Simulations

Would you rather learn via 200 powerpoint slides or an immersive interactive experience? As a big believer in the principles of adult education and the power of experiential learning, the Talent Advisor is an extensive user of simulations that have been carefully curated over 20+ years and follow a strict “no fluff zone” policy. These simulations are most commonly deployed: (1) within a leadership development program, (2) a team building day, (3) a conference, (4) an offsite retreat, (5) to help a project team gel.
Brief overviews of some of the best simulations are listed below. We will help you choose the simulation right for you based on what you want to accomplish! Note SOME of these simulations can be acquired in products.

The Gold Mining Expedition

Time: 3 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person
Group Size: 4-50 people
Ideal Team Size: 3-5 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Collaboration vs Competition, Planning and Execution, Risk, Teamwork, Decision Making
Description: With a large map at each table, teams plan a 20 day trip into the mountains with a goal to mine as much gold as possible and return home safely. Multiple routes are available, food/fuel/supplies are scarce, and weather is unpredictable. A highly interactive simulation with many lessons that people remember for years afterward!

The Land Acquisition Simulation

Time: 2.5 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person or virtual
Group Size: 4-200 people
Ideal Team Size: 3-5 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Strategy, Risk Taking vs Playing Safe, Managing Profitability, Decision Making, Leadership, Teamwork
Description: In this land acquisition scenario you work in teams to explore a large 12 x 12 grid to acquire ideal land for growing grapes. Teams have limited access to information that is only partially accurate and must collaborate within their team (while competing against other teams), to make decisions and get results over 4 quarters. Teams will encounter many challenges: leadership (formal and informal), team building, transfer of key people, financial and time constraints, planning, decision making, communicating, conflict resolution, interpersonal relationships, risk taking, and dealing with unexpected events. A highly interactive simulation!

Leading Change: A Simulation with GlobalTech

Time: 7 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person or virtual
Group Size: 4-200 people
Ideal Team Size: 2-6 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Leading Change, Leadership, Project Management, Vision & Execution, Teamwork, Communication, Collaboration
Description: You work in teams to help GlobalTech navigate a change in their strategy.  Some of their people think this change is great, some are on the fence, and some are completely opposed.  Given a timeframe of 18 months and budget of $500K, your team will create a change plan aimed at boosting the level of cultural buy-in from the current level of 6% to over 60%.  The future of GlobalTech rests in your hands.  Good Luck! Aligned well to all change models (Kotter, ProSci, etc.)

Common Currency Simulation

Time: 2.5 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person
Group Size: 12-100 people
Ideal Team Size: 3-6 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Competition, Collaboration, Trust, Teamwork, Communication, Results, Negotiation
Description: 8 countries have just been amalgamated into 1 country and will soon move to a common currency. Your objective is to collect the highest scoring combination of coins but the problem is no one knows the value of the coins in the new system - but some information has been leaked to different teams! Teams must now simultaneously compete and collaborate to collect the highest scoring combination of coins. The resulting interactions provide ample basis for many debrief lessons that apply directly to workplaces! Very high energy and interactive!

Tower Building Simulation

Time: 2 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person
Group Size: 6-200 people
Ideal Team Size: 4-5 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Innovation, Leadership, Teamwork, Planning, Adapting to Change
Description: Working in teams of 4-5 people with an assigned leader, teams complete over 3 fiscal years for the title of world’s best tower builder. Teams innovate, strategize, execute, and deal with wrinkles each year. An all time favorite simulation in any sector!

The 3 Organizational Levels Simulation

Time: 4.0 hours (includes debrief)
Delivery Format: In-person
Group Size: 10-60 people
Top 5 Lessons: Strategy, Change, Metrics, Process Efficiency, Communication, Leadership, Collaboration
Description: We’ve all seen what happens when the 3 levels of an organization (executive, managers, and workers) are working well together, and what happens when they aren’t! In this simulation, the executive, managers, and workers all work together over 4 fiscal quarters to ensure that strategy, materials, money, and people are optimally allocated and aligned. If they aren’t aligned, infighting, hoarding, stranded assets, and financial under-performance will occur. However, If they are aligned, the result is a high performing organization with engaged people and major productivity. Highly interactive!

Win As Much As You Can

Time: 2 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person or virtual
Group Size: 6-200 people
Ideal Team Size: 2-8 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Trust, Teamwork, Communication
Description: This is a very competitive activity that  shows the impact of various win-lose situations on groups where they need to make decisions to compete vs collaborate with other groups. This simulation dramatizes the merits of both competitive and collaborative models within the context of intra-group and inter-group relations.

Lego Robot

Time: 2 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person or virtual
Group Size: 6-100 people
Ideal Team Size: 2-4 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Vision, Execution, Teamwork, Communication, Collaboration, Details vs Big Picture
Description: Teams have 20 min to create a plan to build the LegoRobot from 47 lego pieces. They have limited access to a prototype but when assembly begins, access to the prototype ceases. At first glance the LegoRobot appears symmetrical but it’s not and the underside is even more complex. Highly interactive with great lessons.

Planning & Implementing

Time: 2 hours (includes debrief)
Format: In-person or virtual
Group Size: 6-100 people
Ideal Team Size: 2-4 people per team
Top 5 Lessons: Importance of Vision+Strategy+Execution, Leadership, Challenge of Hand-offs Between Departments, Teamwork, Communication
Description: Each team will sub-divide themselves into Planners and Implementers. Planners stay in the room and have up to 25 min to plan a project (assembly of a large and complex 2D shape of 16 pieces), that the Implementers (who have been out of the room) then have to come back into the room to implement. Teams are allowed some limited communication.