GAMIFICATION EFFECTIVENESS IN TOURISM INDUSTRY: EVIDENCE FROM HUMAN RESOURCE PROCESS TRACING

Abstract

There is a pervasive belief that irresistible organizations are forged by exceptional employees who carefully selected and possess the right competencies. The aim of this study is to delve into the true efficacy of gamification in the recruitment process, specifically within a leading railway transportation company that can have many lessons to tourism industry. To address the core concern of this research, we adopted an innovative case study research strategy called “Outcome Explain Process Tracing”. This approach allowed to gather various types of data, combining insights from a thorough literature review to establish theoretical clues, alongside data from passenger surveys, interviews with managers and crews, and relevant organizational archives and documents to provide practical evidence. The results of this study demonstrate that gamified recruitment, from the perspective of key stakeholders in the process (Passengers, Managers, and Crews), has been exceptionally effective in generating a competitive advantage. The findings of this study are expected to offer substantial insights into the tourism industry, empowering it to make informed decisions when redesigning their HR (human resources) processes. The investigation’s results suggest that incorporating an element of fun in HR processes can remarkably improve HRrelated Key Performance Indicators. This study makes a significant contribution to the gamification literature by investigating its effectiveness within the realm of HR practices in the tourism industry.