A new software trend is turning the painful chore of annual employee reviews into something fun.
Yes, really.

It's called social performance management—or, in a buzzword that's less redolent of "Office Space"'s TPS reports, "gamification."

Gamification means adding game-like features—challenges, levels, leaderboards, and badges—to work tasks.

Examples of companies offering this software, inspired by video games and Facebook apps, include Badgeville, Jam, Leaderboarded, NewsGator, Work.com.

Mozilla, makers of the Firefox browser, even has a free, open-source project called Open Badges.

The idea is expected to storm the enterprise by next year. Some 70 percent of the 2,000 largest businesses around the world will be managing at least one “gamified” application or system by 2014, market researchfirm Gartner predicts.

"Gamification offers engagement and motivation techniques to rally opposing forces to work toward collaborative goals," writes Gartner analyst Elise Olding.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/annual-review-gamification-hyperfeedback-2013-1#ixzz2K8hcbO9j