05. Why Do Real Business Drivers Matter in a Simulation
Eliza Helweg-Larsen
Published Date
Choosing the Best Business Acumen Simulation is our comprehensive 17-part guide to evaluating, selecting, and achieving meaningful results with business simulations. In this installment, we explore Real Business Drivers — why relevance to daily work drives better learning.
Why Relevance to Daily Work Drives Better Learning
A simulation is a model of business—but what kind of business is it modeling, and whose business is it? If the business drivers in the simulation don’t match your participants’ real-world roles, it’s not just a mismatch—it can be a turn-off and a missed opportunity.
Look at the decisions that drive success in the simulation. Are they the kinds of decisions your audience is making—or will make—in their jobs?
Some simulations are built around high-level strategic moves: entering a new region, launching a new product line, acquiring another company. These are valuable conversations—but only if your audience has a seat at the table where those strategies are set. Otherwise, these games devalue participants’ real-world activities, portraying them as unimportant to the company’s success.
In contrast, simulations focused on real-world operational decisions—like payment terms, marketing spend, resource allocation, or process changes—deliver more tangible value. They reflect the levers your learners actually control.
(Income|Outcome is particularly strong in this regard, able to flex its model from strictly operational improvements for frontline employees all the way to strategically challenging issues for senior managers.)
Key Questions to Ask
- Are there multiple paths to success—or just one “right” strategy?
- Does the level of decisions in the game align with the decisions your learners make?
- Will participants leave with insights they can use in their roles?
Where Things Go Wrong
Learning sticks when it feels real. If a simulation funnels everyone toward one predefined solution, the learning becomes passive. If teams can explore different paths—with varied but valid outcomes—they stay engaged and accountable.
And if those paths reflect familiar decisions and tradeoffs? That’s where the learning becomes meaningful and memorable.
Bottom Line
Choose simulations that model relevant business drivers—especially those tied to your audience’s daily challenges. When success in the game mirrors success in the real world, participants not only learn, they apply that learning with confidence.
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| Avoid: Modeling the Wrong Business Drivers Because… unrealistic or irrelevant scenarios do not connect to real-world functions. | Look for: Relevant Real-World Business Drivers Because… people connect to scenarios that reflect their real-world roles, and the learning sticks! |
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