Simpact

This simulation, developed with Impact Development Training Group, is very different to our other products, with teams representing both the board and an operational unit of their company, it provides:

• An unrivalled mix of emphasis on both soft and hard management and team skills within a highly realistic business context.
• Direct feedback to each delegate on their business and interpersonal performance.
• A holistic environment which provides the continuity in which skills can be continuously developed.
• Realism and work relevance combined with the power, fun and impact of experiential learning.

Scenario & Decision Making

Teams inherit a media business in the year 2021. The company offers news services and a film library and have the opportunity to diversify into the production of TV programmes, adverts and music videos. The companies are well established but have put in a consistently mediocre performance and weaknesses are now starting to show. The Board analyses the position of the business, sets objectives and a strategy. They then have the chance to address the business issues facing them, including managing the operational team. After each year's trading they will receive a computer printout detailing: Their financial results, soft data like quality, creativity, customer satisfaction and staff skills, and a market summary, news and messages.

The operational team assess work from customers and plan its successful production. This involves creating film footage, with most of the initial work being for news networks. The creation of the footage is logistically, operationally and creatively demanding. At the end of a year the work output is judged against key customer criteria and included in the company performance profile. Customer feedback to the team is routed through the board. Their performance is assumed to be representative of all operational units, so productivity, creativity and the quality of their work drive business performance - just like real life.

Each team's performance will be dependent on the market environment, their operational performance, their competitor's decisions and indeed their own decisions.

At the end of each "year" (a 3-hour round) the decisions from each board and the performance of their operational unit are combined and input into a sophisticated computer model. Reviews are then held the focus of which can be process and/or task based depending on the needs of the group. Alignment, communication and teamwork are underlining themes and roles are rotated so each delegate experiences both parts of the business.

Duration

Simpact requires at least 2 days and is typically run over a 3 day period, while with other inputs it can be run over longer periods.