Business Simulation Myths Busted

Business simulations are powerful and effective tools that provide an interactive experience to learners. They encourage participants to build relevant skills and improve their knowledge of business strategies. Your employees can apply everything they have learned in a realistic, though risk-free, environment. In a simulation, your learners have the freedom to make key strategic decisions for the business without worrying about real-world consequences. If they make mistakes, they learn from them without damaging the brand.

Why should you use a simulation?

Well, there are several ways simulations help enhance the learning experience. Participants are engaged since they get a feel of real-world situations. They are not asked to just read manuals. They participate in the scenario and apply their knowledge thoroughly. The more they are engaged, the faster they learn and the better they retain information for future use.

The risk element is nullified. Since everything is happening in the virtual environment, your employees can think and apply freely. They make decisions without the fear of damaging your brand value and losing their jobs. They face the consequences of any wrong decision they make but it’s contained in the simulation. Mistakes become learning experiences for them.

Since the examples are realistic, your learners can treat them as real situations. They get the opportunity to hone their business acumen. The better they get at this skill, the higher the productivity. In the end, it is a win-win situation for both the employee and the organization.

Business simulations are great tools for training, but there are some inherent myths associated with them. These unfounded myths deter many organizations from creating and implementing simulations. Here are five myths about business simulations.

#1: Simulations focus on either the soft skills or the hard skills, not both of them together.

Truth: A good business simulation can focus on both behavior and business skills. A balanced simulation is built on the premise that learners need to weigh their demands and frustrations, then execute business decisions that succeed. It blends hard and soft skills to ensure the lessons are practical and yet personal.

#2: All simulations are same.

Truth: No, they’re not. They come in different shapes and sizes. They compress time and space at a variety of levels with the help of different technologies. Simulations have several variations as far as format and content are concerned. They can be categorized at mega, macro, and micro levels.

Example of mega level: Business people experimenting with what-if scenarios for their global business
Example of macro level: Providing compliance training to your employees with the help of simulated case studies.
Example of micro level: Marketing experts examining the behavior of a bank’s customers standing in a line.

#3: Simulations are the same as gamification.

Truth: Both simulations and gamification are methodologies to enhance learner engagement, but the difference lies in how they teach. Gamification uses the element of competition and rewards to ensure that the learners acquire specific skills. Simulations are more complex. They create a virtual environment that is similar to participants’ workspace. They create a scenario where the learner is required to make strategic business decisions based on their job role.

#4: Simulations take away the job of instructors.

Truth: This is far from the truth. Simulations should not be used as stand-alone learning. They often are most successful as part of a blended learning strategy. Modern business simulations are designed in a way that they are facilitated by the system itself. But, true learning happens when a facilitator or coach can help the learner think critically about why they made certain decisions in the simulated experience and thoroughly discuss all of the ramifications that happened as a result of their decisions.

#5: Simulations are not measurable.

Truth: It is difficult to measure the learning outcome of simulations, but not impossible. There are some great ways to measure whether your employees really grasped what the simulation intended to teach them. You could conduct a pre and post simulation mind map to gauge how the learners’ knowledge changed after the session. Some simulations have features to include built-in quizzes. Another great way is to ask the learners to solve case studies.

It is good to measure the pros or cons of any new technology. But, be sure you are not shying away from it because of myths you’ve heard! At Designing Digitally, our custom training simulations empower your workforce to practice in virtual environments, allowing the audience Businesto ‘learn by doing’ anytime, anywhere they need.

Get in touch with our experts today to discuss the benefits simulated training could bring to your organization.