Make it a game: boosting engagement and creativity

Make it a Game

How to foster innovation while enhancing employee engagement through a structured ideation process.

The Challenge

Our client, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, faced challenges in:

• Engaging employees globally in the innovation process.

• Generating actionable ideas with internal support and motivation.

• Streamlining a decentralised ideation process to make it inclusive, efficient, and results-driven.

The client sought a scalable and global solution to encourage employees from diverse backgrounds to actively contribute to the company’s innovation strategy while fostering a sense of ownership and satisfaction

Our Solution

We developed a gamified ideation software platform designed to:

• Engage Globally Distributed Teams: The software enabled employees worldwide to participate in online ideation workshops, accommodating different time zones and languages.

• Promote Creative Thinking: By using dynamic prompts through virtual “cards” participants were guided to brainstorm innovative ideas tailored to specific challenges. Prompts like “What if we used AI to help farmers achieve X?” inspired diverse and focused ideation.

• Facilitate Collaboration: Teams of four to five employees worked together, presenting and refining their ideas in interactive sessions.

• Incentivise Participation: Employees could submit their polished ideas to the company’s “Moonshot Programme” where the best concepts were rewarded with prizes and development funding.

Key Features

• Gamification: The process leveraged time-bound, game-like elements to keep participants engaged and productive.

• Scalable Implementation: The platform supported both online and offline ideation sessions, ensuring flexibility for the client’s needs.

• Encouragement of Original Ideas: While 80% of submissions were preliminary or generic, the structured approach ensured a steady flow of meaningful, actionable ideas.

• Employee Motivation and Retention: Participants felt valued as contributors to the company’s success, enhancing job satisfaction and loyalty.

Implementation and Outcomes

We facilitated the roll-out of the software as part of a global ideation campaign. Key achievements included:

• In numbers: 40+ ideation workshops, 100+ facilitators trained to run them, 5,000+ ideas submitted and 20 ventures taken into development.

• Improved Idea Quality: The process yielded several actionable business ideas, some of which were implemented and generated revenue.

• Enhanced Employee Engagement: Employees appreciated the opportunity to share ideas and actively shape the company’s future.

• Streamlined Ideation Process: The gamified software standardised the ideation process, making it easier to prioritise and validate ideas moving forward. We ran 3 rounds every 6 months, which resulted in 500+ submissions each time an the top 10 ideas were added to the innovation funnel and developed.

• Positive HR Impact: The campaign boosted morale and positioned the organisation as an employer valuing creativity and collaboration.

Conclusion

The gamified ideation software shows our ability to help our client fill their innovation funnel with high quality ideas with internal back and highly motivated employees ready to take them further. By integrating gamification, collaboration, and incentives, the platform successfully bridged the gap between global employee engagement and impactful innovation.

Let expx help you inspire and empower your workforce to drive meaningful change.