Using Games to Achieve Your Organizational Goals

Using Games to Achieve Your Organizational Goals

We are all starting to prepare for next year. This is an exciting time to reflect, set new goals, and see how we can create new value for our organizations. The possibilities are endless for collaboration, innovation, and delivering value to our stakeholders. First, here are a few ideas on creating goals.

Goals are the steppingstones to achieve a vision. They give us the focus and clarity organizations need to move forward. Ideally, goals are aligned with the organizational vision and strategic plan. Goals are also assigned to organizational leaders who are held accountable and report progress periodically. There are several different frameworks for creating goals, but a basic one is SMART goals. Below are a few questions to consider when developing a SMART goal.

  • Specific: What exactly is my organization trying to accomplish?
  • Measurable: How will we measure our progress?
  • Attainable: Do we have the skills, talent, and resources to accomplish the goal?
  • Relevant: How does the goal align with our vision and strategic plan?
  • Time-Bound: How long will it take to accomplish the goal?

Here are some lessons I have learned when creating new goals.

  1. Keep your list of goals small (3-5) so you can stay focused and avoid spreading people too thin.
  2. Make sure your goals are specific and very clear to avoid confusion.
  3. Check-in with people periodically to review progress and help remove obstacles.

Games are a tool we can use to help us achieve our organizational goals. They are fun, motivating, and bring out the best in people. Once a goal is created, a game can be designed to encourage people to complete the goal. The game could be a board game, digital game, or even a scoreboard. Below are a few questions to consider when using games as a tool for achieving organizational goals.

  • Purpose: How does the game encourage people to achieve the goal?
  • Rules: What rules need to be part of the game?
  • Motivation: How will the game excite and motivate people?
  • Game Mechanics: What mechanics (such as board pieces, zombies, or points) will be part of the game?
  • Feedback: How will you gather feedback to improve the game over time?

Here are some additional lessons I have learned when using games to drive organizational goal achievement.

  1. Keep games simple and remember they are a tool for helping achieve your organizational goals.
  2. Collect feedback on a regular basis to see if the game is still working or if adjustments need to be made.
  3. Strive to continuously improve the game experience for players.

Summary

The last few months of the year are a great time to evaluate your organizational goals. SMART is one example of a framework that can help with creating new goals. Games are one tool that could help engage and motivate people to achieve organizational goals. If you decide to use games, it is important to keep them simple, collect feedback, and strive for continuous improvement. The combination of creating SMART goals and using games can help your organization thrive and achieve success today.