Gamification in management: Positive and negative aspects

The phenomenon of gamification is analysed, identifying positive aspects of gamification, risks and problems. The paper adopts a method of systematic critical literature analysis in English, German, and Russian. We provide the most relevant gamification definitions classified into two main groups, fundamental and practical. The confusion of these groups or ignorance of one causes particular problems in understanding gamification. We face two levels of gamification in different areas of business management. It is the so-called meta- or macro-level and applied or micro-level. The paper aims to demonstrate the broader context of gamification in management by revealing the phenomenon’s positive and negative aspects. To reach the aim, five objectives were defined: i) to show the broader context of gamification in management; ii) to reveal the problems, risks, or even negative aspects of gamification in management; iii) to appeal to the practical issues how and in what areas to use gamification; iv) to show a broader cultural and philosophical context behind the manager interpretation of gamification; v) to introduce the discourse of gamification as an integrated theoretical approach that could reveal essential aspects of management. Gamification has both positive and negative aspects in all areas of management. On the one hand, gamification increases productivity and improves service, contributes to innovative participatory thinking and action, improves internal control, coordination, communication, collaboration, and creativity, increases motivation and pleasure at work, develops the soft skills of employees and reduces costs, as well as contributes to better acclimatisation. On the other hand, gamification commercialises human relations, causes novelty effects, elicits desired behaviour and predicts job performance, transforms organisational culture in unpredictable and counterintuitive ways, results in stress and anxiety, lowers self-esteem, causes exhaustion, conflict, and incomplete knowledge, serves as a means of domination and mobbing, and finally increases free-riding and work intimidation.