USING SIMULATION & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS Experiential Learning Enters the Eighties, Volume 7, 1980 44 USING SIMULATION & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS Kenneth R. Thompson, University of Notre Dame Robert S. Pitts, University of Notre Dame Use of experiential learning and simulated experiences in the classroom has. been the major focus of attention or ABSEL since its inception. There has beer. some discussion of the role of simulation and experiential learning in business applications, but the field is an emerging one and its importance is only now being realized. Private and public organizations, profit and not-for-profit organizations, are slowly realizing the important role that experiential learning and simulations can assume in the development of their personnel, THE NEED FOR AN INTERFACE There is a definite need for an interface between the classroom and "real" institutions. There is a clamor for this direction both from the student (clientel) of the collegiate environment and in those organizations that rely upon the institutions of higher education for their supply of ta7ent to meet the needs of their organizations, Educational institutions have been surprisingly slow to adapt to the changing needs of students and of the external environment. There has been a reticence of educators to enter the realm of developing the skills inventory of students in a process fashion. The reliance in the past has been directed toward the exposure of the student to the current theories and concepts, with little attention placed upon the development of the ability of the students to use these theoretical skills or in developing the skills needed to perform and exist in an organi7ationai world. In essence, the direction has been centered too much around building mental skills and not enough emphasis placed on building diagnostic human skills by which to assess, react, and act in the current organizational setting with the differences in personalities, political groups, and interest group cross culture. The emphasis is slowly changing. Organizations are now in the process of working to directly develop the human and communicative skills of their employees. Recent articles have pointed to organizations that use simulated experiences to build the reactive and proactive skills of their supervisory work force. One organization uses video taping of their executives’ behavior in order to assess and improve their skills in television interviews. Another organization utilizes role playing situations to aid in building their union negotiating team skills in maintaining the bargaining edge. Several companies use other direct experiential techniques to assess supervisory skills in the area of conflict resolution, subordinate performance reviews, and handling group meetings. The authors of this session firmly believe that the use of simulations and experiential learning as currently used in organizations may shed some light on additional uses of the techniques in educational settings. There is a need to design specific courses around the development of interpersonal skills. The major medium for these courses is the use of experiential learning and simulation to build individual skills. These courses would be unique in that they would not teach additional theoretical constructs. They would be structured totally around the development of the individual’s skills in handling different situations that he will face in the outside world. The development of interpersonal skills through the use of simulations and experiential learning would be the main content of the course. This differs from the usual practice of having experiential learning only as a portion of another course such as Leadership or Organizational Behavior. This session, therefore is structured to show some of the applications of these techniques in industry and some of the concerns of organizations toward the deficiencies of their employees and the sort of skills that are needed to survive and succeed in current organizational life. THE SESSION’S DIRECTION The session’s panel is composed of six members. Three of the members are directly involved in the consulting process and three members are directly involved with the training and development programs of their respective organizations. Each of the participants has used simulations and experiential learning to develop his/her particular organization. The program has been structured around three distinct uses; in assessment centers, in supervisory development, and in executive development, One of the organizations is using simulations in assessment centers in a unique manner. While most assessment centers are conducted as a screening tool to judge the organizational fit of a prospective employee, this organization, Bendix, uses the assessment center as a means to assess current skills of already employed participants. The objective is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the employee in an overall program to improve the employee's skills. Assessment centers are open to all employees at all levels of the organization even clerical, It is a voluntary program, results are confidential and would not be included in the individual's personnel record. The counselor discusses the results with the employee and a specific course of action to improve skills is outlined for the employee. Each organization uses techniques such as role playing as part of a supervisory development program. Individuals are placed in situations that they are often faced with in the course of their current position. These role playing situations are taped Each a diagnostic session held later in order to point out the desirable and undesirable behaviors exhibited. Effective behavior modes are then suggested in order to improve the interpersonal skills of the participant. CONCLUSION Personal skills are very important in the overall development of employees in filling supervisory roles in today’s organizations. Much can be learned from the uses of experiential learning and simulations in extra- educational uses. Additional insights for educators may lead to a change of course offerings to meet the needs of students in becoming more prepared to meet the challenges of the new work environment of the 1980’s. Table of Contents Volume 7, 1980 Symbol Recognition and Correlation for Evaluating Decision Making in Computer Aided Business Simulations Polanal: An Experiential Approach to Decision Support The Use of Time Contracts in Formal Education Indexing Simulation Model Response for Gaming Flexibility Moving Toward A Theory of the Use of Simulation Games and Experiential Exercises Use of Simulation Administration to Achieve Pedagogical Objectives Experiential Learning on the Job - A Business Internship Program Toward the Ultimate Experiential Exercise A Learning Through Managing Program Workshop Using Experiential Materials in Industry Training Sponsored Experiential Learning - An Opportunity Problems and Pitfalls of Externally Sponsored Field Research Projects Viewed form an Experiential Learning Perspective A Modular Approach to Experiential Learning: Classroom & Consulting Using Simulation & Experiential Learning In Industrial Settings Terminations: An Experiential Review Agenda Items -- Board of Supervisors' Meeting - Town of Jori The Objective-Setting Interview in MBO: An Experiential Approach The All-Star World Series Team Exercise: an Experiential Learning Exercise Dealing with Various Organizational Behavior Issues Progress Report on global, A Rich Multinational Gaming Environment Computer Simulation: A Tool to Teach Queuing Theory New Technology for Business Games Technological Frontiers in Computer Simulations for Business Education Simulating the Product Life Cycle on Interactive Terminals On Compensatory Demand Functions in Marketing Simulations The Use of Games at Different Levels in a Single Marketing Course to Increase Game Participation Sun Airlines: A Heterogeneous Consumer demand exercise Incorporating a Group Selection Test An Organization Development Approach to Teaching Organization Behavior CBID: Cognitive, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Development - A Skill Development/Social Learning Approach to Management Development Using a Live Case Via Video Tape A Town and gown Approach Development of Student Generated Cases Using Computerized Text Editing and Database Technology Interdisciplinary Approached to Problems in Utilizing Experiential Techniques To Use or Not To Use Experiential Techniques, That's is the Question Forming Participant Teams in Simulation Gaming The Problems of Motivating Students and Clients in Live-Case Projects Problems of Teaching Leadership Skills Through Experiential Techniques Conflict Style Measurement: Antecedent to Change - A Proposal for an Experiential Exercise Demonstration Fundamentals of Simulation for Newcomers An M.B.A. Orientation Simulation for Managing Time and the Areas of One's Life SimNet Workshop: The International Simulation Network Demonstrates Three New Business Games The Use of a Simulation Model in the Planning and Evaluation of Commercial Bank Operations Probability Assessment and Performance in Business Game Simulations WageSim: A Wage and Salary Administration Simulation Grading as a Teaching and Feedback Mechanism: Modifying Student's Self-Perceptions of Performance Can Business Games Effectively Teach Business Concepts? Development of Multiple Value Orientations in Conflict Resolution Behavior: An Experiential Teaching Paradigm in Labor-Management Relations Course Designing a Competency-Based Peer Assessment Scale for the Evaluation fo Teaching in Higher Education A Method for Evaluating Information for the Equipment Replacement Decision: An Application of Monte Carlo Simulation Simulation: A Method of Appraising Communication Networks in Managerial Decision Making An Evaluation of In-Class Student Involvement Evaluation of the SBI Program from an Experiential Viewpoint: Focus on the Student Differential Predictors of Academic Performance for White and Non-White Samples The Manager's Dilemma: An Unobtrusive Measure of the managerial Sex-Role Stereotype Are Computer Simulations Sexist? The Effect of Group Size on Attitudes Toward the Simulation Associations Between Individual Cognitive Processing Variables and Business Game Performance and Play Students' Perceptions on Managerial Functions After Exposure to Either the Case Method or a Simulation What Business Students Learn from Finance Simulations Attitude Toward Experiential Exercises, The Student-Teacher Relationship, Student Psychological Types, and Performance An Example of How to Design a Research-Based and Classroom-Effective Organizational behavior Exercise Some Issues in Game Design Untested Hypotheses: An Approach to Experiential Learning Evaluation of Simulation Games: A Critical Look at Past Efforts and Future Needs Is Self-Perception Predictable? - Some Laboratory Results An Exercise in Conflict-Handling Behavior The Relationship Between Group Size and the Learning Curve Effect in a Gaming Environment Learning About Organizational Management Through Organizational Management: Closing the Gap Strategies, Managerial Approaches, and Decision Making in a General Management Simulation A Comparison and Evaluation of Similar and Dissimilar Group Scenarios Generated Using Manual Simulation Games Weaknesses of Research Methods in Experiential and Simulation Studies