Play is a natural way for animals to learn. From sparring tiger cubs to roly-poly puppies, all animals have used play to learn the skills of adulthood. Games provide structure and rules for play –invented rules help keep the participants engaged and motivated. As we narrow down to the human world of learning, and sprinkle in the current technological capabilities, the mechanics of games become an intriguing tool to assist in motivation and engagement. In 1958, Michael Polanyi introduced the idea of “tacit knowledge” in his work on “Personal Knowledge” –and while game mechanics can help measure explicit knowledge, it’s the ability of games to motivate the acquisition of tacit knowledge that is the most exciting.
Tacit knowledge is that we cannot describe –how to ride a bike for example– and is not a realm of formal study. However, in an organization, this is the most impactful on productivity, retention, organizational health and effectiveness. Game mechanics help attract, direct, and engage people in behaviors that drive organizational learning and the spread of tacit knowledge. The existence of games at work are an aberration –unexpected, and thereby attractive in their uniqueness– and incredibly effective in motivating behaviors designed to encourage the spread of tacit knowledge.
Practically speaking, much has been written of our work in assessing the linguistic quality of Windows (link) –but is a great example of how gamification can motivate the transfer of tacit knowledge (software language localization in this case) via the use of game elements. Beyond this, there are hundreds of examples of using games to help keep learners engaged. Our work has been focused on the use of games in the enterprise, and the ability of game mechanics to motivate employees to engage and collaborate –to share their tacit knowledge– is unparalleled. The organizational rewards are obvious, but to be able to offer a return to employees is the value that game mechanics can offer. As we think about 21st century learning, particularly in business, the idea of using play and games to help employees share tacit knowledge is as natural as what the sparring tiger cubs have already learned –games and play can help us learn from each other what we don’t realize we know. Tacit knowledge is required to succeed in life, and as an organization.