Laura Alter analyzes how to make an app compelling using game-design principles:

• Collecting things


• Earning Points


• Getting/giving feedback


• Exchanges/Gifting


• User Customization


• Syndication


• Competition


• Tipping Point

What if we applied those to designing jobs?

• Collecting work one is proud of – give folks a way to show off good work to co-workers


• Points – measure performance metrics that an individual and team has immediate control over


• Getting/giving feedback to and from clients, co-workers, supervisors in semi-real time


• Exchanges/Gifting – exchanging points


• User Customization – give folks some latitude in designing the work they do


• Competition – there’s definitely a risk with competition becoming a corrosive or antagonistic force, but I’d guess in most work environments there’s a way to create pretty benign but fun and engaging competitions focused around the work being done.

Not sure how syndication or “tipping point” apply as they’re geared more toward network effects. Perhaps in a virtual work environment they’d be useful to distribute information that the factors above are built on.

As a matter of fact, if features “tipping point” were applied well, it could be a powerful recruiting mechanism.