By Tim Reeves
In his HBR article, “WHAT BOARD GAMES CAN TEACH BUSINESS” (January–February 2015 issue), Andrew Innes concludes with a thought-provoking statement: “Monopoly may be the world’s favorite business-themed game, but it’s not necessarily the best one to hone your management skills or teach you what you need to win in business today.”
I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I would go further. As a designer of custom business simulations for the past 20 years, I can categorically say that the most effective board game or simulation to teach or hone management skills is one that is built specifically for that purpose. Custom board simulations are a versatile and powerful learning tool for corporate training and development for a number of reasons:
I have developed simulations for more than 20 different industries, covering all organization levels from sales teams looking to better understand their customers, to individual contributors wondering how their company makes money, to first-line supervisors striving to engage their employees, to mid- and senior-level managers who are polishing business acumen skills or practicing a new go-to-market strategy.
Those that integrate ideas and bring frameworks or models to life are among the most powerful board simulations. An example of bringing the realism of the world of work to a board simulation is combining employee engagement in a simple algorithm that links to key financial measures to illustrate how leading well also delivers results.
The “secret sauce” in today’s board design is recognizing the advancement in neuroscience and how people think. Good board design, in addition to realism and relevance, must prime the learner, engage their existing limited mental models, then challenge them to think in a way that creates improved mental models. The outcome is a participant who has learned more than what to think. They have learned how to think.
Whether it’s a board simulation or an online simulation, The Regis Company can help your organization prepare your leaders for alignment, transformation, and career development. We’ve been creating custom board simulations and games for more than a decade; our customer intimate, consultative approach will help you start on a learning journey toward a customized solution.
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Senior Strategist