Eva Rykr » Business http://evarykr.com Mon, 14 May 2012 12:14:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Gamification for Employee Engagement http://evarykr.com/2012/04/gamification-for-employee-engagement/ http://evarykr.com/2012/04/gamification-for-employee-engagement/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:58:16 +0000 Eva Rykrsmith http://evarykr.com/?p=1172 Gamification is the use of game elements in everyday activities. The idea is that it brings in an aspect of fun, therefore making the activity more engaging. The main use of gamification has been for consumer marketing purposes on the Internet and on mobile devices. The desired end result has been encouraging certain behaviors or [...]]]> Gamification is the use of game elements in everyday activities. The idea is that it brings in an aspect of fun, therefore making the activity more engaging. The main use of gamification has been for consumer marketing purposes on the Internet and on mobile devices. The desired end result has been encouraging certain behaviors or increasing exposure to a certain message. But gamification can also be used to make our own jobs more exciting and to encourage a higher level of performance in others… turning work into play.

Why gamification works (why games are fun):

  • Constant feedback
  • Well-defined rules and systems
  • Clear goals that escalate in difficulty
  • Progress encourages more progress
  • Status and achievement are highly motivational
  • Rewards work better than negative feedback
  • We have a desire for efficiency (doing better)
  • Clear connection between choices made and results achieved

Gamification Techniques:

  • Progress bars
  • Leaderboards
  • Achievement badges
  • Unlocking new achievement levels
  • Competition between users via challenges
  • Points that can be earned, tallied, redeemed, gifted

Examples of companies using gamification:

Where can we use gamification?

Gamification doesn’t have to be limited to individuals and individual performance. There is certainly a way for gamification to work in a team environment, encouraging collaboration via collective points or a bonus points system. It can even be used company-wide, to bring strategic objectives to fruition. But my one caveat with designing programs and processes using gamification is that your intentions must be balanced equally between encouraging fun and encouraging a desired behavior, and more likely, slanted more heavily towards true fun and engagement. After all, if games aren’t fun, they aren’t played.

How to Explain Gamification To Your Boss
View more presentations from Brunner

This post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership Blog.

]]> http://evarykr.com/2012/04/gamification-for-employee-engagement/feed/ 0 What Motivates People at Work? http://evarykr.com/2012/04/what-motivates-people-at-work/ http://evarykr.com/2012/04/what-motivates-people-at-work/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:52:25 +0000 Eva Rykrsmith http://evarykr.com/?p=1160 What is motivation and how are we motivated? As a basic definition, motivation is what drives us to accomplish goals. Motivation determines where we direct our behavior. There are many, many different ways we become motivated to act.

Money is clearly a universal motivator, since it provides means to obtain food, maximize comfort, and avoid unpleasantries. [...]]]> What is motivation and how are we motivated? As a basic definition, motivation is what drives us to accomplish goals. Motivation determines where we direct our behavior. There are many, many different ways we become motivated to act.

Money is clearly a universal motivator, since it provides means to obtain food, maximize comfort, and avoid unpleasantries. On the other end of the spectrum are things that motivate us intrinsically, such as our careers and hobbies. These vary drastically by each individual. Somewhere in the middle is another aspect of motivation: personality-based motivation.

Achievement

How to tell if someone is motivated by achievement:

  • habitual goal-setter
  • earned mostly A’s in school
  • enjoy and request challenging assignments
  • seek out career paths and promotions for the sake of advancement
  • score high on conscientiousness as measured by a personality assessment
  • enjoy playing video games in order to get to the next level

How to motivate people with a high need for achievement:

  • map out their career path at the company
  • provide them with challenging but realistic goals
  • provide feedback often about progress
  • phrase criticism in a way that illustrates how it is blocking their potential
  • tie promotions and raises to achievement, not tenure
  • allow for continuous advancement at work (not necessarily promotion or pay raise… could also be increased responsibility, more direct reports, title change, lateral move, different role, etc.)

Power

How to tell if someone is motivated by power:

  • first to volunteer for leadership roles
  • desire to hold positions that have a large span of control
  • enjoy symbols of luxury, status, and prestige
  • feel like they are doing their best work when they have an ability to influence someone
  • need to feel effective and as if they are making an impact

How to motivate people with a high need for power:

  • provide public positive feedback and recognition
  • appoint them as leaders when possible
  • let them know how their work impacts others
  • reward with plaques, trophies, medals, etc.
  • make it known to others when you have implemented their idea
  • instead of delegating/assigning, guide them toward making the right decision on their own

Belongingness

How to tell if someone is motivated by belongingness:

  • describe themselves as a people-person
  • consider themselves popular, with many friends and acquaintances
  • have a strong desire to be liked by others
  • feel energized when they can interact with others
  • others consider them a team player
  • they like cooperation, collaboration, and harmony

How to motivate people with a high need for belongingness:

  • provide means for them to network and interact with others
  • always recognize their good work, even it if it is briefly/casually
  • appoint them to roles where they can work in a team environment most of the time
  • provide personalized, subjective feedback often

Perhaps one of these stands out as your primary motivator. Most likely, you are motivated by all three of these to a certain degree. Personality-based motivation is more specific than money and easier to generalize than our intrinsic motivations. It is mostly genetically determined, part of who we are since childhood. The more we can understand what motivates us and those we manage from a personality standpoint, the closer we are to having a more satisfying work and personal life.

This post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership Blog.

]]> http://evarykr.com/2012/04/what-motivates-people-at-work/feed/ 0 Should You Hire an Overqualified Candidate? http://evarykr.com/2012/03/should-you-hire-an-overqualified-candidate/ http://evarykr.com/2012/03/should-you-hire-an-overqualified-candidate/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:34:00 +0000 Eva Rykrsmith http://evarykr.com/?p=1134 On the QuickBase blog, readers submit questions and my fellow authors and I weigh in with our opinions and advice. Here is the February question:

I’m currently hiring for a policy analyst position. Our position description says that we expect a graduate degree in public policy or related field, and at least 2-5 years of work experience.

In the stack of applications, we’ve received several from people who have significantly more work experience than I do. In an ordinary labor market, I’d say that they were overqualified, and have the standard concerns — they don’t really understand the position, they will want more money than we can offer. But in this economy, I get that there are people who understand the money and the job, are overqualified, but want it anyway. And I don’t want to discriminate on the basis of age. Any suggestions for how to decide if they’re worth considering? What interview questions should I be asking if I do interview them?

My answer is…

Overqualification is an interesting concept. Selection systems are generally designed to eliminate the underqualified and create a comparison of ability between candidates. So someone being overqualified would seem to be a bonus. I suspect your concern is not that someone is overqualified. The concern, instead, is whether they are a good fit for the position, whether you can afford them, and if there will be a retention issue. Fortunately, these are easily addressed. For example, by being upfront with the salary for the position, you can eliminate the issue of pay right away.

When I am hiring for a position, I differentiate between screening questions and interview questions. Screening questions are asked immediately after a resume submission or application and they weed out (“select out”) inappropriate candidates. They have a way of highlighting red flags and obviously wrong candidates. In your case, screening questions might be about their desired salary or their expectations for the position. Interview questions, on the other hand, are presented to the top few candidates and are designed to narrow down (“select in”) the top candidates. Interview questions might include asking them why they want this position and asking them to make a case for why they are the best person for this role. Ask every candidate all the same questions and determine rating criteria and how you will evaluate candidates before you start.

It’s important to be methodical during the selection process because many of the concerns hiring managers have about overqualified candidates are based on stereotypes rather than reality. You do not want to miss out on top talent because of fear and ambiguous concerns. Be straightforward with the pay, the position, and the expectations. Examine the candidate in their entirety and what they can do for the organization—neither discount nor assign any extra weight to the fact that they may be “overqualified.”

To see the other three expert answers, please view the original post: 360° Answers: The Quandary of Hiring Overqualified Candidates.

]]> http://evarykr.com/2012/03/should-you-hire-an-overqualified-candidate/feed/ 1 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Office http://evarykr.com/2011/12/holiday-gift-ideas-for-the-office/ http://evarykr.com/2011/12/holiday-gift-ideas-for-the-office/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:09:08 +0000 Eva Rykrsmith http://evarykr.com/?p=974 Now that Thanksgiving is over, the holiday shopping season has officially begun. But deciding what to buy for all those close to you can be downright paralyzing with all the choices that are out there. It can be even more difficult to shop for those we know professionally but maybe we don’t know [...]]]> Now that Thanksgiving is over, the holiday shopping season has officially begun. But deciding what to buy for all those close to you can be downright paralyzing with all the choices that are out there. It can be even more difficult to shop for those we know professionally but maybe we don’t know so well personally. Here is a starting point for brainstorming your holiday gift list:

For Your Employees

One of my favorite gift ideas for an employee is to give a business book. The trick is to personalize your selection so that the person will want to read the book you choose.

  • For the aspiring leader: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
  • For the people person: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
  • For the brainy one: How We Decide
  • For the over-achiever: Outliers
  • For the creative: Made to Stick
  • For the newly promoted: The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
  • For any manager: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
  • For the team leader: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

For more books like this, check out the 800-CEO-READ and the Amazon.com best-seller lists.

For Your Boss

It can be difficult to decide what an appropriate present is for the boss. How much do you spend? Do you let others know? Moreover, it can alienate co-workers if they were not planning to purchase a gift. One way to get around all this is to do a group gift from the team.

For example, you can make a gift basket. You the organizer will handle purchasing the basket and taking care of assembling it, while the others on the team each bring one or two items to put in the basket. This is especially appreciated when the boss has a family with whom he or she can share the items in the basket.

Just a few of the things ideal for a gift basket:

  • Wine
  • Wine Stopper
  • Decorative Napkins
  • Candles
  • Chocolate
  • Candy Canes
  • Ornaments
  • Gift Card
  • Fruit
  • Coasters
  • Coffee

For Your Clients

The holiday season is a good time to not only show appreciation, but also to remind your clients why they do business with you. You can gift items that will help your client further their agenda and their business. You can also gift items that will keep your company and your brand at the forefront of their mind. Or ideally, both.

If you have just a few clients, you’ll want to personalize the gift – the aforementioned gift basket, something that relates to their hobby, or a ticket to their favorite sports team event. But if you have more than a handful of clients, such an approach may not be worth your time or money. Instead, you can give something with a personalized feel, but a wholesale price tag. My favorite website for mass-produced branded items is Branders.com. Here are a few items from their site that I love and almost anyone can use:

What are you giving this year? What are you hoping to receive?

This post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership Blog.

]]> http://evarykr.com/2011/12/holiday-gift-ideas-for-the-office/feed/ 0 Thanksgiving Spirit at the Office http://evarykr.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-spirit-at-the-office/ http://evarykr.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-spirit-at-the-office/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:03:30 +0000 Eva Rykrsmith http://evarykr.com/?p=968 This Thanksgiving I am making three desserts – a chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake, layered pumpkin cheesecake brownies, and white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. While I do love to bake, this is above and beyond even for me. It’s in the spirit of the season – and judging by [...]]]> This Thanksgiving I am making three desserts – a chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecake, layered pumpkin cheesecake brownies, and white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. While I do love to bake, this is above and beyond even for me. It’s in the spirit of the season – and judging by the empty shelves and long checkout lines at the store, I am not alone. Think about that – and consider all the work that goes into preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Is there any way to replicate this productivity and motivation in our professional work? There just might be. Dissecting the situation, we have three elements:

Public Recognition

We want the fruits of our labor to be enjoyed. As any bachelor(ette) with takeout numbers on speed dial knows, cooking for one is no fun. But when Thanksgiving rolls around, nearly everyone has something to contribute, secretly hoping to hear that their dish was the favorite. We put in just a little more effort when there is an opportunity to be praised and recognized for it.

Reciprocity

When someone does something genuinely nice for us, we are driven to do something nice in return. The majority of us would feel a tinge of guilt if we didn’t at least bring a bottle of wine to the family who is hosting the turkey dinner. But the principle of reciprocity goes beyond guilt and keeping score – those who give freely tend to receive even more in return.

Tradition

Host a barbecue last minute, and you’ll likely have guests bringing cups, napkins, or chips. But with tradition comes expectations, and the predictability of the holiday allows for preparation.

So there you have it. To replicate the merry motivation of the Thanksgiving season, make an effort to:

  • Praise good work and do it often.
  • Celebrate successes and show gratitude to everyone who was involved.
  • Make big projects visible and contributions recognizable.
  • Make it known up front that there is potential for praise and recognition.
  • When you have down-time or a slow week, actively seek out colleagues you can help.
  • Be generous with your assistance and willingness to collaborate.
  • Don’t expect anything in return for your ‘favors.’
  • Set your own traditions – is there one season or month that is busier than most at your office?
  • Make expectations known clearly, preferably by example.
  • Make sure that the workflow is as predictable as possible.

Note that this post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership blog last year. I will not be making the layered cheesecake brownies this year — they weren’t so good. Cheesecake and cookies were fantastic and can be expected this year again :)

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