Degreed, an education technology company in California, asked more than 5,200 people around the world for their views on the impact of the current global crisis on the skills employees need. The result: in addition to specific technical skills, as well as flexibility and a willingness to learn, you should give particular weight to two other skills when selecting new employees in the future.
Find out which skills these are now.
- Technology skills. Skills in technology and programming as well as a basic digital expertise will be in demand worldwide in the future.
- Social skills. Cognitive skills such as creativity or problem solving, and social skills such as communication, entrepreneurship or leadership are the skills in employees that will be called upon the most in the coming years, measured by hours worked.
Gamers are successful professionals and managers
At first glance, this may seem like a provocative thesis. After all, when it comes to computer games, there are also many cautionary voices. Nevertheless, a number of studies indicate that multiplayer online role-playing games in particular, such as “World of Warcraft” or “Eve Online,” strengthen leadership and team competencies and thus the necessary technological and social skills. These computer games are designed so that teams work closely together strategically to achieve a jointly defined goal. The following skills are fostered through computer games.
- Gamers are comfortable in remote work environments and are motivated to work in home offices.
- Digital communication comes naturally to them. They switch easily between different applications, languages, communication styles, platforms and target groups. A clear plus for communicating with target groups on different digital channels.
- In the gaming teams, everyone assumes their role. Depending on the game, certain tasks are defined. For example, there are leaders who lead the team, but also healers who give weakened team members new strength. There are experts for certain tasks or all-rounders who can be used flexibly, and many more. All of them have their strengths, of which they are aware and which they use efficiently.
- All take responsibility in the team as a matter of course, so as not to weaken it.
- The focus is always on solving the problem. Some computer games, such as “Eve Online“, demand enormous problem-solving skills from their players.
- Everybody in the team is fully behind their tasks and goals and often makes situational and independent decisions in the interest of the team.
- Team-based games such as “League of Legends” or “Overwatch” promote the team’s ability to react flexibly to new situations and make targeted use of the individual’s strengths.
How to benefit from gamer skills in teams
Especially in virtual teams, as they are now in demand in home office times, you as a manager should be able to rely on your employees to always keep the team goals in mind, to take the right measures situationally, and to decide independently without you having to constantly monitor. Gamers meet these requirements and are also accustomed to actively seeking out new challenges again and again in order to reach the next level and thus growth. In doing so, they rely on both short-term and long-term strategic thinking.
Create playful conditions
You can best motivate this new generation of employees if you also make the team culture playful. Joint team gaming events are a great way to strengthen the bond of virtual teams while providing a creative basis for new ideas and unconventional solutions. Teams that play together – as shown in a study by Brigham Young University – achieve productivity increases of up to 20 percent.
Conclusion: The question about gaming experience should therefore not be missing in your future recruiting conversations. In the not-too-distant future, the successes achieved in video games may be as much a part of an applicant’s resume as the information about the schools attended.