Don't Fly Solo: Why the Best Business Acumen Training is Team-Based

Published Date
June 6, 2015

Why Team-Based Simulations Work Better Than Individual Learning
This post is part of a series on how business acumen simulations can go wrong.
Near the top of the list:
Isolating participants.
Here's why that creates problems for learning and engagement.
Team-Based Simulations: Learning Through Interaction
A team-based simulation is interactive:
- It creates dialogue as participants with different job functions share their perspectives.
- It helps everyone absorb different points of view about what the simulated business needs.
To maximize this interaction:
- The game should reflect real-world roles.
- The team should cycle through these roles—taking turns as the:
- Salesperson
- Finance manager
- Operations lead
- Strategy planner
By rotating roles, participants will:
- Learn the rules of business.
- Understand the language of finance.
- See how different job functions impact decisions.
- Practice decision-making from different perspectives.
- Improve communication and teamwork.
The Risk of Isolated Simulations
When participants work alone or never cycle through roles:
- They lose the benefits of cross-functional learning.
- They miss opportunities to develop communication skills.
- They risk reinforcing silo thinking.
Key Questions to Evaluate Your Simulation
- How frequent are the dialogues?
- Is the dialogue driven by the need to make decisions?
- How many roles are represented?
- Who makes the decisions—individuals, teams, or the facilitator?