Mapping Gamification Trends in HRM: A Bibliometric Exploration using R Studio
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose: Gamification, the application of game-like elements in non-gaming contexts, has quickly become popular as one of the most effective persuasive strategies for encouraging useful behavioral changes in users. The gamification research in the field of HRM is expanding swiftly, moving from basic and fundamental questions like what and why to more complex ones like how, when, and when not to gamify for the employees. It still faces theoretical and empirical challenges to demonstrate the practical effects of gamification and strengthen the guiding principles for meaningful gamification designs. The paper aims to do a bibliometric analysis to characterize the structure and evolution of gamification as a scientific field.
Design/Methodology: Using the RStudio package, a bibliometric analysis of articles is conducted in gamification by extracting data from the Scopus database for sixteen years (2007-2023). The conceptual, intellectual, and social network structures of gamification research, as well as the dynamic and evolutionary features of the field, using techniques from science mapping and bibliometric performance analysis, are analyzed.
Findings: Bibliometric approaches are used to identify the top authors, top journals, and important topics. A thorough bibliographic network-based content analysis is then conducted. There are three main clusters that show the scope of the specialized field's study. Lastly, the study has identified critical research gaps to guide future research.
Practical implications: The purpose of this article is to examine the journal's predominant patterns about articles, authors, institutions, countries, journals, themes, and keywords. The study's findings will assist readers in fully comprehending the topic.
Limitations: The database utilized is exclusively from Scopus; it does not include information from other databases like Google Scholar, the Web of Science, etc. The available data is merely for sixteen years, from 2007 to 2023.