Today, most managers would be dismayed to discover that employees were playing computer games on company time. But “gamification,” the process of applying computer-game techniques to workplace activities and applications, is set to become a mainstream approach in many companies.

Analysts at Gartner predict that 70% of the world’s 2,000 largest organizations will, by 2014, use gamification to get work done in at least one part of their business.

The phenomenon involves injecting workplace tasks with the same sense of purpose that makes games like Angry Birds so addictive, by challenging users to beat time limits, collect points and progress to new levels. It can apply to sales teams, customer-service agents, warehouse staff — in fact, almost any department where employees are expected to complete tasks to target and/or to deadline.

In a recent blog, Gartner analyst Jonah Kowall imagined how an IT operations center, run along gamification lines, would cope with a systems-failure alert. Each issue would be awarded a score, according to its severity, impact and the time it was reported. That score would lose points while the issue was still “live,” and once it was cleared up, the remaining points would be awarded to the engineer who resolved it.

In fact, applied well, gamification in the workplace can produce “peak learning conditions and accelerated achievement,” according to Aaron Dignan, author of a new book on the subject, Game Frame: Using Games as a Strategy for Success.

For some companies, however, another influence from the games industry might be closer than they think, in the form of gesture-based computing. At a recent Microsoft conference, Microsoft Dynamics chief Kirill Tatarinov demonstrated the use of the company’s frequently-hacked Kinect controller — originally intended for use with its Xbox gaming system — as an interface to the company’s AX ERP system.

The demo was a simulation of a factory floor, where a gloved worker could use hand gestures to manipulate supply chain applications — potentially useful in environments where protective gloves make touchscreen and keyboard interaction difficult.

Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system, scheduled for launch in 2012, will also enable control by touch and gestures. Making the workplace a more fun and social place to be could be key to attracting and motivating the next generation. They may not be slaying dragons in a mythical online world, but they may get tasks done with as much enthusiasm as if they were.

Data Feed

• By 2015, 50% of companies that manage innovation and research will use gamification to drive innovation. (Gartner)

• By 2016, worldwide corporate spending on gamification projects will grow to as much as $2.8 billion, from $100 million in 2011. (M2 Research)

• Microsoft’s Kinect is the fastest-selling consumer electronics gadget of all time.