Gamification and the impact of extrinsic motivation on needs satisfaction: Making work fun?

Despite the proliferation of gamification in the workplace, little is known about the contextual factors that contribute to its efficacy and impact on employee engagement and organizational productivity. Employing self-determination theory, this research investigates the impact of extrinsic motivation, such as social pressure or internalized guilt, on employees' psychological needs satisfaction and behavioral intention. A survey (n = 291) across multiple industries shows extrinsic motivation can decrease employees' autonomy and competence needs satisfaction, but when extrinsic motivation is internalized (such as through perceived personal value) it can support needs satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral intention. For managers, these results indicate that beyond being enjoyable, sustainable gamification design should provide benefits that are meaningful to and valued by employees. While it is acknowledged that further research is required, this study provides a basis for deeper understanding of how gamification works as the first to empirically examine the role of extrinsic motivation.