Let the games begin: How Google utilized this training platform to connect new team members

Teamwork makes the dream work — but for Google’s new employee relations care team, which consists of six people across three countries and four time zones, fostering teamwork among these strangers was shaping up to be a bigger challenge than normal.

For help, the technology titan enlisted KeepWOL, a talent development platform that uses live multiplayer games and AI technology to create virtual team-building exercises. KeepWOL, which launched in 2018 and works primarily with large enterprises, hosted a learning and development event where the specialist team played an interactive virtual game together to get to know each other — and to learn about themselves, too. 

“Our platform is really bridging that gap between learning and doing,” says Lauren Fitzpatrick Shanks, CEO of KeepWOL. “Google enlisted us because they wanted to get into  the mindset of creative thinking and removing boundaries and conditions [between colleagues.]”

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KeepWOL’s suite of solutions includes seventeen different games, compatible with most large video conferencing platforms. Each game focuses on one of five core pillars the platform deems necessary for any functioning team: cultural intelligence, engagement, team dynamics, innovation and job satisfaction. 

For its new employee relations care team, Google wanted to focus on relationships, so KeepWOL set them up with its ‘What If’ game — a series of situational questions that challenged each player to think critically about their own instincts and preferences. For example, the questions asked varied from, “If you had to create your own scent, what would it be?” and “If you had to remove either literature, film or music what would it be?” 

“We went all the way from floral scents to ‘I really love Mexican food so my scent could be a Mexican buffet,’” says Shanks, who oversaw the training for Google. “The laughter and also acceptance while learning all of these personal anecdotes was very interesting.” 

At the end of every game, KeepWOL administers a reflection assessment, where players can rate their experience with the game and provide feedback. KeepWOL then uses AI software to compile responses, and pulls data and insights from their ratings to deliver the information to employers, helping them better understand their employees’ feelings about work, as well as spot developing trends in sentiment and areas of concern in need of attention. 

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Google’s employees all rated their experiences in the 9.3 to 9.8 area, which KeepWOL explains signals not just a good experience with the game, but a good or even improved perception of their employer.

“When you think about talent learning and development, [there’s typically] a training that everyone will receive and you'll receive it once,” Shanks says. “But tapping into things that people enjoy, like games, works with helping others break down their barriers as well as showcasing their own vulnerability — helping to not only drive what you need, how you need it and why you need it, but helping you develop those interpersonal skills.” 

By creating an easy to play game, companies can not only successfully onboard and team-build in a lasting way, but create a foundation of communication and learning that can help employers better recruit and retain talent moving forward. 

“Employees are figuring out what areas they need to develop in, rather than someone trying to tell them,” Shanks says. “They are utilizing these games and having these conversations, which allows people to showcase who they are and what they need and how they will succeed best.”