Blog : Business Games and Business SimulationsEducating Senior Management About Business GamesSeptember 9, 2008 | 6:05 AM
 In the early 90’s, when we first started our business, it happened a lot. I would hear “We don’t play games here at XYZ Company…we’re serious about our business”. Now, fast forward to 2008. Although the use of games and other discovery learning techniques is much more widely accepted, every once in a while I still encounter a company executive who objects to game playing as an educational approach. As a learning professional, you might also run into these objections. Here are some examples of issues I’ve encountered over the years and some thoughts on how to address them: · Aren’t business games more about fun than serious learning?“ Well, not if they are designed to successfully get learners learning! When facing possible objections to games, I often use the phrase “sophisticated business simulation disguised as a board game” to get into the executive suite. I’ve found that if I can get a senior executive engaged in a demonstration of one of our “games”, objections disappear pretty quickly. For example, I was recently able to take the CFO of a major company through a shortened version of one of Paradigm’s business acumen simulations and he got so involved in the experience that his perspective changed 180 degrees. He saw that the game was an easy – and fun- way to convey some very sophisticated financial concepts. In fact, it was as if a light bulb went off. “This is what I’ve been attempting to get people to understand with my PowerPoint presentation for years!” So, one trick is to use your best persuasive approach to get past the initial objection so that you can get your executives playing the game you want to use. ·We’ve developed a program internally and think it’s fine – Ownership pride is hard to overcome! Recently, a training director I know took a risk and persuaded two senior finance managers to “just take a look” at a business acumen game. The game would be an alternative to a program that they had developed themselves (A Powerpoint program, what else! ) Her persistence paid off. The two finance managers decided that they should have been using the game all along and said “this is not really a game after all! ”. They became such advocates that they acted as subject matter experts for customizing the program to their financial metrics. So, sometimes, it’s about being willing to take a risk in order to make your case. ·Can a complex subject really be taught in a game? – This is another common concern, especially around subjects like business acumen. Actually, complex subjects can often be learned faster and with much higher retention when they are presented in a game format. Learners are more motivated to learn, they have fun learning, and they are learning along with others. There have been studies showing, for example, that a discovery learning approach can improve retention by 70-80% over traditional learning methods. Games involve learners and make them think. They even exert a certain amount of “peer” pressure, since games are usually designed to be played with others in a time-compressed environment. So, what I’ve found is that using information from studies about the effectiveness of games and simulations and sharing the successes of other organizations can help overcome this objection. So I’m curious, have you had struggles getting games accepted for use in your business? What have you done to overcome objections? A New Kind of Work Environment for a New Kind of GenerationJuly 3, 2008 | 5:51 AM
Their level of stimulation and what they need to keep engaged and interested is different than previous generations. Training and development has to see that as an opportunity to do things differently. A stand-and-deliver lecture is not going to work with this population. You need to integrate media, you need to address different learning styles and you have to keep it brief and to the point. We have certainly seen an increase in the number of human resource and training professionals looking for new, fast-paced and multi-sensory ways to deliver important content to their younger generation audiences. That's why the use of discovery learning approaches -- for example, game techniques, high-energy simulations, small team problem-solving activities and integrated auditory, visual and tactile stimulation, are increasing. If you haven't taken a recent look at the courses you are conductingwith an eye toward refreshing those courses with discovery learning techniques, it's probably a good time to do it! Paradigm Learning Cofounders Win Top Honors as ISA Thought LeadersApril 29, 2008 | 10:32 AM
I am very pleased to announce the presentation of the 2008 Thought Leadership Award from ISA to Paradigm Learning cofounders Raymond Green and Catherine Rezak. According to ISA, the award “recognizes those whose body of work in support of organizational learning and corporate performance has significantly influenced people and companies. Through advocacy of ideas and commitment to actions, recipients not only positively influenced clients and industry colleagues, but also facilitated respect for the learning and performance industry overall.” Ray and Cathy have met those criteria by demonstrating their ability to think “outside the box.” Their concepts,methodologies and products havepromoted organizational training in business-critical content areas like business acumen, leadership accountability, organizational change, project management and more. They have consistently challenged traditional training methods and focused on innovative ideasfor the enhancement of learning.
I hope you will join me in congratulating Ray and Cathy. Training 135,000 Starbuck Employees in Three HoursFebruary 28, 2008 | 12:51 PM
What I found especially interesting is that Starbucks seems to have done three things that Paradigm Learning believes in very strongly and uses when workingwith clients to educate employees through the Discovery Map approach. First, when something is critical, it's important to provide the educationin a way that ensures quick deployment and consistency of message. Starbucks seems to have made a very costly decision to shut down across the country so that everyone, every where could "get it" at the same time. Although simultaneous training like this is probably very rare, we strongly advise our clients that it's important to get as many people involved as quickly as possible when they need to be educated about mission critical initiatives, strategies, values or goals. Second, when the message is critical, make sure the reason for its importance is clearly communicated. Starbucks' top executive made sure he let everyone know why the shutdown was occurring and how important it was to keep standards high. The company could have just "trained" people in coffee making -- some companies might have simply taken this technical approach -- but, instead, Starbucks appeared to want to involve employees in the values and mission of the company. We often find ourselves advising clients to more strongly integrate the "why are we doing this" component within their education and communication efforts. Third, learning by doing is a highly effective way for a variety of learners from different backgrounds, different generations and different learning styles to "get it." Starbucks seems to have made sure that everyone had the opportunity to be "hands-on"during his or her training. We refer to this type of approach as using discovery learning methodology -- letting learners touch, feel and discover-- to enhance internalization and retention. I am impressed with the commitment of Starbucks executives to the education of the company's customer service workforce,and with their decision to make this kind of investment of time and money through a three-hour shutdown. What do you think? Classroom 2.0: The Classroom of the FutureJanuary 25, 2008 | 7:39 AM
He says: “Our organizations are still offering a great deal of learning experiences in a face to face classroom. And, the classroom will not go away anytime soon. The methods will evolve, the footprint will change and even the roles of learners and teachers will be rocked, but we still will have a good number of classrooms. So, let' s brainstorm about Classroom 2.0. If your organization asked you to design the Classroom of the Future, for deployment today, what would you suggest? What technologies, layouts, new roles and altered methods would you deploy?” Some very good answers have been posted. Here are my thoughts: Whatever the technology or physical layout of the room, classes of the future will be more fun and socially interactive. Discovery learning techniques such as games, simulations,maps and small team problem-solving will be used in more and more content areas. Engagement of learners will be increasingly critical to the classroom learning environment -- that means higher levels of visual and auditory stimulation, tactile involvement of learners in their learning process, gaming techniques to keep energy and focus high, and peer-to-peer interactivity and shared learning. Done well, this learning methodology will not only engage learners, but will accelerate the learning and increase retention of information and skills. |
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