GAMIFIED PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: A LONGITUDINAL FIELD QUASI-EXPERIMENT

Abstract

Employee engagement is a key enabler of business success and an associate in the equation of performance, innovation and retention. Gamefic Performance Dashboards Technology has evolved to such an extent that gamification is increasingly popping up everywhere, including in the tracking of performance. This study investigates the long-term effects of gamified performance dashboards on employee engagement using a longitudinal field quasi-experiment. Enacted in an MNC, the study tracks employees for 12 months to examine the short- and long-term effects of gamification on engagement levels. Based on behavioral operations theory, the paper posits that by providing real-time feedback, fostering competition, and promoting goal setting behaviors, gamification increases intrinsic motivation and thus enhances performance outcomes. The findings reveal a strong lifting effect of employee engagement, with more team autonomy playing an especially significant role. Additionally, important boundary conditions with a modulating effect on the effectiveness of gamification are identified (e.g., participants' personality traits and task complexity). Findings provide an insight into how technological interventions impact organizational citizenship behavior and present implications for managers to increase employee engagement. By offering clearer understanding of the dynamism of gamification, this study offers actionable implications for practitioners and academics in management sciences.

Keywords: Gamification, Employee Engagement, Performance Dashboards, Longitudinal Study, Behavioral Operations, Organizational Behavior.