The use of Gamification in Knowledge Management Processes: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present a systematic literature review that synthesizes the investigations made into the use of Gamification in Knowledge Management processes in recent years, and a conceptual model for analysis of the Gamification of Knowledge Management Systems.Theories: Since the last decade the Gamification -defined by the application of game design principles in a non-game context -as a management practice has become increasingly challenging for researchers. At the height of the Knowledge Age, in which we live today, knowledge and the organizational capacity to create, disseminate and retain it is one of the most important sources of competitive advantage for organizations. As employees' knowledge is critical for companies, it is essential to find effective mechanisms to encourage collaborators to share knowledge. In this field, gamification is a dynamic to be considered as an enabler of successful knowledge management systems.Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was carried out, analyzing the scientific articles obtained through electronic databases, manual research and the cross-referencing of bibliographic references to identify and synthesize studies on the use of gamification in Knowledge Management processes in the period from 2015 to 2018.Results: This study demonstrates that the use of gamification in knowledge management processes has a positive impact on employees' motivation and involvement with these systems, while promoting the creation, transfer and sharing of knowledge in the organization. A conceptual model for the gamification of knowledge management systems is proposed, intended to be a valid contribution to the operationalization of future studies on the link between gamification and knowledge management.

Identifying knowledge management strategies for knowledge management systems

“…Although no researchers have articulated KM reward strategies, several studies on a KM reward system, incentive design, and gamification have found positive results on engagement, motivation, and performance regarding KM. Gamification refers to the use of game design elements to encourage knowledge sharing motivation and productivity (Sampaio et. al, 2019).…”

“…In the planning stage, knowledge managers identify key performance indicators (KPIs), assign metrics to KPIs, find unique identifiers (if any) across the data for each participant group, establish a data/knowledge collection site, and understand the organization chart. The KPIs, the performance measurement metrics, will ultimately influence the efficiency and the organization's overall productivity (Sampaio et al, 2019). In the design stage, knowledge managers develop a grading system, select technology, collaborate with leadership to develop award and punitive outcomes, and identify reporting frequency.…”

Knowledge management as a prism to better distinguish useful forms derived from or inspired by games or play activities

“…This perspective is not fundamentally original. We share it with other researchers [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. However, these works only present a particular vision, an aspect, of what exists as forms inspired by play or games in connection with knowledge management, or propose a very quick review of the main existing From Theory of Knowledge Management to Practice categories.…”

A Systematic Literature Review of Gamification in/for Cultural Heritage: Leveling up, Going Beyond

“…An example in the field of education is the broad mapping study with a systematic literature review conducted by Dicheva, Dichev, Agre and Angelova [10]. Similar systematic literature review studies have been conducted regarding gamification for knowledge management [11] and civic participation [12], among others. Still, this effort broad scope effort to systematically map out gamification research for cultural heritage has yet to take place.…”