The Backbone of Gamification - a Theoretical Consideration of Play and Game Mechanics

Challenges in idea management research and practice no longer revolve around why it is important for people to participate. Instead, the focus has shifted onto how participants can be motivated and, in addition, how their full creative potential can be exploited. This paper develops a theoretical framework that emphasizes the benefits of game mechanics within the context of idea management in scientific literature. In a two-step approach, the aspect of why play is relevant for an organization is addressed first, before specific game mechanics are integrated.