Management simulation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Management simulation games are variants of business simulation games that focus on the training of leadership skills .

history

The first management simulation games were developed in the mid-1970s with the aim of making it possible to diagnose and improve management behavior through feedback under conditions that were as realistic as possible. They have the same roots as the other business simulation games and simulations . The management simulation games “RADMIS” by the Center for Creative Leadership (see first link below) and “TIMM” (The Interactive Manager), which was developed by Harvard Business School in cooperation with numerous companies, became particularly well known . Another example is the Wharton Teamwork and Leadership Simulation (WTLS) from the University of Pennsylvania or - in Germany - the management simulation games "SOLARIS" and "CREARIS" from the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen . Antons' proposals, which are based on the work of Blake and Shepard, among other things, are among the forerunners in the German-speaking world.

Figure: Management simulation - management summary

application

With the help of management simulation games , management and work processes can be simulated realistically. In the simulation , participants are required as a manager to handle most realistic leadership. This includes, among other things: agreeing on goals, passing on information, delegating tasks, making decisions, organizing work processes, exercising control and steering, promoting self-motivation of employees and overcoming stress and conflict situations . In most management simulation games , the management processes are simulated across several hierarchical levels . The managers receive specific goals and tasks that must be solved with the help of the employees. After each simulation , the managers receive feedback from the employees and the trainer about the strengths and weaknesses shown in leadership behavior. Furthermore, the cooperation is discussed and the participants receive feedback on the results achieved. So on the one hand it is about leadership success (behavior) and on the other hand about economic success (results such as profitability and productivity). Ultimately, managers are measured by the economic success of their company (long-term viability of the company and fulfillment of stakeholder expectations ). After evaluating a period, the functions are changed (employees take over the tasks of managers and vice versa).

Industry-specific management simulation games versus industry-neutral versions

In industry-specific management simulation games, the subject-specific work processes from the industry from which the participants come are simulated. The closer the tasks are to reality, the faster the participants can experience excessive and insufficient demands. A risk with industry-specific tasks is that the participants come under pressure to justify poor factual results in the evaluation discussion and the discussion about the factual results drifts away, where it should actually be about leadership behavior and cooperation (the cause of poor performance is then the fact sought that the simulation is not close enough to reality instead of assuming the problems primarily in one's own behavior). This could be due to the so-called control belief. Conclusion: Sector-specific variants have the advantage of greater similarity between the simulated and real reality. But this can be a disadvantage when it comes to working your way into a new environment as quickly and effectively as possible (greater challenge).

See also

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Dunbar, RLM et al., Management development: choosing the right leadership simulation for the task, in: Journal of Management Education, Vol. 16 (1992), No. 2
  2. ↑ Dionne, SD / Dionne, PJ, A levels-based leadership simulation: insights regarding group decision optimization, in: Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 19 (2008), No. 2
  3. ^ Krasimir, V. et al., The teaching of leadership: a comparative analysis, 1996
  4. ^ Pelz, W., Management simulation games in management development, THM Business School, Giessen 2014
  5. ↑ Antons, K., Practice of Group Dynamics, Göttingen 1973, 5th edition, Göttingen 1992
  6. ^ Blake, RR / Mouton, JS, Managing intergroup conflict in industry, Houston, 1964

literature

  • Antons, K., Practice of Group Dynamics, Göttingen 1973, 5th edition, Göttingen 1992
  • Blake, RR / Mouton, JS, Managing intergroup conflict in industry, Houston, 1964
  • Boone, C., Team composition, leadership and information-processing behavior, A simulation game study of the locus-of-control personality trait, Maastricht, 2003
  • Dionne, SD / Dionne, PJ, A levels-based leadership simulation: insights regarding group decision optimization, in: Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 19 (2008), No. 2
  • Dunbar, RLM et al., Management development: choosing the right leadership simulation for the task, in: Journal of Management Education, Vol. 16 (1992), No. 2
  • Krasimir, V. et al., The teaching of leadership: a comparative analysis, 1996