ICI-30 - Business War Gaming
Explorative strategy development
 Business War Gaming (BWG) is used to predict possible changes of markets as well as competitor activities and based on this and to develop the best possible reactions. With this analysis, effective strategies with a distinctly competitive oriented character can be formed. Through BWG, the focus can be changed from an internal to an external perception that has the market and the competitors in view.
In addition, the following goals are tracked with BWG.
- Gaining a better understanding of the market and of competitive dynamics
- Developing realistic future scenarios for both market and industry sectors
- Sensitization of the attendees to weak signals that are the basis for an early warning system
- Development of the ability to role play the position of competitors and anticipate their actions and reactions
- Identification and elimination of “blind spots” in managers
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Workshop foci
Introduction
- Goals of BWG
- Variants of BWG
- From the classic business game to the „multiplayer simulator"
Business Intelligence
An established basis of information is a requirement for BWG. This can be achieved with a market and environment analysis that corresponds with demands.
- The task of securing quality, relevant information on the company, its strategy, competitors and customers is vital for BWG
- Identification of system limits
Building of models
- Introduction to Systems Thinking
- Identification of the driving force of growth as well as the central market drivers and resources of businesses in the market
- Determining the most important interdependencies between businesses and their customers
- Representation of all influences and their interdependencies in a networked model (impact diagram, Causal Loop Diagram)
Management flight simulator
As with the cockpit of a simulated aeroplane, the manager of a Management Flight Simulator has the entire repertoire of steering options for the business available. In the flight simulator, the business and the market also react immediately to the measures taken.
- Introduction into System Dynamics
- From impact diagrams to a Management Flight Simulator
Business war gaming
With a BWG process, the attendees take on the roles of different market participants. Over a simulated time period of several years, they steer their businesses in the resultant market environment of intense competition that is also influenced by external developments such as cyclical influences, crises and singular events.
- Development of: scenarios and possible external shocks
- Preparation of the playbooks: setting, profiling the market and market participants, role descriptions and strategic levers
- Preparation of the teams (pre-war-briefing): introduction of the storyline, roles and requirements to the teams, presentation of the course of events
- BWG: execution of moves, coaching, workshops
- Documentation and follow-up: summary, presentation and discussion of the results, deduction of strategic consequences, development of recommendations for action, determining further action (implementation of results)
Readings
More Information
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