Business management games for schoolchildren. Seven interesting communication games for managers

BUSINESS GAME SCENARIO

FOR sales managers

"Customer Focused Selling"

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE BUSINESS GAME:

A step-by-step walkthrough of the Company’s existing business process in the field of sales.

Development of negotiation skills with clients (working with objections, arguing economic benefits, etc.).

Practicing the coordination of working conditions (contracts) with clients based on the adopted corporate strategy.

Development and training of a joint strategy for interaction between the Company’s sales specialists and clients.

DAY 1 – “Effective start of interaction with the client”

DAY 2 – “Creating conditions for a positive conclusion to sales negotiations”

Descriptions of the team building business game program

Purpose of the event:

Team building and creating a positive management culture.

Objectives of the event:

increase team cohesion;

gain experience in effective team interaction;

improve methods for distributing duties and responsibilities, as well as roles between team members;

unification around a common goal;

avoiding conflict situations in the interaction process;

development of joint decisions.

Business games are developed for a specific team to achieve specific results.

Development of a business game script to suit the Customer’s needs in 3 days. The cost is 30,000 rubles / day. Consultations by phone are free. A little more about business games: Participants are immersed in a pre-planned game situation, with its own pitfalls, which can simulate difficult work moments. A business game allows you to get out of the usual daily rhythm, look at the situation from the other side, and “play” in different ways. The gameplay allows you to relieve tension and, as a result, the potential of the participants is more fully released, which is then consolidated in real situations. “Long” sales, multi-move combinations, tenders, and operational developments are modeled very well for a business game, where it is important to think through every step and measure every action. The business game organically includes elements of business training, group and individual coaching, and a strategic session. A business game can simulate the events that are planned in the company and it is possible to analyze actions and results in advance. How easy a business game can be, how complex it can be, where the emphasis and priorities are placed - all these are changeable parameters, depending on the needs of the organization and the level of participants. In this format, you can do everything: make a manager feel like a director, a production worker feel like a salesperson, and a salesperson feel like an owner. A business game can provide an opportunity to understand another person more and look at business from a different angle. The course of a business game can always go where the organizer needs it. We can encounter a certain problem in a playful, emotional way and immediately find ways to solve it, in an innovative, non-routine way. In a business game, the personal qualities of the participants are very clearly demonstrated, so this format is often combined with the assessment of personnel for certain competencies. For example, when forming a personnel management reserve, since in the group work of a business game, the manifestation of leadership and organizational qualities, focus on results and achievements is inevitable. A business game allows you to unite a team and look at the hidden contradictions inherent in it.

Despite the fact that the business game procedure has existed for decades, now corporate business games (CBG) are a new answer to the questions: “How to predict the development of business events?”, “How to influence the organization and the market?”, “How develop and train staff? A corporate business game is a full-scale event, designed for 8 to 36 hours of group work, with a single task and structure. (The business game as an element of training is not discussed here.) A business game is a conditional reproduction, imitation, simulation of a real situation, a real activity that the participants master. Of course, CDI topics can be different. Most often, topics are related to changes planned in the company: new business processes, new divisions, expanding the range, entering new markets, mergers, necessary team interaction, etc. The topics are practically unlimited, the main thing is the ability to describe and structure them. In a corporate business game, the process of activity of managers and specialists is modeled, where the organization is viewed as a single whole, consisting of parts. The apogee of CDI is the complete imitation of changes implemented by the company using time scaling! The number of personnel who participate in the corporate business game ranges from 6 to 300 employees who are actually involved in the tasks being worked on. How are corporate business games created? This is a creative process in which two parties participate: game developers (representatives of the training company) and task designers (company employees). Moreover, the task for conducting a CDI should be one, for example, to debug the interaction of two structures (companies, divisions, etc.) or work out business processes when developing a new region, a new product, etc., and the subtasks solved in the process of CDI are more diverse. For example, the subtask of control, setting tasks, transmitting information, etc. In CDI, by prescribing business processes, you can really understand and see the reality of execution, where there are errors, where there is redundancy and where there is insufficient actions or resources. The client’s request must be carefully studied, and then the task must be translated into a business game, which is a semblance of real business life. Thus, clients have the opportunity to both see what is happening now and understand what changes to make in order for the company to function as productively as possible. And, probably most importantly, right in the business game, transformations are carried out both in people and in organizations that lead the company to new results! What are the benefits of CDI for a company? We believe that the advantages of CDI are as follows.

1.Togetherness, universality, cohesion. Brick wall effect. During a business game, employees do not just participate, as in a regular exercise, they live this moment, become emotionally involved in the activity, and perceive the game model realistically. In the process of work, cohesion increases; effective achievement of results is impossible without the participation of all training participants. “In order to build a strong wall of a house, it is necessary that every brick takes its place,” without the participation of everyone, a successful result is impossible. And in the game this is very clearly felt, felt by everyone.

2.Learning occurs collaboratively, simultaneously, but purposefully. Anthill effect. A business game involves learning in a single rhythm for all participants, however, in addition to the joint one, everyone also performs their own clearly defined role, which implies: working in a diverse mode, in a team mode, in an independent activity mode. These areas enhance the impact on the participant and require maximum return from him.

3.Communication during the game is as close as possible to real life. The effect of transition from card to treasure. The business game is real for the participants at the time of its implementation. At the time of the game, people see each other in roles, and as a result, interact with each other at the level of life relationships.

4.Individuality of the proposed game and increasing efficiency. Sieve effect, screening out husks. A business game increases efficiency if it is individually, personalized, as it returns people to the real conditions of their immediate activities and identifies possible problems. It is able to identify real conflicts, difficulties and moments of lengthy negotiations. This helps to identify real facts that hinder further possible development, and resolve them or identify them during a general group analysis.

5.Integrity, integrity and duration of the game. From one sprout to a forest. The integrity of the CDI and consistency allows you to recreate the entire gamut of corporate relationships, opportunities and difficulties. Step by step, moving forward in modeling, we create a complete picture.

And at the end, we want to give a few examples of CDI that have been implemented for clients. Using these examples, you can grasp the essence and understand the essence of corporate business games. KDI “DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW REGION” The concept of CDI and a description of the logic of the development of events. KDI is being built and developed as a simulation of the development of a new region. Several competitors simultaneously enter the market with a product line that is 80% identical in characteristics and 20% different. The same percentage ratio characterizes the company's advantages. The CDI proceeds as a series of natural stages for the formation and development of regional representation. During the game, before each logical block, the coach makes a theoretical insert on a particular topic. Then an introduction is given, which describes, firstly, the state of the external environment, and secondly, the goals set by the central office. Then a certain time is given to plan and implement certain actions. In a business game, time scaling is used, when, for example, every 10 - 20 minutes in the game is equal to one month in real life. In this way, key points are placed that control the success of a particular company. After each stage of the company’s development (the logical block of the business game), the results are summed up with team and individual points being awarded, which is reflected on a special indicative game sheet. The behavior of a particular team is also considered with analysis and recommendations for the future. Each block ends, as it begins, with a theoretical insert. The business game as a whole ends with a general summing up, awarding the winners and setting goals for self-development and the development of the reporting region. What participants receive and learn.

Model of behavior in real conditions.

Theoretical justification of competition methods.

Self-management and team management skills in realistic conditions.

Feedback (both quantitative and qualitative) about your strengths and weaknesses.

Own development plan.

Logical blocks of a business game.

1.Market analysis and goal setting.

Market analysis, SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats).

Searching for dealers, studying strengths and weaknesses.

Subdealer research.

Consumer demand research.

Setting tasks and goals.

Types and subordination of goals:

§strategic goals,

§tactical goals,

§operational goals.

Planning of key areas of activity and the SMART model.

2.Access to the market.

Sequence of steps.

Selection and implementation of a strategy for interaction with dealers.

Agreement and agreements with dealers.

Contacts with sub-dealers.

3.Growth of representation.

Understanding of competitive position and marketing strategy.

§Leader, leadership contender, growing company, imitator, occupying a niche.

Development of tactical ways to implement the strategy.

Competitive analysis with development of related actions.

§Threat from market newcomers.

§Bargaining power of the firm's clients.

§Threat of substitute products.

§Intensity of rivalry between competing firms.

Impact on the distribution channel.

§Push and pull strategies.

§Influencing dealers and sub-dealers.

4.Maturity. Positioning of the company and product - highlighting distinctive sustainable advantages in relation to competitors in the eyes of customers.

Positioning of a product/service for selected target segments.

Positioning training for dealers and sub-dealers.

Sales promotion technologies.

Dealer incentives.

Subdealer incentives.

Description of business processes in sales. Optimization of information flows. Territorial analysis and classification of orders.

ABC – analysis (univariate).

Portfolio analysis (two-factor).

Classification of approaches to personal selling and awareness of one’s own role.

Trade that stimulates response.

Need-oriented trade.

Solution-oriented trading.

Advisory trading.

Planning a strategy for the trading process (from an unfamiliar client to a regular one). Planning a negotiation strategy during a meeting (from greeting to farewell).

5.Difficult market situations, crises, unexpected actions of competitors and customers (using the example of this block, a topic such as self-management is discussed, because it is in difficult situations that a person’s ability to manage himself and those around him is manifested). Planning and goal setting.

Main characteristics of targets. - Operational, tactical and strategic plans. - Understanding of key areas of activity. - Personel assessment.

Independent task setting.

Lead time. - Reality of implementation. - Clearly formulated expected result. - Description of the means to solve the problem and their availability. - Description of the algorithm for solving the problem (if the problem is not creative). - Attractiveness.

Making decisions.

6 decision making steps. - Errors when making decisions.

Control and evaluation of activities.

Control methods. - Minimization rule.

KDI "EFFECTIVE INTERACTION" The concept of the event. KDI “Effective Interaction” is aimed at developing interaction between two companies (supplier - client, company - distributor, etc.) or departments within the company (marketing - sales department, etc.) and any other structures. KDI “Effective Interaction” allows you to simulate the interaction of two (three or more) structures, diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and create new interaction technologies. In the process of implementing a business game, the necessary connections are debugged, polished, and participants acquire the necessary communication and cognitive skills that facilitate interaction. One of the properties of a business game is its versatility, which allows you to transfer tasks to real game playback mode, in which both solutions and further analysis of the causes occur. The problems solved in a business game are actual tasks that need to be worked out to improve the efficiency of the company. The structure of the game and its main elements depend on the immediate task, the number and level of participants, etc. Basic blocks of a business game.

1. In the business game “Effective Interaction”, the necessary theoretical material is used as a basis, a new game world is created, where the group is divided into 3-5 separate states. In this exercise, the contribution of each participant is required. The value of everyone's personal contribution to team work increases. Individual interest in creating a project makes the participants involved in the entire training process.

2. The introduction of objective elements into the created game world: the name of the state, its history, relations with local residents, political system, ethics and morality, economy, useful natural resources, culture, currency of states, forms of greetings and farewells between local residents, and so on. Correlation between the abstract and the real. The teams that have created their states have a sense of value, a comparison of the real and the fictional, i.e. yourself and your creation.

3.Creating interaction between game states and teams, holding internal games, for example:

onegotiations between delegates for the trade of resources, defending the individual interests of game states at the general “world” level,

onegotiations on exchange rates,

onegotiations on interaction technologies.

4. Strengthening cohesion within teams, defending interests, possible problems arising during negotiations are perceived more acutely, personally and emotionally. The difficulties that arise at this level reflect real difficulties of both a systemic and personal nature.

5.Analysis of real results. Correlating them with possible and predictable ones. Assignment of game team points, enhancing the spirit of competition. In the future, the game evaluation system lasts until the end of the business game, which is a strong motivator and an additional connecting link. Increased desire to win. Comparison of real results and the desire to perform activities more efficiently.

6.Continuation of group play and inclusion of real life elements. Introduction into the work process of tasks aimed at solving issues related to direct examples from the company’s field of activity. Eg:

Concluding contracts for the supply of goods. - Discussion of logistics problems. - Creation of a bank for storing and exchanging information. - Consolidation and division of territories, responsibilities and powers. - Merger of companies. - Redistribution of functions.

7. Immersion of participants in reality. Strengthening interaction. Diagnosis of real difficulties. Finding ways and means of new actions. Training in new communication and cognitive technologies. Consideration of nuances, taking into account individual personal characteristics.

8. A large final task that requires participants to use all available resources to realize an effective result. Due to full involvement in the game form of interaction, participants reflect real moments from working practice as accurately as possible. The real state of affairs is simulated. Where everyone has their own responsibilities, transmission links are reflected, and the time and energy of each task are considered. A time scale is assigned (for example, 1 minute equals 3, 6, 12 hours). The interaction mechanism is launched. A lot is visible. Who is inactive, who is involved, which links are strong, which are broken. Where there is an overload of management, cash and commodity flows that is idle. Maximum simulation of reality!!!

9. In the final discussion there is a complete analysis of the entire process of the game, the difficulties and options offered by the participants. People and technologies, pros and cons, opportunities and dangers are considered. Invaluable analysis. Transfer to real interaction. Setting goals for the future.

We call programs of this format "General Staff", since the management team (management teams) essentially works as a “headquarters”, organizing and coordinating the activities of other business units (project teams).

To the program "General Staff" includes work with the following topics: integration of corporate values ​​(in behavioral manifestations), leadership, formation of a culture of support for the Leader, mentoring and constructive feedback, management processes (creation of IOD, goal setting, organization, coordination, motivation, control)

Advantages of this approach:

The realism of the activities of program participants increases (closer to the business environment), the past experience of managers is in demand and used, and the experience gained in the program is transferred to business activities.

The management team, by being visible and demonstrating effective and efficient performance, increases its authority among the staff. In addition, members of the management team, acting as an example, can transmit from top to bottom approaches and methods of work, standards of behavior and interaction, corporate values ​​and philosophy.

Joint success is the result of the combined efforts of ALL program participants; as a result, motivation to work together increases, a sense of “we” develops, and identification with the company increases.

Another version of games that simulate solving problems of the full management cycle, but with a creative twist, are programs like “Making a Movie” and “Formula 1”.

Business game Business game is a means of simulating various conditions of professional activity (including extreme ones) by searching for new ways to carry it out. The business game simulates various aspects of human activity and social interaction. The game is also a method of effective learning, since it removes the contradictions between the abstract nature of the educational subject and the real nature of professional activity.




PROCEDURE FOR CARRYING OUT A BUSINESS GAME In a business game, the following stages can be distinguished: 1. Introduction to the game. 2. Dividing students into groups. 3. Study of the situation (scenario). 4. Discussion of the situation in groups. Development of group structure. Distribution of roles within the group. 5. Game process (analysis of the situation, development of long-term plans, decision-making, its execution). 6. Summing up the game. Analysis of group activities. Assessments of students' role performance. 7. Analysis of the optimal option. 8. General discussion.




An example of the TOWER business game. Materials: newspapers, cardboard, glue, paper clips, tape Time required: 1 hour 15 minutes Purpose: This is a team building exercise that attempts to show the situation of working in a team, overcoming communication barriers between participants. This business game is used to encourage players to think about the factors that help and hinder team building. Group size: Group of at least 12 people. (That is, two teams as a minimum) Settings: classroom, seminar room or conference room with a minimum amount of furniture. Players should be able to form teams and build their own “structures.” Stage 1: Participants are divided into teams by drawing lots. These are departments of, say, a construction company. The customer wants to build 4 towers. Conditions: beauty, stability (must stand for more than 3 minutes), layout height (more than 1.50 m)




An example of the TOWER business game. Stage 2: Each team is now a design department - creating a project for its tower. Time 0:30 Task: The team creates a tower design on paper. Conditions for the game: Every 10 minutes - representatives of departments can hold meetings. Other communication between teams and departments is prohibited. Stage 3: We pass the technology around to the next team. Now you need to build a TOWER according to the technology description. Time 0:30 Task: build a model according to the instructions. Communication between teams is prohibited. Materials are given: paper, tape, scissors (everything is the same for both teams). DO NOT APPLY ADD. MATERIALS for creating towers! Stage 4: Reception of towers. Time 0:15. Acceptance of layouts built according to instructions. The customer asks the next team in the circle to be experts. Make a presentation of its advantages and disadvantages. Analysis of teams based on teamwork criteria. What helped build the tower, what hindered it? What was your strategy? What did you pay attention to while working? Who showed the other side of themselves? What was important? How can this experience be used at work? Was this similar to your company's workflow?




DI “Ministers and Designers” Purpose of the game: to establish the dependence of the duration of communication on personal charm; learn to identify and develop personal resources of influence on the interlocutor. The group is divided in half, the participants sit in two lines opposite each other. One side is the “ministers”, the other is the “designers” who invented “flying” bicycles and turned to the “ministers” with a request to put the production of these bicycles on stream. The task of the “designers” is to convince the “ministers” to make the decision they need. The task of the “ministers” is, if possible, to reject the application or demand additional arguments from the “designers”. After completing the first part of the game, the sides change roles. Discussion: participants exchange opinions, answering the questions: What was more difficult (for each of the parties in both roles): to prove and convince or to make a “ministerial decision”? In what cases was it more difficult to refuse? What did the most primitive refusal sound like? What did your most brilliant rejection look like? What is special about the intra-group interaction of both parties in both roles? What helped (or, on the contrary, hindered) the implementation of the assigned tasks?




DI “ADVERTISING SPEECH OF A FIRM MANAGER” Goals and objectives of the business game The business game “Advertising speech of a company manager” can be held after students have listened to lectures on the requirements for management personnel of a commercial company. The essence of the business game is that the student participant in the game, working on a version of his advertising speech on TV, radio or in the audience, must think through the language and style, manner of behavior, and most importantly, clearly represent the specific content of his speech. All this must be linked to the goals and objectives and composition of the audience. During the business game, students develop skills of selective behavior in a certain audience, the ability to focus on the range of interests and level of listeners.




Procedure for conducting a business game Stage 1: introduction to the topic and explanation of its essence, regulation of the game. Stage 2: formation of teams, game process, summing up. Stage 1: in the introductory speech, the teacher talks about the purpose of the business game and the rules for its conduct. Using examples, he shows how to change the composition, content and form, and tone of a speech depending on the audience and media. It is desirable to create an atmosphere of friendly mutual understanding and keen interest in the student group. Then a topic is selected for the advertising speech, for example, the company's products or services provided to the population, their quality, price, demand, etc. This may be information about available vacancies and requirements for candidates to work in a given company. The teacher offers 2-3 topics, and students choose one of them for the group. Then possible types of audiences and categories of listeners are determined (businessmen, buyers, government officials, etc.).




Business game scenario Stage 2 (next lesson): speakers are selected from the students in the group. Their number is determined by the number of intended audiences or media. An expert commission is appointed, which should include: a content expert; determines the quality of the script, the relevance of the speech, the correctness of the target setting, and its compliance with the audience; public speaking expert; characterizes the general culture of speech, the manner of presenting material; speech perception expert; evaluates the style, pace and tone of speech, manner of demeanor in front of the audience; an expert who evaluates the quality of factors and arguments, their appropriateness and compliance with the level and interests of the audience.




Business game scenario. During the preparation, the speakers draw up a plan on the topic, identify the main points, the “pivot points” of their advertising speech. After “setting up,” each participant in the game is given 10 minutes to talk about how he is going to structure his speech, what the beginning, language, style, pace of speech, gestures, manner will be, what facts, examples, etc. will be used. The speaker reports the form of his speech: a story about the company, questions and answers, a mini-conversation followed by a debate, just a conversation, etc. The speaker justifies his choice: he briefly characterizes the imaginary audience and the features of the illustrative material. During the speech, students must play the role of the audience that the speaker got in the game: behavior, questions, etc. The experts, listening attentively, are preparing to “give” marks on a five-point system (cards with numbers from “1” to “5” must be prepared in advance). If necessary, members of the expert group comment on the grades given.




Summing up the results of the business game After the presentation of all participants in the business game, the teacher makes a final speech, gives an assessment of the game as a whole (both “managers” and “experts”), gives the floor to the counter, who names the total amount of points scored by each participant in the business game. A business game takes from two to four hours of class time.

"Personnel issue", 2013, N 10

PRACTICAL HR MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS GAMES

In relation to society, the game develops practical experience (mastering ways to solve life problems) and ethical experience (learning patterns, rules and norms of behavior in various situations). Business games, as a rule, combine the qualities of games and the educational and diagnostic process.

The game as a method of constructing the educational process in order to master social reality includes the following components:

Game roles and their acceptance. Role acceptance occurs at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral levels. It is realized through the assignment of external features and norms of behavior, as well as tasks inherent in the role and its performance. Role-playing goals are prescribed to players by the terms of the game. The goals of individual participants in the game may differ from the general goal of the group or team (for example, learning, testing certain methods of action, relaxation, leisure, and the like);

The rules reflect the relationship between all components of the game. They can be transferred into the game from the social context in which the gameplay unfolds, taken from real life, or invented;

Modeling of the game process and the accompanying emotional stress (game technology).

Business games and tests have a lot in common. Therefore, it is quite difficult, and sometimes impossible, to draw a clear boundary between these two methods. It is no coincidence that Moreno called games such as psychodrama and sociodrama “role tests.” Some modern researchers also classify psychodrama as cathartic tests.

Business games, like tests, perform the function of identifying and assessing (including measuring) with the help of certain tests of individual qualities of a person, his knowledge, skills, characteristics and patterns of behavior.

At the same time, business games used in personnel management (and in the vast majority of other areas) have a number of differences compared to tests.

The most important distinctive features of business games are:

1) play is behavioral communication. If tests most often involve answering questions or an abstract, mental solution to a problem, then the game is based on certain behavior and actions;

2) a game is usually an interaction between two or more subjects, i.e. collective, group interaction. Some exceptions are non-interactive games that do not involve the dependence of an individual player on the behavior of other participants. However, even in this case, for example in a role-playing game, the presence of an opponent or companion is implied;

3) the game is characterized by the complexity and interdependence of the tasks being solved. If tests (with the exception of projective ones) usually consist of fairly simple tasks that are fragmentary in nature, then a game, compared to tests, by its design, covers a complex of interrelated actions, in which previous decisions largely determine subsequent ones;

4) the game involves simulating a real situation, which is characterized by dynamism and variability. This makes it possible to identify a number of employee behavioral traits that are almost impossible to establish using conventional tests;

5) the game is multifunctional. Along with the function of diagnosing (assessing and measuring) the qualities and behavioral traits of an employee, it can perform the functions of education, training and education of its participants, as well as solving research problems.

The sole or main purpose of the test is to diagnose certain personality traits; in games, psychodiagnostics, if present, are usually of a subordinate nature.

Assessing the effectiveness of a game directly depends, first of all, on the process of its implementation, while the test is assessed based on the results of its implementation. As already noted, these differences are not absolute; some of them allow exceptions.

Depending on the priority of the user's goals, the same technique (for example, a role-playing game that identifies and develops communicative skills) can be considered from a functional point of view either as a situational test or as an educational game.

However, in general, the differences between tests and business games (especially in their design and construction) are real, which makes it possible to distinguish between these methods of assessing and training personnel.

The vast majority of business games used in commercial and government organizations are more or less related to personnel management, since the “human” aspect is an integral side of management.

Diverse business games can be systematized according to a number of characteristics. The most important of them are: the purpose of the business game, the breadth of the thematic framework, the simulated areas of management, the degree of freedom of decisions, the level of uncertainty of decisions, the nature of communications between participants, the degree of openness of the game, the complexity of the model used, the tools of the game and the form of its implementation, etc.

In personnel management, a business game is used primarily for qualification assessment and professional training of potential and actual employees, as well as for finding optimal management decisions.

It allows you to successfully solve the following problems:

Determine the individual and collective abilities of the subjects, the degree of their preparedness for professional requirements;

To increase the interest of participants in the educational process, their involvement in solving organizational problems.

Let us describe in more detail each of the features of this classification.

1. Among the business games used in personnel management, and in management in general, depending on their functions and purpose, they are distinguished:

Educational (including training) business games. They are most widely used and serve for training and advanced training of management personnel and other, primarily highly qualified, employees;

Business games for solving practical problems (for example, finding optimal solutions when reorganizing a department). They are also used for collective or individual preparation of management decisions, taking into account the variety of factors influencing the situation and various options for solving the problem;

Project business games. They go beyond personnel management, although they include this most important aspect for the organization’s activities. Project business games are used when designing organizational systems (enterprises, their structural units, etc.) and their changes. This is a rather complex type of game, requiring a high level of organizational and managerial competence of its participants;

Research business games. They are used to analyze the behavior of individual employees or entire teams depending on changes in the external or internal conditions of their activities (for example, when studying the possibilities of using various remuneration systems in an organization). Research business games simulate specific organizational situations in the “what will happen if..?” mode. This allows us to predict various options for changes in organizational situations.

2. The breadth of the thematic framework reflects the scale and complexity of the problems solved during the business game.

A complex business game involves practicing methods for solving a complex problem in the unity of its most important aspects. This is, for example, an imitation of a manager’s activity in resolving a production conflict with given parameters. A private business game serves to solve one specific problem, for example, a game to study and compare the effectiveness of collective and individual activities of group members.

3. The degree of freedom of decisions and actions of game participants may vary. If a game allows only a limited, predetermined range of possible solutions and corresponding behavioral alternatives (actions), then it is considered rigid. In hard games, the content of each player's step is strictly fixed in accordance with the formal model of the simulated processes. Decision-making in them comes down to choosing one of the proposed alternatives, and all the main actions are carried out within strictly defined periods of time. On the contrary, if players act freely based on compliance with the general conditions of the game, their decisions are not regulated by an established set of alternatives, then the game is soft. In soft games, the actions of the participants are limited only by the general scenario of the unfolding of events, within which the players themselves determine the sequence of their actions. There are also intermediate (semi-hard) types of games.

4. Depending on the degree of uncertainty of the situation, business games are divided into deterministic and probabilistic.

The former are characterized by the certainty of the situation, the givenness of its basic parameters, which allows players to make unambiguously correct or incorrect decisions. The latter are distinguished by the uncertainty of the situation and the variability of its many parameters, which makes it possible only to make probabilistic assessments of the situation and make decisions with a certain degree of risk.

5. The nature of communications between game participants reflects the dependence or independence of the actions of its participants on each other and is one of the most important indicators of its dynamism. In interactive games such a dependence occurs. Games of this type are necessary to simulate competitive relations (for example, when simulating marketing activities to attract the most gifted graduates of a famous university to an organization). If during the game its participants act independently and make decisions independently of others, then the game is non-interactive. Some games may have two modes: training, which involves the independent behavior of players, and work, based on the competitive interaction of participants.

6. Areas of application characterize the area in which the game is used, from the point of view of a functional approach. General business games simulate the activities of an entire organizational unit in a specific situation that can change. Functional games serve to practice actions to perform a certain function of the organization (for example, the functions of the personnel service to release employees - a game that simulates the study of the possibilities of using laid-off workers in other types of work, providing them with assistance in finding employment, conducting an explanatory conversation and other activities).

The openness of a business game is characterized by the presence and forms of contacts between its participants. An open game either allows contact between its participants or involves the collective completion of a task (for example, the business game “Flight to the Moon” or games using the Brainstorming method). A closed game prohibits this kind of contact.

Depending on the means and instruments used, business games are divided into manual and computer games. Manual games usually include games that are not complex in terms of their conditions and parameters. Games that involve complex modeling of organizational processes usually involve the use of computers, advanced multimedia tools and software products. Computer games include the vast majority of project-based business games, as well as many educational and research games.

According to the form or rules of conduct, business games are divided into intramural and correspondence. Their above-mentioned characteristics hardly require additional comments. In Russia, in recent years, due to the development of distance learning and the spread of the Internet system, the possibilities of turning to correspondence business games using computer technologies have significantly expanded.

Regardless of the typology, business games have a number of common points in their organization and construction.

When developing and conducting business games, a number of principles should be taken into account to ensure the effectiveness of their use:

1. Representativeness and sufficiency of the elements of the game situation. This means that the components, or components, of the game must sufficiently fully represent the simulated situation in an aspect that corresponds to the goals of the business game, and contain information that allows one to understand the essence of the problem and make an adequate decision. When modeling a specific situation, it is necessary to reduce information about it, select and display mainly only factors and fragments of reality that are essential for decision-making;

2. The modular nature of the game. The concept of “module,” which is relatively new to the Russian scientific and educational lexicon, means a set of materials that serve one educational purpose that has practical significance. This complex usually includes: a theoretical part, a description of the situation (case), examples, illustrations, diagrams, questions, answers, and methodological recommendations. The modular approach promotes deep, comprehensive and active learning of the material. In relation to the structure of a business game, several relatively simple modules are usually distinguished, each of which is a complex of elements that form an organizational and/or functional unity. These could be the following modules.

2.1. Organizational modules:

Game participant module. It contains all the information needed for a player, which could be an entire team;

Game manager module, characterizing the entire complex of actions (including calculations) of the manager.

2.2. The functional modules of a business game simulate a separate, relatively autonomous function or area of ​​activity (for example, personnel assessment, staff release, etc.).

2.3. Stage modules characterizing a set of tasks and actions of a certain, relatively completed stage of the game. The modular structure of a business game allows you to practice its individual elements or fragments depending on the learning goals, interests of the participant and the pace of learning the material by each student.

3. Systematic use of the business game, its inclusion in the training program. A business game brings the desired effect only when it is based on theoretical knowledge, clear ideas about the area of ​​activity that it imitates, and is a logical continuation of the educational process, its conclusion moving into the practical behavioral stage. In modern conditions, computerization of a business game or its fragments is desirable. This significantly expands her learning capabilities.

Conducting a business game should be based on the principles of efficiency (realization of the goal) and economy, that is, achieving maximum results with minimal time, financial and other costs. The organization of a business game as a specific active learning method includes a number of stages, such as preparing the game, forming a game group, leading the game, monitoring its process, summing up and evaluating the results.

Preparing a game includes a number of activities that ensure the creation of general conditions for its effectiveness, such as:

Ensuring compliance of the selected gaming methodology with educational goals and the level of preparedness of the participants;

Checking the suitability of classrooms for classes;

Using methods adequate to the nature of the game to record its process and player behavior. These may be recordings of the leader and other participants (including observers) of the game, video and/or audio recordings, etc.;

Determining ways to analyze gameplay. These include: periodic spontaneous comments and recommendations from the manager; detailed study of the most important episodes and roles; comparison of the players’ own experiences and the characteristics of observers; assessment of players’ actions using a previously known system of criteria or rating scales, and others;

Ensuring the content richness and target orientation of the event. Episodes of the game should work towards the realization of a common goal, ensuring spontaneity and natural behavior of the participants; the game procedure, however, should not be too drawn out or go too far from the set goals;

Optimization of requirements for participants - you should not demand too much or too little from them;

Structuring the game in time, ensuring approximate compliance with its time regulations at the beginning, duration of pauses, completion of stages and the entire process of the game;

Determining forms of evaluative communications with players. This can be a statement of correct and incorrect actions, questions, proposals for alternative behaviors, exchange of opinions between players and observers;

Appropriate use of technical training aids, especially when analyzing player behavior and summarizing results.

Video recording provides great opportunities for increasing the effectiveness of game learning and further self-knowledge of its participants that goes beyond the game procedure. With its help, it becomes possible for the game participants to look at and analyze their behavior as if from the outside, and for the leader and all participants to select, separately consider and discuss in detail the most important episodes of the game, and select optimal behavior options; check the accuracy of the players’ self-assessments, as well as the assessments of observers and the manager; establish the degree of success of students by comparing fragments of the first and repeated performances of the same roles or situational actions.

Of course, when watching a video, you should pay special attention to its correct use. For example, repeated exposure and public discussion of erroneous behavior patterns of individual players can hurt their self-esteem. The starting point of practical work on organizing a business game is the formation of a gaming group.

The latter includes all participants in the game and can consist of several teams. The activity of forming a gaming group involves assessing the individual qualities of students, the degree of their preparedness for a business game, their gaming motivation (formal participation or sincere interest, the desire to distinguish themselves or learn something new).

The goal of the game must match the needs of its participants. The effectiveness of the game is sharply reduced due to the participation of incompetent people who are unfamiliar with its theoretical foundations and the type of activity that it simulates. All participants must be well aware of the conditions and rules of the game and comply with them. For most games, a homogeneous composition of participants in terms of knowledge, experience and competence is desirable. It is equally important that a relationship of trust and openness be established between them. Only in this case will assessments, advice, comments and criticism be correctly perceived and provide real help to students. The above requirements apply not only to the direct participants - the players, but also to the spectators, who are also part of the circle of students and perform the roles of observers, analysts, evaluators, etc. during the game.

Many business games involve forming teams. Typically a team consists of 5 - 6 members. Within one team, it is advisable to distribute participants according to their roles or functions. The team should work on a collegial basis, avoiding authoritarian decision-making methods. In closed games, participating teams are strictly prohibited from exchanging information during the game and collectively discussing decisions made.

One of the most important factors for the success of a business game is the management of the game and control over its process. Leadership can be individual - in simple games and collective - in complex ones. The director performs the following functions in organizing the game:

Evaluates the feasibility of holding the game and forms (preferably on the basis of voluntariness) the composition of its participants;

Introduces the conditions and rules of the game, advises participants;

Prepares or adapts, in relation to specific conditions, a database for the initial period of the game; establishes its regulations;

Carries out ongoing monitoring of compliance with the rules of the game;

Monitors compliance with ethical standards during the game, protects the “minority” from group pressure and prevents possible personal grievances and conflicts;

Helps identify and analyze ineffective ways of acting and master effective patterns of behavior;

Monitors the orientation of the game process towards achieving the set goals, prevents possible deviations and “drifts” (for example, the transition of participants in a role-playing game to clarifying personal relationships);

Upon completion of the game, collects its working documents (solutions to problems, reports, etc.) and checks that they are filled out correctly;

Evaluates the results of completing tasks, the behavior of participants, etc., draws general conclusions, and gives specific recommendations to specific participants in the game.

To perform these and some other functions, a manager must have the appropriate qualities:

Feel the state of the participants and have communication skills;

Be able to verbalize (precisely express in words) the feelings and behavior of participants and make generalizations;

Be objective, do not take the side of any participant or team;

Be able to correctly compare the correct and incorrect positions of the participants without hurting the self-esteem of their carriers;

Be attentive to each participant, take into account the interests of individual players and the entire group;

Be able to clearly imagine the situation, outline and show correct patterns of behavior;

Be prepared to be in the shadows, in the background of the game, to refrain from excessive interference in its process, thereby providing wide freedom of action to its participants.

Only a qualified and experienced manager can fully satisfy these and some other requirements.

Summing up and evaluating the results of a business game is its final and extremely important moment for realizing the goals of the game. The evaluation process should be guided primarily by pre-established criteria. Competent summing up helps participants adequately assess their strengths and weaknesses, confirm their own opinions, and draw appropriate conclusions regarding the further consolidation of the studied patterns of behavior and their implementation in everyday activities. When summing up the results of the game, it is advisable to rank its participants depending on their achievements, analyze and explain the reasons for the success of the leaders and the lag of outsiders.

The general classification of business games discussed above is based mainly on their formal characteristics and is not exhaustive.

Depending on the content design and goals, among the business games most widely used in personnel management, we can distinguish:

1) role-playing games, including psychodrama and sociodrama;

2) group dynamic exercises;

3) planned games;

4) group discussions;

5) method of studying a specific situation.

1. As already noted, the first of the above-mentioned business games - psychodrama and sociodrama - also relate to situational tests. In tests of this type, subjects deal with situations taken from the real life of an organization. Historically, psychodrama is considered the first test game. This method of psychodiagnosis and psychotherapy is very common today, although it was developed back in the 20s and 30s. XX century and was first publicly proposed for practical use in 1946. It is a fairly typical, classic example of both a situational test and a role-playing game.

In psychodrama, all those present are divided into direct participants who make up the experimental group, and active spectators who follow the progress of the game. This group becomes like a theater troupe, with members given specific roles based on a story told by one of the members. Each hero (and above all its central figure - the protagonist) of psychodrama plays his role, connecting it with the life situation. In doing so, he demonstrates his understanding of the role based on his past experiences or expectations. The role is not clearly defined and involves improvised actions. The hero is not bound by strict rules and gives free rein to his feelings. Other group members act as partners of the main actor (or perform roles based on a common scenario).

The process of psychodrama includes three main phases (stages):

1) preparatory, providing “warm-up”, warm-up for the participants;

2) the actual dramatic action - the performance of roles;

3) discussion - evaluative and emotional exchange, learning lessons.

Playing out a psychodrama has a dual effect: diagnostic and therapeutic.

Through the free expression and interaction of the actors, the game becomes closer to the real everyday situation. Problems that arise during the interaction are resolved naturally. The spontaneous behavior of actors in given roles, especially the main character, allows us to judge their inner world, value system, interests, attitudes and patterns of behavior. It is assumed that the dramatic situation played out, close to the real experiences of the main character, as well as support from group members will contribute to the fullest manifestation of his personal characteristics. Thus, psychodrama performs a diagnostic, evaluative function - like tests, it establishes certain personality traits.

In addition, psychodrama is also a tool for psychotherapy. With its help, you can not only detect inappropriate situations, typical human emotional reactions, incorrect attitudes and ineffective forms of behavior, but also convince the game participant of the need to eliminate them and even actually play out optimal patterns of behavior and thereby correct it. As K. Levin's research has shown, in particular, changing the wrong attitudes of subjects in the right direction in group situations occurs much faster than during individual work. This was also confirmed in relation to teaching subjects new patterns (models) of behavior. Therefore, psychodrama and role-playing games in general can be widely used for educational and training purposes. They allow you to play out and, accordingly, work through a wide range of situations in industrial and everyday life.

Sociodrama is built on approximately the same principles as psychodrama. It contains the same elements (stage, actors, therapist, patient, audience). However, a natural group is involved here (industrial, family, etc.), and the performers can change roles (for example, the boss plays not only his role, but also the role of the subordinate, and the subordinate also acts as the boss).

This allows actors not only to better understand and experience different role positions, but also to adjust their behavior. Participants in sociodrama can play out real situations of their collective relationships, while working out moments of intra-group interaction with other groups (for example, workers with administration). All this makes it possible to widely use the methods of psychodrama and sociodrama (there are often no strict distinctions between these concepts) in the educational process (including in production, for example, when studying work groups, training personnel, forming teams, etc.).

The main features of psychodrama and sociodrama characterize role-playing game as a concept that unites various specific types of business games.

This is a method in which, in the process of learning personnel management, the participants in the game, by playing certain roles in a risk-free situation, discover their behavioral traits that are significant for the organization, with the help of the manager, each other and independently critically analyze them, learn a more effective way of behavior and train in its improvement. The roles used in this type of game can be very different: boss, project manager, specialist, employee, teacher, etc.

The modern role-playing game differs from Moreno's classic psychodrama mainly only in the greater influence of its participants on the organization of the game. Trainees have the opportunity to independently propose topics that are most significant to them (for example, the topic “How best to present proposals to the manager for improving the system for analyzing current information”). The one who proposed the topic for playing often plays the main role and selects a partner (for example, to work out the roles of a boss and a subordinate). The remaining members of the training group observe the progress of the game and analyze the behavior of the actors. At certain moments of the game (mainly when choosing and practicing optimal options for role behavior), they can interfere with its process and, replacing one of the main players, play out their own, alternative course of action in a given role. This is called dubbing actors.

The functions of the manager are reduced mainly to familiarizing the participants with the conditions, goals and techniques of the game, ensuring its normal course, general control over its process and providing, if necessary, methodological assistance in achieving game goals, as well as a general summing up, including, if appropriate, , individual advice and recommendations to its participants.

Role-playing games are useful not only for the direct participants-actors, but also for the participants-spectators, especially if the group is homogeneous and consists of people of approximately the same status, experience and range of professional interests.

In enterprises, role-playing games are most often used to train managers in how to properly conduct an interview, distribute tasks, ensure employees support a collective task, lead a team, etc. With their help, employees improve their knowledge and skills in making independent decisions, timely calculating their consequences, development of business communication. Role-playing games are especially effective during career training, when an employee plays out a set of functions arising from his future job responsibilities.

Role-playing games have a number of advantages:

They allow you to observe the emotional reaction of the subject, his comprehension and assessment of the real situation, his ability to determine goals and a strategy for his own actions. This creates the opportunity to establish the degree of preparedness of the employee to perform certain tasks;

Develop self-observation and self-control, increase their adequacy and accuracy of self-assessments;

They teach a better understanding of others, their role responsibilities, optimization of the student’s behavior model in relationships with management and colleagues, prevention or constructive resolution of conflicts;

Prepare participants for situations important for practical work, including extreme or non-existent situations that may arise in the future;

Increase the confidence of the test subject during practical actions;

They provide an opportunity to learn new patterns of behavior and gain experience without any risk for the employee and the organization;

They allow you to correct mistakes and correct actions, get rid of bad habits and ineffective patterns of behavior.

Basing role-playing games on everyday, personally significant situations ensures high engagement and involvement of their participants. This, in turn, facilitates the personal acceptance of developed behavior patterns, the identification of solutions and recommendations, and the transfer of behavior patterns worked out in the game into everyday practical relationships.

Role-playing games are closely related to group dynamic exercises.

2. There are often no differences between these two methods of assessing and training personnel. In role-playing games, clearly defined individual episodes, fragments of actions or behavior are played out in advance, while group-dynamic exercises involve quite long independent spontaneous actions of participants in a given situation, which during the game can change as a result of the actions of the players.

In role-playing games, actors act according to the “as if” principle, that is, they are characterized by a rather weak degree of actors’ adaptation to the role and their predominantly rationally determined proper actions (rather than spontaneous emotionally charged reactions). Group dynamic exercises, on the contrary, are based on the “here and now” principle, i.e. the players get used to the situation and act based on it (that is, the real problem situation of the company is considered).

Role-playing games are performed in front of spectators, who observe and analyze the behavior of the players and learn from it together with the actors. The main goal of group dynamic exercises is for their participants and the group as a whole to acquire relevant experience in problem solving and collective interaction. In other words, role-playing games are more focused on training both their participants-performers and spectators, and group dynamic exercises are more focused on training their participants. Although the above-mentioned differences between business games and group-dynamic exercises exist in reality, they are very relative and in practice difficult to discern due to the fact that, for example, role-playing game actors very often get used to their role quite strongly and acquire the corresponding experience (as is the case in group-dynamic exercises). . Therefore, in the future, no strict distinctions will be made between the concepts of role-playing games and group-dynamic exercises. Both of these methods, games and exercises, characterize structured group situations. The last concept also applies to a planned game.

3. A planned game is a sequential, often step-by-step playback and elaboration (analysis and comprehension) of individual typical dynamic, changing situations, on the basis of which general conclusions are drawn for solving a complex organizational problem. This type of games is characterized by being closer to real organizational situations. A planned game models a complex problem of a real or possible development of events, as if in the form of slow motion, allows you to stop and record certain moments in the development of a situation, comprehend them and find optimal ways to solve problems.

Planned games are quite varied. The following types of games have become widespread in Russia and the world: universal, special, industry; functional and integration; stochastic and deterministic; individual and group; parallel and competitive games; counted manually and using computers.

The starting point of a planned game is a complex organizational problem. The essence of the problem, as well as the goals and modus operandi of the participating groups, are usually specified in writing. Planned games are characterized by complexity and a relatively large number of participants - their minimum number is usually 20 - 30 people, who are divided into several groups.

The game consists of several time blocks, each of which lasts approximately two hours. 2 - 4 blocks are played per day, there are 9 - 12 in total, that is, the game is designed for 3 - 4 days.

The game begins on the basis of documents received by its participants that characterize the situation, the tasks of the group, the goals and the general nature of the actions of other groups. Subsequent decisions of participants in a planned game directly affect its process. As a result, the game develops as a result of the actions, reactions to them and interactions of all its participants.

General management of the game and assistance to its participants is provided by instructors (moderators).

They act together with a staff of experts designed to solve problems that arise that are not provided for by the conditions of the game.

After completing the game part, assessments are made separately for each group and the results are summed up, then they are reported and analyzed at a joint meeting of the groups. And at the end of the game, its overall results are summed up at a plenary meeting, the task of which is not only to assess the effectiveness of the game and the actions of its participants, but also to develop specific recommendations for the practical solution of organizational problems.

They try to conduct planned games in conditions close to reality. They first became widespread in the military field, but today they are widely used in management, including personnel management. An example of a planned game theme is the reorganization of an enterprise to form a new department to which other departments must transfer part of their tasks, powers and employees.

Participants in such a game can be all department heads, from among whom and their assistants groups are formed representing all affected divisions: production departments, commercial management, labor council, etc., as well as employees transferred as a result of the reorganization.

Each group receives general and specific information and a moderator. The functions of the headquarters of experts are performed by commercial management. Groups are given a certain preparatory time, after which the gameplay itself begins, consisting of nine two-hour time blocks. After analyzing the game in groups and their collective discussion at a plenary session, its general results are summed up in the form of a catalog of activities for the creation of a new unit. The participants of the game, together with the management, distribute responsibility for the detailed elaboration of relevant activities and their implementation, determine and agree on forms of cooperation.

Many problems can be solved using planned games. Games of this type are especially effective for career training.

The main advantages of planned games are that when using them:

The level of professional competence of the employee and his ability to solve a certain range of problems are clearly demonstrated;

The consequences of decisions and actions taken are immediately visible;

The ability to notice the essential, to distinguish the main from the secondary develops;

The engagement and activity of the participants increases, their identification with the tasks being solved increases;

Experience is gained that is close to reality and specific situations in the workplace;

Rational ways of thinking and behavior, as well as collective interaction, are developed;

The ability to effectively use the principle of trial and error in the future is formed, promptly correct mistakes made and draw useful lessons from them for the future;

Difficulties in solving a complex organizational problem are identified, optimal ways to overcome them are determined, and a general model of action to achieve the goal is developed.

Due to these and some other advantages, planned games, despite their relative high cost, are quite widely used in personnel management and management in general.

V. Zhmalum

Have you noticed that employees are not involved in the work process, are scattered, and lack initiative? A business game will help solve these and many other problems. Read more about this method of influencing staff, as well as tips on how to conduct games, in the article. Bonus - 5 ready-made game scenarios.

From the article you will learn:

What does business game mean?

A business training game is a simulation of a work process, simulation and reproduction of real situations faced by employees. Participants perform actions that will lead to achieving the goal.

During the game, employees analyze a successful model of behavior, adopt it, and try to avoid those actions that led others to failure. It turns out that they gain experience through activity, communication in a business game, and this is considered the most successful way to assimilate information.

Experts from the HR Director magazine will tell you how to train sales managers in an unusual way. Conduct .

Reference : references to business games date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Young military personnel were trained using imitation of actions. Gradually, this form of training and motivation spread across all industries, and many variations of games appeared, designed to develop personal and professional qualities.

The goal of the business game is determined by the manager. There are many of them today:

• team formation;
• getting employees to know each other;
• personel assessment;
• group entertainment;
• competitions;
• education.

After conducting business games with staff, the psychological climate in the team improves, employees develop excitement, they become motivated, involved and proactive.

Example The Delta company has expanded the number of services offered. Employees needed to learn how to work with many different clients. Employees' workload has increased significantly. At the same time, some managers coped with it, but some did not. The manager Ilya decided to hold time-limited business games every day. He divided his colleagues so that each team had 1 strong player and several weak ones. While completing tasks, employees exchanged experiences, took examples from others, and jointly discussed shortcomings. Just a few weeks later, Ilya noticed that the problem, although not solved, had become less acute. The number of errors has decreased, the environment has returned to normal, and employees have become more confident.

Having a problem? Do the old-timers outlive the newbies? The HR Director magazine will tell you .

Features of business games

You need to select business games based on your needs, capabilities and other parameters. Expert practitioners identify 4 main areas:

1. Educational games.
2. Search games.
3. Statement games.
4. Mixed games.

All these games can be played both within the office and in specially designated areas. Tasks can be time-limited and compressed.

Both a group of experts and the direct organizers of the event can evaluate the actions of the staff.

With the help of a business game, you can not only upgrade your existing staff, but also recruit excellent specialists. Play a game with him and then analyze the results . You can do this correctly using the material “Personnel Systems”.

Differences between training and business games

Don't be confused trainings with business games - they have significant differences, so they cannot be interchangeable. The results also vary. To understand the features of both methods of employee development, you can compare the mandatory features of a business game and training.

Comparative characteristics
Trainings	Signs of a business game
no restrictions or they are minimal; a separate aspect of the situation is considered; work with specific qualities and skills; an expert acts who initially voices the theory and only then gives a practical task; Students often work alone rather than in teams.	stages and rules are regulated; the simulated situations include many factors; minimum theory, maximum practice; the opportunity to communicate with colleagues and cope with the task together; it is based on the problem that the participants are working on.

Some employers organize on-site training for employees, for example, on weekends out of town or a week abroad. Experts from HR Director magazine will tell you whether it makes sense .

Examples of business games

1. Bureau of Investigation

Target: team formation, team building, training in planning and working with information.

Time spending: 3-4 hours.

Number of persons: from 5.

Description: near Norfolk in the east of England, a strange crime was committed at a hotel. Invite the participant to compare known facts, evidence, and testimony in order to get on the trail of criminals and solve a detective puzzle.

Notes: fill in the plot with details in advance or improvise.

1. Sky Work

Target: develop communication skills, teach how to solve business problems, conduct business negotiations, and plan.

Time spending: 3-4 hours.

Number of persons: from 12.

Description: participants imagine themselves as employees of an international company. They carry out large projects. The goal is to increase business profitability by completing the maximum number of tasks in a short time. Ask employees to propose ideas, create action plans, and defend their ideas.

Notes: you can conduct a business game while completing current projects, and summarize the results at the end of the month or six months.

Experts from System Personnel will talk about how to reward employees in a unique way .

1. Main target

Target: increase sales efficiency, teach how to communicate with clients, present products or services, and establish psychological contact.

Time spending: 1-3 hours.

Number of persons: from 5.

Description: employees must motivate the client to purchase, identify his personal preferences, and increase the number of sales. Divide the team into groups, ask each of them to create a plan and defend it.

Note: you can organize a competition on the job, but in this case, employees will work with real clients of the company. Summarize your results based on the number of customers attracted, profit margin, or other parameters.

Use a ready-made case " " from the magazine "HR Director".

1. With all my might

Target: development of communication skills, training in planning, decision making.

Time spending: 1-3 hours.

Number of persons: from 5 people.

Description: during the business game, a working day is recreated, filled with tasks of varying complexity. Set goals for your employees and monitor how they achieve them. The one who does the most things and makes the fewest mistakes wins.

1. Stones and coins

Target: planning training, teamwork , risk management.

Time spending: 1-3 hours.

Number of persons: from 15 to 50 people.

Description: Participants are divided into competing teams. They must mine and sell precious stones. Invite participants to create an action plan and justify it.

Use other business games for communication or training. Develop them yourself or take standard tasks as a basis. The main thing is that employees do not know the correct decision in advance.

Tip #1. Clearly define your goals before choosing a game

Alternate serious tasks with entertaining ones. Employees should be interested.

Tip #2. Create a positive atmosphere

Don't start criticizing publicly if an employee is not coping. Otherwise he will lose motivation , a person will become unsure of his abilities. To get the maximum benefit from games, experts recommend focusing on shortcomings in general, but not pointing out the mistakes of a specific player.

Tip #3. Don't force employees

If you force employees to participate business games on weekends, after work or during lunch break - this will not bring any benefit, but will cause a wave of discontent.

Tip #4. Make sure players follow the rules

Control the process. If conflicts arise between participants, suppress them. Otherwise, instead of a positive result, you will achieve the exact opposite effect.

Tip #5. Do not play games during periods of increased load

Employees will not be able to concentrate and concentrate, as their thoughts will be occupied with other things.

Read about business games in the "Personnel System". In the material you will find types of games, stages of their implementation and ways to evaluate the results. Information will help you avoid common mistakes that lead to unpredictable results.

A business game is not only a teaching method, but also a way to create a cozy, friendly atmosphere in an organization. Stay close to your subordinates and actively participate in events. Come up with new and exciting tasks so that employees do not get bored or uninterested in completing them. Bring in experts if necessary.

There is a lot of material on the Internet today trainings And business games on different topics. However, oddly enough, it is not so easy to find projects aimed at the quality of information transfer and task setting. Especially if these are not games invented by coaches, some of which were not used in practice at all.


I found this out when an acquaintance supervisor asked to recommend interesting communication games for transmitting information. They gathered for the New Year holidays with the whole company outside the city for three whole days: to celebrate the New Year, and to exercise, and to unite the team. To make it both useful and fun.

I liked the idea (although, to be honest, I’m not sure that it’s appropriate for a New Year’s corporate party, anyway, training ).

So, after rummaging around on the Internet, I didn’t find anything new (I’m surprised). If anyone knows, tell me! As a result, I decided to remember all the most interesting things that I had encountered during communications trainings with my participation and collect them in one place. Since I did this kind of work, it would be great if it helps someone else.

I took part in most of the games myself, and watched some from the sidelines. I didn't manage to collect much, but it was tested in practice. At the same time, I improved some points a little and accompanied them with comments. So, let's begin!

I identified three groups from the collected games:

• Games aimed at the ability to convey information.
• Games aimed at setting goals.
• Games aimed at organizing teamwork with tasks.

Games aimed at the quality of information transfer

These are the simplest and most common games, quite often used in communications training, consulting, sales and others where skills are required to clearly convey information from one person to another.

There are many variations of games on this theme, but they can be conditionally grouped into two groups: “draw or assemble something” and “transmit information orally.” They are usually assembled either from paper or from straight lines, such as matches (toothpicks, counting sticks, whatever is on hand). Well, they draw what they like.

No. 1 – Assemble a geometric figure

The essence of the game: a certain figure is prepared in advance, cut into pieces so that several simple geometric shapes are obtained (circle, square, triangle, etc.). Two people are positioned in such a way as not to see each other (for example, they sit back to back, or on opposite sides of the board). One person sees a assembled figure (drawn) in front of him. The second one is given the cut parts.

The task is to convey information in words in such a way as to assemble the desired figure. The result is compared with the sample. The more complex the chosen figure, the more interesting (but also more difficult). You can time different pairs using the same figure. As practice shows, the best results come from those who can clearly present information (this is a proven fact). Colors can also be used. Samples of children's appliqués, which can be found in large quantities on the Internet, are well suited for figures. For example, these:

Or less obvious and not entirely logical, like this elephant:



For those who prefer it, you can cut it into smaller pieces.

Well, if there are no pictures, then you can...

No. 2 – Assemble a figure from matches

Everything is similar to the previous version with figures, but the figure is made up of matches (or other straight sticks). At first glance, this is simpler, but not always. We must strive for an exact match of the picture.

If a person does not have patience or cannot present information consistently, the task will be difficult to complete. Sometimes it’s strange from the outside to watch how people struggle with the simplest figure. Time also matters. After all, effectiveness in such exercises lies not only in “whether they can or not” - they can. But how quickly is the goal of the exercise. Example of possible schemes:



#3 – Draw a figure

Again, everything is similar, only instead of folding the figure, you need to draw it on paper. This task is more difficult, since the figures can be rearranged if something goes wrong, and a drawing is a drawing. You can draw anything you want. The main thing is that it does not require drawing skills, i.e. also simple geometric figures.

No. 4 – Broken phone

Broken Phone is a classic game everyone has known since childhood. Only “adult-like” looks a little more complicated.

The task is this: it is necessary to convey the most significant information along the chain, and preferably as accurately as possible. For the transmitted information, it is advisable to use an intricate story of 10 lines. Of course, there is no need to tell each other in each other’s ears so that no one hears. The process is organized like this: everyone goes out the door (except for the leader and the first participant). The presenter reads a story from a piece of paper to the first participant. The second one's name is. The first one tells him. Etc. Everyone who spoke sits down, listens and writes down their observations, in which area and how important information was lost.

Then they draw conclusions. In this exercise, not only short-term memory is important, but also the ability to isolate the main thing from the flow of information. It should be noted that when you listen for the first time, it is difficult to grasp what exactly is important, because you don’t know what the story is about, and some single little thing may turn out to be important.

During the transfer of information, you can ask again and clarify. But in this case the time must be limited.

The text can be some little-known historical fact, an entertaining story from the life of animals, or simply the text of a business letter with facts, figures and instructions.

There are "extensions" of the game:

The most difficult option is when a logical problem is selected as the text, which the last participant must guess. After all, if important details are lost, it will be very difficult to guess.

If you have difficulty preparing the text, there is another option for a damaged phone. They take a picture that shows a lot of details (anything, even a work of art, even a collage). The first one carefully studies the picture, then they begin to transmit it along the chain according to the same scheme. At the end they compare and exchange opinions.

Problem setting game

No. 5 – The leader in a hurry

The essence of the game is as follows. The director sets an urgent task to the head of the department. Since he is in a hurry (no matter where: on a plane, an emergency meeting, the main thing is that the director will not be available to clarify the information again), he transfers the task through his secretary. The manager, in turn, delegates the task to his subordinate. (That is, the chain Director - secretary - head of department - employee). If you wish, you can shorten the chain by one person, but this will greatly simplify the task.

The game can be played in two versions: only oral communication or with recording on paper (these are different tasks and the result will be different).

The task can only be clarified by the person who delegated it. The task itself should be formulated simply and clearly, but contain many small details that are important for its accurate execution. Maybe even confused in some way.

For example: “Maria, tell Sergei Viktorovich, the head of the financial department, to go into the accounting department and find a red folder on the shelf to the right of the door on the third shelf from the top. There are three red folders on the shelf, and they are not labeled. He only needs one, the one on the left. In the folder you need to find the audit report of the Business Finance company. There will be a report from the “Business Formula” company nearby, I don’t need it, I only need “Business Finance”. Let him re-read this report, make notes, scan it and send it to me by email. I need the report in literally an hour, I want to look at it on the plane.”

This is a short and easy example, use your imagination!

The effect is more visual if the final performer is given a description of the situation that he observes while performing the task.

At the end, a conclusion is drawn: was the final performer able to complete the task? What stopped him?

Games aimed at organizing teamwork with tasks

#6 – Collect cards

Perhaps the most powerful goal-setting game I have ever encountered in communications training. If you have come across more effective ones, please tell us.

The task itself is simple and everyone can handle it, the question is how many iterations.

This game is aimed both at a clear statement of the task by a top-level manager, and at the ability to organize work by department heads, as well as communication skills between departments.

A sufficiently large number of participants is required (preferably a multiple of the number of cards, excluding leaders; it is better to use a deck of 54 cards). For example, we have four departments with three employees each, for a total of 12 people. If you deal them four cards each, you get 48, the rest can be distributed as you wish. Leaders don't have maps.

The main condition is that you cannot talk. No one can. All communication is only in writing. The director sets the task to the heads of the department. Department heads set tasks for their employees.

To organize communications you will need paper. I recommend using colored note paper (which is in square blocks). It’s also worth handing out a pack of paper clips. It’s good if each department has its own color - then you can count the number of iterations.

Goal: complete the task set by the director in the most effective way (with less communication).

The director sets a task for the managers (in writing, of course). The task is to collect cards that are identical in some way. For example, all cards of the same suit (all spades), all cards of the same value (all tens), etc. Each department head has his own task. In the simplest case, tasks are non-conflicting, that is, everyone can complete a task without violating the interests of another department. In more complex cases, tasks may overlap.

For example, if one department needs to collect all the crosses, then the second department will not be able to collect all the kings. Combinations can be different, which makes the game more interesting - you can adjust the difficulty. You can also diversify the game by removing the desired card (none of the participants should know).

The chain of communication is as follows:

• The director communicates only with department heads.
• Department heads can only communicate with employees of their own department or heads of other departments. Accordingly, an employee can only contact his supervisor. If he needs to contact another department, he does it through his boss.

All requests are carried out only on paper. We remember that we cannot speak. Staples are used to secure related queries (questions and answers) together, as well as to attach a card to a query.

The result is used to calculate the number of iterations that each department had to make. But that's not all. It is worth analyzing some solutions. For example, what did managers do when they discovered that they could not complete their tasks at the same time? Someone will try to “pull the blanket over themselves,” someone will decide to help another, and someone will offer the director to make a decision.

The game is quite funny, even for those watching. To feel it, you have to try it. It is especially interesting when the interests of departments intersect. I think there will be something to discuss.

No. 7 – Puzzles

I’ll end the New Year’s story about communication games with a simple puzzle game. Despite its simplicity, it is also interesting. The idea is that puzzles should be assembled collectively, and the game itself is aimed at self-organization teams, that is, there is no leader here.

The bottom line is this: only the presenter sees the picture. He tells what he sees and answers questions if participants ask them. The team collects the picture.

Goal: collect as quickly as possible.

It is advisable that there be quite a lot of puzzle elements, otherwise it will be inconvenient for everyone. The team must decide for themselves how they will complete the puzzle. There are various options:

• He starts collecting alone, everyone just helps him.
• They divide the task of painting objects between different people, then quickly join them together.
• Other scenarios are possible, it depends on the team, the presence of a leader in the team and its coherence.

Advice: do not use very common well-known pictures. There are times when a puzzle is put together instantly by one person simply because he and his child have already put it together 50 times :). It just won't be interesting.