Competitive Business Simulations.. Good Or Not?

Hello SimDev Community-

We'd like to quickly touch on the topic of competitive simulations vs. non competitive. SimDev Group creates business simulations that are both competitive and non competitive for a number of reasons. In most cases, adding an element of competition is a great idea. It keeps people engaged, adds and element of reality, and pushes people to do better. It also creates a slightly more competitive environment (by design). But what happens if you're trying to foster teamwork? Is a competitive simulation still a good solution? Our research shows its not always the best solution.

Of course, when using a business simulation, it depends on what the desired outcomes are of the training and development program. This is obvious. What isn't as obvious is when to use a competitive business simulation and when not to. This isn't always crystal clear. Like we always like to get on our soapbox by saying, "You have to start with the end goal in mind!" Basically, we're just saying that you need to start with your training and development goals. Then look to see if a competitive business simulation is going to reinforce the wrong behavior.

So next time you are looking to integrate a business simulation into your training and development program, stop and ask yourself, "Do I want the business training simulation to be competitive or not?" Then think about the goals and objectives of the training and development program and simply work backwards. In some cases, the answer is pretty obvious. As always, integrating a business training simulation can be tricky but amazingly rewarding and engaging.

Have a great weekend!