Hamari et al., 2014; Seaborn
and Fels, 2015; Hanus and Fox, 2015).
Gamification is usually defined as the use of game elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et
al., 2011) to encourage engagement and enjoyment (Seaborn and Fels, 2015). It can also be used
to design products, services and organizational practices (Huotari and Hamari, 2017). Of specific
interest to our research, Hamari and Koivisto (2015) state that gamification also can be a
motivation tool able to change behaviors, engage and mobilize people to achieve goals (Kim,
2015).
To motivate and engage people in gamified experiences middle managers can to resort game
design elements of mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics (Hunicke et al., 2004). For instance,
mechanics promote action through challenges, luck, cooperation and competition, feedback and
rewards, while dynamics attribute consistency (Hunicke et al., 2004; McCarthy et al., 2014;
Hamari and Koivisto, 2015; Kim, 2015). However, Hanus and Fox (2015) suggest some caution
in applying certain gamification mechanics. In fact, while some studies report positive effects of
gamification (Hamari et al., 2014), others show that the perceived usefulness, enjoyment and
playfulness tend to diminish with time using and ease of use (Koivisto and Hamari, 2014). Thus,
on the one hand is relevant to consider whether the employees “buy” the idea of gamification to
improve work performance (Landers et. al., 2017). But, on the other hand, organizations must
know how to motivate their employees knowing that what motivate the new generations are quite
different from of what motivated the previous generations (Amar, 2004).
In this context, Hamari et al. (2017) observe that the impact of gamification on strategic
management has not been sufficiently addressed. Thus, this study will hopefully shed light on the
outcomes of the middle managers adoption of gamification as tool to engage and align employees
with the organization’s strategy.
4. Antecedents and outcomes of middle managers towards gamification: a framework
to research.
Hamari et al., (2017) observe that the literature review on gamification is still very scarce
regarding the impact of gamification on strategic management. Responding to this call, we
propose a conceptual framework and a set of research questions to further existing knowledge on
GamiFIN Conference 2018, Pori, Finland, May 21-23, 2018 50
the adoption of gamification as a strategic alignment tool by middle managers (cf. figure 1). Our
framework integrates three main dimensions: The antecedents of adoption of gamification as a
strategic alignment tool; The implementation of gamification process and the role of middle
managers; the outcomes of the gamification process. Each of the dimensions and the relations
between them are furthered below. We believe that research of these topics can be an important
contribution to the strategy literature, namely in the specific field of strategic alignment.
Implementation
Role in the creation/adoption
Antecedents of adoption Role in gamification experience
Organization-related factors Goal (s) of gamification
Organizational environment Implementation level (individual,
MM Involvement in strategy formulation team, department, company)
MM Power and autonomy
MM Role/function
Individual-related profile
Experience with gaming
Knowledge of game elements
Perceived organizational benefits and
risks Outcomes
Perceived individual benefits and risks Knowledge of strategy
Alignment with strategy
Engagement with strategy
Engagement with the team
Motivation to keep playing
Persistence/Sustainability of
effects
Figure 1 - framework to research
At the antecedent dimension, the framework suggests that middle managers’ willingness to adopt
gamification as a strategic alignment tool is influenced by organization and individual factors.
Organizations should create positive conditions to sustain, develop and promote the involvement
of middle managers with the corporate strategy. In line with Amar’s (2004) claim that to succeed,
‘knowledge organizations’ have to develop a work environment that consistently motivates and
engage their employees, we suggest that the way middle managers perceive the organizational
environment may influence their willingness to adopt gamification. Also, the involvement of
middle managers in the organization strategy processes (Floyd and Wooldridge, 1992; Ouakouak
et al., 2014), e.g. in the formulation and implementation of the company’s strategy, can facilitate
the adoption of gamification tools. Additionally, the level of power and autonomy that middle
managers hold in organizations (Guth and MacMillan,1986; Radaelli and Sitton-Kent, 2016;)
may facilitate or hinder the adoption of innovative management tools, such as gamification.
Related with the individual factors, middle managers’ knowledge about game elements and
experience with gaming can also influence the adoption of gamification. Specifically, we suggest
that knowledge and previous gaming experience (in work and non-work contexts) will make
middle managers more at ease with the tool and also more aware of its possibilities, e.g. in terms
of engagement and motivation of employee. Furthermore, a positive perception of benefits and
GamiFIN Conference 2018, Pori, Finland, May 21-23, 2018 51
risks that may accrue for themselves (Guth and MacMillan,1986) and for the organization will
increase middle managers’ willingness to adopt gamification tools. Integrating these elements,
we propose the following research question: (1) How do organizational and individual factors
influence the adoption of gamification as a strategic alignment tool by middle managers?
Concerning the implementation dimension, it is also necessary to understand what is the role of
middle managers in the design and implementation of the gamification experience, e.g. his/her
involvement in the decision to create the experience, and his/her involvement in the design of the
game (goal, elements, and implementation level) and in the actual playing of the game. Thus, a
second research question emerges: (2) What is the role of middle managers in the implementation
of a gamification experience as a tool of strategic alignment? Furthermore, we suggest that the
configuration of organization and individual factors previously referred may influence this role,
leading to the third research question: (3) How do organization and individual antecedents
influence the role of middle managers in the gamification experience?
The third framework dimension focuses on the outcomes of gamification. We recall Hamari and
Koivisto’s (2015) and Kim (2015) claims on the impact of gamification to change behaviors,
engage and mobilize people to achieve goals. In line with this claim, we suggest that a positive
perception of employees about the gamification process will increase their alignment and
engagement with strategy, and their motivation to keep ‘playing’. Two research questions arise
here: (4) What are the effects of gamification on employees’ engagement and alignment with
strategy and motivation to keep ‘playing’; (5) How does the implementation process influence
the gamification outcomes? Furthermore, building on Hamari et al.’s (2017) call for research on
the short-and long-term effects of gamification, we propose that the persistence of the outcomes
needs to be studied in order to evaluate the sustainability of gamification tools in management
contexts. To do so, we propose the following research question (6): How do the effects of
gamification evolve with time?
Closing the framework, we propose a final question to research (7) How do gamification
outcomes impact the organization and individual predisposition to further use gamification as a
tool of strategic alignment?
5. Conclusions
This paper responds to the call for a comprehensive framework to describe gamification
processes (Hamari et al., 2014) and challenges (Robson et al., 2015) in the work place. We aim at
contributing to the strengthening of the theoretical foundations and the empirical research in the
area, a need identified by several authors (e.g., Hamari and Koivisto, 2015; Seaborn and Fels,
2015; Landers et al., 2017).
This paper reviews relevant literature on the areas of Strategy Alignment, Middle Management
and Gamification. Organizations need to align their strategy to achieve long-term success and to
have employees motivated and committed with the organization. To do this, organizations should
create a working environment and use adequate tools (e.g., gamification) to engage and motivate
consistently their employees. Middle managers are key actors in the process of strategic
alignment due to their central position in organizational hierarchies, as they act as intermediaries
between top managers and employees and have an important role in the implementation of
strategy throughout the organization. Gamification is usually used as a motivation tool to
encourage engagement and enjoyment, and even to change people’s behavior or to achieve goals.
In this context, among many possible uses, gamification can be used in the workplace as strategic
alignment tool. This paper suggests that middle managers may be pivotal on the adoption and
GamiFIN Conference 2018, Pori, Finland, May 21-23, 2018 52
implementation of a gamification strategy to mobilize employees’ alignment with the
organization’s strategy.
Building on existing literature, we propose a comprehensive framework to research the
antecedents and outcomes of the adoption of gamification processes as strategic alignment tool
by middle managers. While this paper focuses on the issue of strategic alignment, it seems
reasonable to expect that this framework may also apply to the adoption of gamification with
other managerial goals. Empirical research is necessary to validate the research framework
proposed in the paper.
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