SAP Power-Up: Game Your Way to Onboarding Mastery!

When you fire up a classic Super Mario game, the first level doesn't throw everything at you at once. Instead, it gradually introduces mechanics and obstacles, allowing you to learn through experience. By the end, you've mastered running, jumping, and dodging enemies - all without realizing you were being "onboarded" at all. This elegant approach to onboarding new players provides an insightful model that SAP's onboarding process for new employees could benefit from.

While SAP aims to comprehensively train new hires, the experience often overwhelms rather than engages. By applying principles from how games like Super Mario onboard players, companies can create a more effective and enjoyable onboarding tailored to the way humans actually learn. With the right tools and mindset, the steep learning curve of SAP can transform into a motivating journey towards mastery.

‍

The Magic of Mario

The Super Mario franchise has captivated gamers for decades with its engaging gameplay and masterful level design. At the heart of this success lies an onboarding experience that seamlessly introduces new players to the game's mechanics and gradually increases the complexity. This approach, as outlined in Super Mario 3D World's 4 Step Level Design, breaks each level into four distinct phases:

Introduction: Players are gently introduced to a new concept or mechanic through simple, easy-to-understand scenarios.

Reinforcement: The concept is reinforced through additional challenges, allowing players to practice and solidify their understanding.

Escalation: The difficulty escalates as players encounter more complex variations and combinations of the core concept.

Culmination: The level culminates in a challenging final encounter that tests the player's mastery of the concept.

This gradual progression, coupled with contextual learning through gameplay, creates an engaging and rewarding experience for players. Rather than overwhelming them with information upfront, Super Mario levels teach through interactive puzzles and challenges that foster a sense of accomplishment and progress. Critically, this onboarding process is woven seamlessly into the full game experience, rather than being a separate, disconnected component.

SAP's Missed Opportunity

SAP's onboarding process often misses the mark when it comes to effectively integrating new employees. According to research, a staggering 68% of employees feel ill-prepared to perform their job duties after going through the onboarding experience. This is a clear indication that SAP's approach is failing to provide the necessary guidance and support for new hires.

One of the key problems is the overwhelming amount of information dumped on employees from the outset. Industry experts warn against this practice, as it can lead to disengagement and a negative impact on morale. Instead of gradually introducing complexity, SAP's onboarding process often leaves new hires feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from their actual day-to-day responsibilities.

Furthermore, the onboarding process is often disconnected from the actual day-to-day work that employees will be performing, making it feel like a tedious formality rather than a valuable training experience. HRCloud notes that ineffective onboarding can lead to overwhelmed and disengaged new hires, hindering their ability to ramp up quickly and become productive members of the team.

Level Up Your Onboarding with GRAVITY

Just as Super Mario revolutionized gaming with its intuitive and engaging onboarding, GRAVITY can transform the way companies welcome and train new employees within SAP. By applying principles of gradual complexity, contextual learning, and interactive challenges, GRAVITY bridges the gap between traditional training and the modern workforce's need for an immersive, rewarding experience.

The key takeaways? Effective onboarding is about far more than just conveying information. It's about fostering engagement, building skills through hands-on practice, and connecting training directly to an employee's actual work. With GRAVITY, companies can level up their onboarding, turning new hires into passionate, productive team members from day one.

Are you ready to give your employees the "Super Mario" treatment and create an onboarding experience that keeps them motivated, engaged, and set up for success? Request a demo to see how GRAVITY can supercharge your SAP onboarding today.