I just finished reading a CLO magazine article talking about the BTS business simulation tournament champions being crowned for 2008 and it got me thinking about how powerful business simulations can be in learning.  Many of you have tried this type of learning, and if you haven’t, I recommend checking them out with sites like Forio.

Destruction of Simonville's beachfront condos led to some quick decision making by my Executive Team!

SimCity provided me with my first business simulation experience.  Remember how SimCity taught us to make complex decision in a business context?  Zoning was like strategic planning, keeping your population happy was like employee engagement, and budget management was like…budget management!  Of course, blowing things up and causing mayhem allowed us to develop our business continuity planning as well.

What are some of the benefits of business simulations?

• Realism in learning
• Team building and collaboration
• Taking risks without dire consequences (except from teammates)
• Training for impact – building the confidence to apply skills right away on the job
• Instant feedback on performance – don’t have to wait for that mid year review!

See if you can utilize a business simulation in your next learning intervention…it can be simple, so long as it follows the idea of Full-Circle Learning, summarized by Clark Aldrich in the “Field Guide to Education Simulations” published by ASTD:

1. Understanding the System – it may be full understanding or partial, but it provides the foundation to start
2. Have a goal – People can use their understanding to plan on achieving the goal
3. Receive Feedback – This is where mistakes and risks are rewarded with enhanced learning…
4. Update Knowledge – Whether people are perfect in achieving the goal, or make many mistakes, knowledge is enhanced through the simulated experience.

 

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