Contribution Bridging Theory and Practice: A Multi-Sector Systematic Review of Gamification, Employee Engagement, and Job Satisfaction, A Systematic Literature Review

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-676-0_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Gamification; Employee Engagement; Job Satisfaction; Motivation; Organizational Culture; Human Resource Management (HRM); Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In today’s fast-evolving workplaces, engaging and retaining talent—particularly among Gen Z professionals—has become one of the most pressing challenges for organizations worldwide. Traditional motivation techniques appear to be losing their impact, urging companies to adopt more interactive, human-centered approaches. Against this backdrop, gamification has emerged as a strategic tool to make work engaging, purposeful, and rewarding by integrating elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards into everyday practices. Recognizing the growing academic and practical interest in this area, this Systematic Literature Review (SLR) consolidates findings from 45 research papers. Using the PRISMA framework and rigorous inclusion–exclusion criteria, studies were drawn from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The review indicates a strong dominance of empirical research in IT and management sectors, with an upsurge in contributions after 2018. Thematic synthesis identified five major clusters: motivation and rewards, organizational culture, teamwork and collaboration, performance enhancement, and job satisfaction. Evidence suggests that well-structured gamification initiatives boost engagement and intrinsic motivation while fostering a sense of belonging. However, the review also notes gaps, including limited longitudinal studies and minimal focus on ethical or psychological sustainability. Overall, this study highlights gamification’s transformative potential in addressing contemporary engagement challenges and provides actionable insights for HR and management professionals aiming to build adaptive, motivated, and future-ready workforces.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Karishma Jangid
AU  - Seema Singh Rathore
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - Contribution Bridging Theory and Practice: A Multi-Sector Systematic Review of Gamification, Employee Engagement, and Job Satisfaction, A Systematic Literature Review
BT  - Proceedings of the 13th International Youth Conference in the series of “Youth for India @2047, AI Disruption and Opportunities: Preparing Youth for Global Challenges (IYC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 203
EP  - 235
SN  - 1951-6851
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-676-0_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-676-0_14
ID  - Jangid2026
ER  -