Gamified Training in HRM: Psychological Mechanisms, Participation Context, and Outcomes for Innovation and Wellbeing

Abstract

The post-pandemic era has created dual challenges for human resource management: restoring employee wellbeing whilst fostering innovative work behaviour essential for organisational adaptability. Many organisations turned to digital training solutions, yet traditional e-learning approaches often fail to achieve intended outcomes. Gamification—the integration of game design elements into non-gaming contexts—has emerged as a promising approach, though many implementations rely on superficial reward systems rather than activating psychological mechanisms that underpin meaningful learning.This research investigates whether strategically designed gamified training can enhance both employee wellbeing and innovative work behaviour through specific psychological mechanisms, and examines how participation context moderates these effects. Grounded in Gamified Learning Theory (GLT), the study employed a between-subjects 2×2 factorial experiment with 200 working professionals, comparing gamified versus traditional training under voluntary versus mandatory participation conditions. Four psychological mediators—learning goal orientation, motivation, learning agility, and engagement—were tested as pathways linking training design to dual organisational outcomes.The findings reveal that gamified training consistently activated all four mechanisms, with indirect effects observed for both innovative work behaviour and employee wellbeing. When tested simultaneously in parallel mediation models, engagement and learning agility emerged as the most robust pathways. Mandatory participation unexpectedly enhanced rather than diminished the effectiveness of three mediators (learning goal orientation, motivation, and engagement), producing significant amplifications in indirect effects, while learning agility remained stable across participation contexts. Inconsistent mediation patterns were identified for wellbeing, where negative direct effects of gamified training were offset by positive indirect pathways through psychological mechanisms. The research advances GLT by demonstrating its applicability in HRM contexts and identifying participation context as a contextual moderator. Methodologically, the well-powered experimental design with working professionals addresses empirical limitations in workplace gamification research. Practically, the study provides evidence-based design principles for HRM, demonstrating how gamified training can support both wellbeing and innovation when psychological mechanisms are intentionally activated. The findings suggest that carefully designed gamified training can create autonomy experiences within structured participation contexts, offering organisations a viable approach for balancing employee wellbeing and innovative capability.

Date of Award	Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aston University
Supervisor	Pawan Budhwar (Supervisor), Daniel Andrews (Supervisor) & Soumyadeb Chowdhury (Supervisor)