The Games Institute student, Betsy Brey, teams up with ODScore to research on gamification in the workplace.
New research from the University of Waterloo’s Games Institute will examine how the art and the science behind game design technology can be applied as a motivational tool for personal goal attainment within the workplace.
ODScore, a Guelph-based consulting firm, and Mitacs, a national, not-for-profit research and training organization, is partnering with The Games Institute researcher Betsy Brey on an initiative that will explore how game design principles are currently being used to improve human relations in agile workplace environments. Brey’s literature review will consider the role and creation of personal narratives, examining their impact on an individual’s performance and negotiation through these narratives. Of particular focus is the question of how to understand the obstacles that prevent or inhibit people from creating successful self-narratives.
Christy Pettit, owner of ODScore, says Brey’s research will support future initiatives for best practices in goal attainment and related training workshops for professionals. Pettit said:
We believe the use of gamification as a motivation tool has the potential to inspire and empower employees within corporate structures in a way that enhances both their career and personal goals...We are excited to work directly with the University of Waterloo’s Games Institute on this leading-edge study, and to leverage Mitacs funding to find innovative ways to implement this research in an effective way for our clients.
When asked to comment on this collaboration, Betsy Brey says:
Working with ODScore is an amazing opportunity to put into action some of the research we do at the Games Institute. It's exciting to see where this partnership can bring us in the future
Brey’s research will culminate with an academic research paper in 2016.
The University of Waterloo Games Institute conducts research on the impact of games and game-related technologies and interactions with people, focused on understanding the compelling user engagement that games deliver in various fields. Research spans the breadth of disciplines, from the humanities and social sciences through engineering and computer science, via research network joining multiple universities and industry partners. www.uwaterloo.ca/games-institute
ODScore® is a consulting firm of organizational development professionals specializing in all aspects of human resource challenges and opportunities, knowledge-transfer projects and tools, and corporate strategy alignment. The company, based out of Guelph, has been in business since 2008, with an extensive client list of small to large businesses, in a variety of industries. www.odscore.com
Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 15 years. Working with 60 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.www.mitacs.ca