Business Game Learning Objectives

The demand for business games as training tools is high. It is recognised that they provide an extremely powerful learning experience combined with a high degree of excitement and enjoyment. In this sense, a game is the business management equivalent of the simulator used in training by astronauts, airline pilots and the like. It provides learning in a risk-free environment.

A strong feature of the power of business games is their universal relevance, not only in the range of objectives to which they can be put, but in the range of people, nationalities, cultures, organisations, functions and ages who can benefit. Levels of challenge may be set as appropriate to the participating players.

The purposes for which games are used vary in detail from situation to situation, but a pattern is clear. The main purposes include:

To improve individual and group decision-making skills

To identify and develop leadership and team-management skills

To consolidate corporate identity, culture and mutual trust

To encourage and develop strategic vision and creative thinking

To increase understanding of group behaviour 

To improve interpersonal skill, sensitivity and influence

To help recognise and understand the inter-relationships and interdependence of the different 
functional areas in a business

To increase individual knowledge of key functional areas eg. marketing, finance

To develop better understanding of information needs and information systems design

To help improve data handling skills and the identification of relevant information

To improve individual presentation skills

(With acknowledgement to John Handley, General Manager, Cranfield Business Games, Cranfield School of Management)