Training Magazine - October 2007 - (Page 50) Games &Simulations FOCUS ON SPECIAL SECTION The solution: Since success could only be derived through leadership navigating through multiple levels of complexity and change, the idea of a “quick-hit” multifaceted simulation was floated to senior management. “They quickly embraced the idea, which created a new problem,” Bowles says. “Given expectations around the need for speed, design, development, and delivery, in the face of the usual distractions of a merger, it had to be done in record time.” The newly merged company, Cingular, turned to vendor BTS, which the company had worked with in the past. “We needed a company that understood our business, had quick speed to deployment, and could create an engaging solution,” Bowles says. “BTS digs into the business processes and metrics, so simulation makes it real for participants. Our group didn’t want to play a fantasy game. We wanted a reality-based game that gives direct exposure to the issues our business is grappling with.” Initially, the simulation aimed to target the top 1,100 executives from a blend of functions, a 60-40 split of leaders from the acquired company (AT&T Wireless) and Cingular. “We figured if we could get them aligned with our business strategies, executing them and leveraging their competencies, they would be able to trickle it down to their managers,” Bowles says. “But instead, these executives wanted this experienced by the 6,000 to 7,000 senior managers.” Both the CEO and COO agreed with the plan. The BTS team, led by BTS USA Director Dave Ackley (who had worked with Cingular since 1998), met with the CEO, COO, and other players to determine their vision. “We interviewed the CEO for about 20 minutes and spent at least an hour with each of the other senior executives,” Ackley says. The whole process—from the initial idea to the actual launch—took about six months. The idea originated in October 2004, interviews began in November/December 2004, development work started in January 2005, and the simulation launched in April 2005, according to Bowles. The glue that holds the simulation together is the theme: “Getting to Great,” Ackley says. It is a play off themes in the book, “Good to Great.” The goal was to go from being the biggest to being the best and leading in every metric that mattered. The simulation is set up so participants are looking at real business initiatives being implemented over a three-year plan. The simulation also includes know-how sessions, topical areas important to be successful in the business. On the front end of the simulation, the CEO and COO talk about expectations and how important they are. The back end shows the team that won, while senior leaders feed back brutal facts to the site leaders on what’s working and what’s not. It takes two days to complete the simulation in addition to the prework involved. Participants have to go to the BTS Website to learn fundamentals, get grounded in terminology, and know the metrics. All 1,100 directors and above came together in Atlanta to do the simulation in sessions of 25 to 30 participants. They then broke out into groups of four to seven to make decisions and talk about results after the first year, for example. For the broader audience, Bowles says, “BTS created an approach where we went to the major population centers for our employees. We worked in larger groups of 150 with board game simulations. These groups were split into smaller groups of 50. There were four breakouts, with six teams of six to eight managers each. We left it up to them to choose whether they took on their own role or another one to “Our group didn’t want a fantasy game. We wanted a reality-based game that gives exposure to the issues our business is grappling with.” —Jim Bowles, VP, workforce development, AT&T 50 | OCTOBER 2007 t r a i n i n g w w w. t r a i n i n g m a g . c o m http://www.trainingmag.com
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