Hello SimDevGroup Community-
Are you trying to decide if you should use a Capstone Simulation (CapSim) or a regular Business Simulation? Hopefully, this quick article will help you decide.
Tips to Deciding if You Should Create a Capstone Simulation:
Tip 1: Assess if you need a capstone simulation: Start by asking yourself a simple question, "Am I looking to test participant skills or use a simulation to help them learn skills?" If the answer is that you're trying to teach participants skills, then go with a traditional business simulation strategy. But if you are looking to test skills delivered in previous 'classes', then go with a capstone simulation.
Tip 2: Last program or mid program: If you are going to use this simulation within one or several programs sessions, then go with a traditional business simulation strategy. If this is going to be the final part of a series of sessions, then you might want to think about positioning your custom simulation as a capstone style business simulation.
Tip 3: Would like you like it large, or manageable?: Capstone business simulations tend to be quite large, and thus, more challenging to manage.This is important to think about if you are building your own simulation or wish to facilitate it yourself.
We hope this helps you decide if you are going to go with a capstone business simulation, or a traditional business training simulation or leadership development simulation strategy. No matter which you choose, its great you're using a simulation in general.
We hope this quick post helps.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Using Business Simulations for Busting Business Silos
Hello SimDevGroup Community-
Does your organization have a slight problem with business silos? Are you looking to bust those silos? A business simulation or leadership simulation may be able to help you. How can a business simulation really help you reduce organizational silos or business silos? Its quite simple: Using business simulations for business silos enables the participants in the business silos to live the life of participants in other business silos. In other words, a simulation will enable participants to live and feel the impact their business silo has on another. The result is that participants will naturally understand how a non siloed way of working is superior. They'll also have a better understanding how their decisions effects other divisions within the organization.
Learn about business simulations for business silos:
We actually have a video about how a business simulation or leadership simulation can help you get an overview of how a simulation can help with your business silo problem.
> Learn about business simulations and business silos.
Its a humorous video, but actually helps get your head around business silos and using a leadership simulation or business training simulation to help you.
If you have business silos and are looking for a great way to engage and make an impact on reducing your organizational silos, think about using a leadership simulation or business simulation to help you reduce your silos.
Hope this helps!
Does your organization have a slight problem with business silos? Are you looking to bust those silos? A business simulation or leadership simulation may be able to help you. How can a business simulation really help you reduce organizational silos or business silos? Its quite simple: Using business simulations for business silos enables the participants in the business silos to live the life of participants in other business silos. In other words, a simulation will enable participants to live and feel the impact their business silo has on another. The result is that participants will naturally understand how a non siloed way of working is superior. They'll also have a better understanding how their decisions effects other divisions within the organization.
Learn about business simulations for business silos:
We actually have a video about how a business simulation or leadership simulation can help you get an overview of how a simulation can help with your business silo problem.
> Learn about business simulations and business silos.
Its a humorous video, but actually helps get your head around business silos and using a leadership simulation or business training simulation to help you.
If you have business silos and are looking for a great way to engage and make an impact on reducing your organizational silos, think about using a leadership simulation or business simulation to help you reduce your silos.
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Leadership Simulations: How to Measure Success
Hello SimDevGroup Community-
A common question we get is, "When it comes to measuring success, how do we know when leadership simulations are successful?" This is a great question. We have some suggestions for ways to measure if your business simulation for leadership development was successful.
How to measure the success of leadership simulations:
1. Give a brief formal questionnaire before your leadership development program. Ask participants 5 simple questions that will help measure their pre-program understanding of your leadership competency model.
2. Deliver any or all of your leadership development simulations. You probably only have 1, but in some cases, this might be broken into sections. Deliver all of your leadership training programs.
3. Give a very similar, but different questionnaire at the end. You need to make sure it's asking the same questions, just with different verbiage. The goal is to get a pre and post program assessment that measures the knowledge of your leadership competency model.
Now, just compare the results. You'll be able to very quickly get an actual percentage increase (hopefully) of how effective your leadership simulations are. This is very tangible and a useful way to measure success.
We hope this helps. Feel free to contact us if you'd like more tips and tricks.
A common question we get is, "When it comes to measuring success, how do we know when leadership simulations are successful?" This is a great question. We have some suggestions for ways to measure if your business simulation for leadership development was successful.
How to measure the success of leadership simulations:
1. Give a brief formal questionnaire before your leadership development program. Ask participants 5 simple questions that will help measure their pre-program understanding of your leadership competency model.
2. Deliver any or all of your leadership development simulations. You probably only have 1, but in some cases, this might be broken into sections. Deliver all of your leadership training programs.
3. Give a very similar, but different questionnaire at the end. You need to make sure it's asking the same questions, just with different verbiage. The goal is to get a pre and post program assessment that measures the knowledge of your leadership competency model.
Now, just compare the results. You'll be able to very quickly get an actual percentage increase (hopefully) of how effective your leadership simulations are. This is very tangible and a useful way to measure success.
We hope this helps. Feel free to contact us if you'd like more tips and tricks.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Global Business Simulation: Tips To Execution
Hello SimDevGroup Community:
Are you rolling out a global business simulation program? Looking for some tips from a company that has facilitated a global business simulation on 3 different continents at the same time?
Top 3 Tips to Managing A Global Business Simulation:
Tip 1: Give yourself extra time! You are going to find that facilitating a global business simulation takes longer than you think. This applies to almost every aspect of the program. You'll run into electricity issues, language issues, time different issues, concept issues, etc... Just count on everything taking longer. Build in time buffers!
Tip 2: Get help from local contacts- When you facilitate a global business simulation, get assistance from contacts in the local geography. They will be able to assist with transportation, setup, etc... You'll find the local contact invaluable!
Tip 3: Get ready for lack of sleep. With the combination of time changes, travel, and setup, a global business simulation will take the sleep right of you. Our tip? Drink lots of water and remember, you will catch up on sleep eventually.
We can't emphasize enough the fact that running a global business simulation is challenging. We also can't emphasize enough that its also very rewarding. Have a great time, learn from the culture(s), and don't forget to drink a lot of water.
We hope this helps!
Are you rolling out a global business simulation program? Looking for some tips from a company that has facilitated a global business simulation on 3 different continents at the same time?
Top 3 Tips to Managing A Global Business Simulation:
Tip 1: Give yourself extra time! You are going to find that facilitating a global business simulation takes longer than you think. This applies to almost every aspect of the program. You'll run into electricity issues, language issues, time different issues, concept issues, etc... Just count on everything taking longer. Build in time buffers!
Tip 2: Get help from local contacts- When you facilitate a global business simulation, get assistance from contacts in the local geography. They will be able to assist with transportation, setup, etc... You'll find the local contact invaluable!
Tip 3: Get ready for lack of sleep. With the combination of time changes, travel, and setup, a global business simulation will take the sleep right of you. Our tip? Drink lots of water and remember, you will catch up on sleep eventually.
We can't emphasize enough the fact that running a global business simulation is challenging. We also can't emphasize enough that its also very rewarding. Have a great time, learn from the culture(s), and don't forget to drink a lot of water.
We hope this helps!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Leadership Simulations: Tips To Implementing
Hello SimDevGroup Community-
Thinking of implementing Leadership Simulations? Excellent. How about some tips of ideas to think about?
Here are our top 5 tips for taking on leadership simulations:
Tip 1: Ask yourself, "Can I really simulate leadership?" The answer is probably no. But you will be able to setup business simulations that will enable participants to experience the impact of effective leadership on the business
Tip 2: Don't try to do everything! Take one aspect of leadership and one aspect of the business and map the two together. Once you've successfully mapped the leadership impact, move on to an additional one. After awhile, you'll have a good handful which is manageable.
Tip 3: Look around at other leadership simulations. Chances are, there are others in the industry who have done this already. Call some others, look around, and see what you think. You'll quickly realize what works and doesn't for you.
Tip 4: Talk to leaders within your company. Ask them specifically what they would like others to learn within the organization. You will begin to see patterns. From there, go back to tip 2 and make certain you've mapped the appropriate leadership skills.
Tip 5: Think if leadership simulations are really a training priority within the organization. These are complex animals and there may be lower hanging fruit that has equal or greater levels of importance.
Overall, when thinking about business simulation exercises, think about integrating a leadership component into the mix. This will help with succession planning and effective leadership development programs.
Hope this helps!
Thinking of implementing Leadership Simulations? Excellent. How about some tips of ideas to think about?
Here are our top 5 tips for taking on leadership simulations:
Tip 1: Ask yourself, "Can I really simulate leadership?" The answer is probably no. But you will be able to setup business simulations that will enable participants to experience the impact of effective leadership on the business
Tip 2: Don't try to do everything! Take one aspect of leadership and one aspect of the business and map the two together. Once you've successfully mapped the leadership impact, move on to an additional one. After awhile, you'll have a good handful which is manageable.
Tip 3: Look around at other leadership simulations. Chances are, there are others in the industry who have done this already. Call some others, look around, and see what you think. You'll quickly realize what works and doesn't for you.
Tip 4: Talk to leaders within your company. Ask them specifically what they would like others to learn within the organization. You will begin to see patterns. From there, go back to tip 2 and make certain you've mapped the appropriate leadership skills.
Tip 5: Think if leadership simulations are really a training priority within the organization. These are complex animals and there may be lower hanging fruit that has equal or greater levels of importance.
Overall, when thinking about business simulation exercises, think about integrating a leadership component into the mix. This will help with succession planning and effective leadership development programs.
Hope this helps!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Business Simulations: Good For Leadership Development?
Hello SimDevGroup Community!
Is it really appropriate to use business simulations within corporate training and development programs? Again, great question, but actually, its very hard to say decisively. Some will say absolutely while others say its tricky. Even though we write business simulations and business training exercises that are most commonly used within corporate leadership development program, we say, "Its tricky."
Business Simulations Within Leadership Development Programs:
Why do we say it's tricky. Well, this is because connecting behavior to business results gets challenging at times. This is what we do best and have been doing it for years. That being said, we still find it very tricky at times. Every company has it's own leadership competency model that is used in many ways. Also, business methods vary greatly. This is why each of our simulations have to be custom built. It is simply impractical to assume that pre-made generic business simulations can fit all circumstances.
In our experience, business simulations and business simualtion exercises are a great tools, but it takes devotion from Training and Development to create the connection between behavior and business. But, this can certainly be done and has been done many times successfully.
If you decide to embark on using business simulations within leadership development, just be prepared to think carefully about how and why. Something we're very familiar with and enjoy very much.
Just food for thought and we hope it helps!
Is it really appropriate to use business simulations within corporate training and development programs? Again, great question, but actually, its very hard to say decisively. Some will say absolutely while others say its tricky. Even though we write business simulations and business training exercises that are most commonly used within corporate leadership development program, we say, "Its tricky."
Business Simulations Within Leadership Development Programs:
Why do we say it's tricky. Well, this is because connecting behavior to business results gets challenging at times. This is what we do best and have been doing it for years. That being said, we still find it very tricky at times. Every company has it's own leadership competency model that is used in many ways. Also, business methods vary greatly. This is why each of our simulations have to be custom built. It is simply impractical to assume that pre-made generic business simulations can fit all circumstances.
In our experience, business simulations and business simualtion exercises are a great tools, but it takes devotion from Training and Development to create the connection between behavior and business. But, this can certainly be done and has been done many times successfully.
If you decide to embark on using business simulations within leadership development, just be prepared to think carefully about how and why. Something we're very familiar with and enjoy very much.
Just food for thought and we hope it helps!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tips to Building Your Business Simulation Strategy
Hello SimDevGroup Community-
Lately, we've been getting calls with people asking, "What is the best way to build a strategy that includes using a business simulation?" This is a great question and to be honest, we didn't really have any tips to help. So we took the time to create some. We then shared them with some of our partners and in the end, everyone gave us their thumbs up to the following 5 tips:
.
Tips to Building Your Business Simulation Strategy:
Hope this helps!
Lately, we've been getting calls with people asking, "What is the best way to build a strategy that includes using a business simulation?" This is a great question and to be honest, we didn't really have any tips to help. So we took the time to create some. We then shared them with some of our partners and in the end, everyone gave us their thumbs up to the following 5 tips:
.
Tips to Building Your Business Simulation Strategy:
- Become one with your corporate strategy- Before you build your simulation strategy for business training, you should know your corporate strategy very well. Talk to your corporate leaders about this.
- Know what drives the the business- Every enterprise has drivers that push the the organization forward in order to achieve it's strategic success. Sometimes its net profits, other times its cash on hand, or it could be just about anything. You'll learn what drives the business by reading your CEO's letter to shareholders in your annual report. At least this is a good place to start.
- Clearly define your training and development goals- You should have a very clear set of desired outcomes from your training and development programs. Take a look at those and ask yourself, "What content really needs an action learning module?" You'll quickly see what does and doesn't. Whatever does, see if a business simulation exercise would help with this.
- Look at your development resources- Whether we like it or not, we're all shackled by what's available. You'll need some good strong engineering and instructional resources. Once you do this inventory, you'll quickly realize if a business simulation is within reach.
- Examine the size of the training program- The training program you are thinking of using a business simulation within should be pretty healthy in size. If its a 1/2 day program, chances are the time and resource commitment might not be worth it. But if its a multi-day leadership development course. Then yes, its definitely worth the time.
Hope this helps!
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