Since 1999, we have been using business strategy games. We started with the first-year engineering students in order to introduce management classes in a few hours. This was a good compromise between formal courses and practice work, and it is still the case!
Management is not the major concern for engineers, we only have a few hours dedicated to these courses compared to business schools. The objectives are different too: for engineering students, we try to make them “management oriented”, that is to say able to know what management is and able to communicate with business people. Thus, they have to practice with management tools in order to understand the other point of view, even if they will not become specialists.
For many years, we had been using other software for students in their final year. We needed changes! This is a good reason, isn’t it? I found Cesim Global Challenge excellent for working under assumptions. This allowed students to easily test different strategies, which was one of our objectives. During the 2 first years they discover management, study the major tools and after that we focus on figure analysis, dealing with performance indicators. We mix face to face classes with online time for the students. During the face to face, students feel free to ask questions and we can advise them by giving them new approaches, new tools. With online time, they go further and deeper in the game using the tools given.
Competition and gaming are certainly the most motivating words during the game. All of the students get into the game quickly even if some of them are not very keen on management such as foreign students. The opportunity of playing the way they want, with open spaces in the school, or large schedule with evening decisions, lead them to autonomy in a secure environment. Some of them will fail in managing their firm but they learn anyway.
We try to advise students even more than telling them what to do. We have to be very keen on the game to provide them keys for explaining the competition, the trend, some figures and show where to find and analyze information. We suggest different tools, ways of screening, connecting with the strategy. We also suggest that they try and make errors to improve!
Business simulations are pivotal because they have to work properly to avoid computer problems, as well as, they show the context of competition. However, more important than the game, is the environment you have to build around the game:
Keep cool, it never works as you were thinking but you have to be prepared under any circumstances!
Try to build a specific team dedicated to the business game, because last minute workers are not always efficient!