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A good source on how gaming and the integration of game mechanics could transform businesses is the book “Changing the Game” by David Edery and Ethan Mollick. You will find there many real-world examples / case studies for value, effectiveness and common principles.
There’s a lot to be said on the subject, but broadly speaking I would focus on two different categories:
a) Adding a layer of game mechanics to a service: as in the Mint example (check some interesting and relevant posts on USV/Albert Wenger’s blog). Common tactics are competition (leaderboards, achievements, badges etc.) and collaboration. For the latter you might want to look into some highly successful Facebook games (eg Zynga’s) and how recruiting friends and working with them towards a
common goal is built into the core mechanics.
b) Creating unique games in order to promote a message / brand, to educate customers, to demonstrate products etc. This is a relatively mapped territory with an increasing body of work. You might want to start with Ian Bogost’s blog (http://www.watercoolergames.org/ ) that
maps advergames and other uses of games that go beyond pure entertainment. Two communities that are very active in this space are the Serious Games initiative and Games for Change. Games of this kind
are usually ‘stand alone’ and they present a double challenge - (a) creating an engaging/fun experience while (b) integrating your agenda into the gameplay. The more organic the integration, the better product you have.
