The Simple Business Game and Simulation Transfering the Knowledge of Middle Management to Novices Page 350 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 ABSTRACT Almost every decision-making player in business games in the classroom environment in college and in-house educa- tion is interested in the financial status, such as the profit of their company, rather than the attainment of the strate- gic and tactic business goals which their professors expect them to implement through their decision making. Although profit is the most important measure for decision makers in real business, it should be noted that they are engaged in daily business with cost consciousness. Business games used as above can be categorized into computer-modeled complex games and non-computer-based simple games. Compared with complex games, simple games have a ten- dency towards pliability and a rich meaning if players are limited to middle managers with business experience. An example of the simple business game is the well known “Beer Game”. This presentation will introduce how the knowledge of middle management is transferred to man- agement novices who play a simple business game, a sim- ple business simulation, and then a simple business game again. “Paper Plane Game” is chosen as a simple game. INTRODUCTION The simple game has a tendency towards pliability and a rich meaning if players are limited to middle managers with actual business experience. Otherwise, those who have no previous practices would be forced to play with toys without the interpretation of their presentations as abstract models. Therefore, an additional gaming structure is needed for a simple game to be run by them to let them rediscover such a rich meaning. In other words, we have to succeed in making possible the transfer of knowledge of middle management to management novices. My choices among simple games are the BEER GAME (Sterman, 1989) and the PAPER PLANE GAME which is originally called “Planes or burst game”, designed by Legg (1994). I am experimenting on both games, usu- ally as a combination, with the natural debriefing approach (Ichikawa & Nakamura, 2009) for both middle managers and novices. BEER GAME is a model of four companies involved in one supply-chain or Keiretsu. Contrastingly PAPER PLANE GAME can be a model of both managerial and operational levels of one company even though the designer defines his game as a very optimal operational game. The combination of both games, therefore, could make a more complete business game which is paper- THE SIMPLE BUSINESS GAME AND SIMULATION TRANSFERING THE KNOWLEDGE OF MIDDLE MANAGEMENT TO NOVICES Arata Ichikawa Ryutsu Keizai University ichikawa@rku.ac.jp Materials A4-sizePapers Products Paper Planes papers Production Line 8 Gamed Roles Figure 1 Paper Plane Game Model mailto:ichikawa@rku.ac.jp Page 351 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 based, not computer-based. This presentation will focus on the simulation of PAPER PLANE GAME used as a model of the decision process played by the actual middle man- agement that played PAPER PLANE GAME profession- ally. The simple simulation approach presented here is eas- ily applied in the classroom environment in college and in- house education. THE KNOWLEGDE OF MIDDLE MANAGEMENT THE SIMPLE MANAGERIAL AND OPERATIONAL GAME PAPER PLANE GAME consists of eight gamed roles more dynamic in debriefing than three or four gamed roles of the beer game. This paper plane game is originally an operational game that teaches students or workers optimized produc- tion technology principles by playing work at the eight steps of the process flow of a manufacturing system. The input is A4-size papers as raw material and the output are simply two pieces of folded paper with particular marks on them and stapled together in an Origami-made airplane. Figure 1 shows a paper plane game mode (approximately 20cm x 40cm), which I use for briefing the game for play- ers. The rule of the game is easily understood. The time of the run varies between 45 and 120 minutes according to the level of the knowledge of players. I have found that it takes more time for higher management people to play it than operation-oriented people. I analyze the difference as fol- lows. Even though this game was designed as an optimized production-oriented operational game, it has four character- istics that suit the purpose of this paper; (1) highly ab- stracted level, (2) planning capability, (3) different roles, and (4) real manufacturing involving the players as human resources. The players of the game are expected to play alternately in both levels of management and operation. In other words, they will play as members of a functional or- ganization as well as those of a team. When one of the players (Nakamura, 1999) partici- pated in the game for the first time in ISAGA1991 held in Japan, she was very disappointed in the way the game was played. The disappointment was caused by one of the par- ticipants, who gave the solution to the game to other par- ticipants before it was run. He seemed to have enough very natural scientific knowledge to run the game efficiently by finding the bottleneck of the process of the production model. He instructed the participants on how to play the game. As a result, all the participants except him were forced to work like machines in an operational mode in particular. I think that he, probably many others, might not know the importance of human factors in not only team management but also even operational level. THE SIMPLE MANAGERIAL AND OPERATIONAL GAME The gaming team consists of eight participants who had several years experience in Japanese management. The steps of the play are shown in Table 1. The game descrip- tion sheet is shown in Figure 2. The number in each stage of work on the sheet indicates working standard hours (in this game, seconds). For instance, the body painting needs 30 seconds, which is a bottle neck in this game. A copy of the instruction was handed to every player. The actual game play is explained as follows. INITIAL INERTIA In Inertia 1 in Figure 3, players organized themselves and chose the leader Pa (Player A) and the subleader Pb. They then shared their own knowledge relating to the game. One standing in the rear is a facilitator. In Inertia 2, they arrived at the conclusion that the bot- tleneck was in the operation with the longest processing time. This was given 30 seconds per unit in the game de- scription. All the players worked out this operation once in order to measure the actual time of the operation and to find who is the best worker in terms of less time for this operation. As a result, Pc was appointed to this task with a working time of 34 seconds per unit, which was longer than that of the game description. Phases Initial inertia Playing Debriefing Period 60 min. 15 min. 45 min. Organizaton Team Functional structure Team Tasks Organizing a team, understanding the conceptual map, sharing players’ knowledge relating to the problem, pre-play practicing, and making decisions Working on their own jobs as role players, noticing wrong decisions, and adjusting for better decisions Discusing with an endogenous review and then with an exogenous review Table 1 Steps of the Gaming Page 352 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 Figure 2 Instruction Sheet for Players Figure 3 Scenes of the Gaming Play Page 353 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 In Inertia 3, with the assistance of the subleader Pb, the leader Pa standing alone, took the initiative in making all the players exchange understanding of the game from their own game-role perspective. As a result, a total vision of the game was established and shared. In Inertia 4, Pc started alone practicing his operation, which was the bottleneck of the productivity of the produc- tion, in order to make his work more efficient. The other players tried to examine each role with the assistance of oth- ers and the facilitator. Inertia 5, which was a pre-play practice phase, shows that all the players moved to a simulated manufacturing site. Pc who was sitting practicing by himself his role in the actual game site. The other players try to examine the whole site. In Inertia 6, the leader Pa measured the running time of the whole production process while the other player worked as assigned. In Inertia 7, just after the pre-play practice phase, another player Pd appeared to help with the leadership. The second sub leader Pd could afford to see all the production because he was not busy. The leader Pa, who is with folded arms, realized that he could not take leadership during production because he found out that he was busier than he expected. This was also true with subleader Pb. As a result, the shared understandings were partly reviewed. PLAYING Playing in Figure 3 shows a scene at the beginning of the 15-minute production, where the leader Pa bought materials in bulk according to the production plan for efficiency. Pc tried to send a hand signal but no one responded, nor did the leader. It seemed that the there were no communications between members of the group in the initial part of the pro- duction time. DEBRIEFING All the players involved themselves deeply in operational activities, to escape from deep mental concentration on de- tails. Debriefing in Figure 3 shows that there were non- verbal languages used for an effective communications. The second sub leader Pd continued to exchange experiences with others with a sign language. TEKIZAI-TEKISHO MANAGEMENT TEKIZAI-TEKISHO In addition to Kaizen, Kanban, and Keiretsu, Tekizai- Tekisho is one of Japanese management words used fre- quently by managers and executives, meaning “the right man in the right place for the right job.” As you can imagine, Keiretsu is related to the closed coupling of companies in the flow of products and services. Kaizen has to do with the pur- suit of high quality standards and Kanban means just-in-time which aims at cost reduction. Tekizai-Tekisho is concerned with human management. As one of the excellent gaming runs I have directed and experienced, the players of the gaming explained above ad- vanced to solve Tekizai-Tekisho problem immediately after the startup. In parallel with them, I have directed and experi- enced Paper Plane Games for many players at middle man- agement, but there have been no team that compares with this team in management skills. More discussion on this ex- cellent case is found in Ichikawa & Nakamura (2004). MORE-HASTE-MORE-PROFIT PLAY A gaming team consists of eight novices with no work experience. At most cases of game run, at least two teams (group) are organized for educational effectiveness, for ex- ample, surviving in a competitive market. The steps of the play are shown in Table 2, which is almost the same as the steps shown in Table 1, unless more detailed instruction is needed for them. The game description sheet, the same one shown in Figure 2 and profit-and-loss calculation sheets are handed to every player for educational goals. The number in each stage of work on the sheet indicates working standard hours (in this game, seconds). A typical novice game play is explained as follows. INITIAL INSTRUCTION I usually instruct players to set up a gaming site in a class room. Then, I explain the meanings of symbols on the game description sheet. Most players usually cannot understand Table 2 Steps of the Gaming for Novices Phases Initial inertia Playing Debriefing Period 60 min. 15 min. 45 min. Organizaton Team Functional structure Team Tasks Organizing a team, understanding the conceptual map, sharing players’ knowledge relating to the problem, pre-play practicing, and making decisions Working on their own jobs as role players, noticing wrong decisions, and adjusting for better decisions Discusing with an endogenous review and then with an exogenous review Page 354 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 what they have to do and what will be happening. As a result, I direct a 5-minute pre-play game run for them to experience how to this game work. PLANNING The main issue among players in almost all cases is that of who takes charge of which gamed-role. Usually they find two options. They like to do rock, paper, scissors to make the assignment decision. The next one, less frequent however, is preference on the same roles as the ones of the pre-play game. In this case, I will ask why and get an an- swer that they have the experience. This is understandable. They never doubt the correctness of data given on the de- scription sheet. PLAYING Whenever I run the paper plane game for novices, play- ers show the same scene. I call it “More-haste-more-profit play.” The typical case is shown Figure 4. All players at the gamed work places concentrate on their own work and especially a player of the transporting role at the center in Figure 4 runs delivery of parts to tar- geted work places for all 15 minutes. Very few players show efforts to place their processed parts in a place that will make it easier for the next player to reach them. DEBRIEFING A debriefing follows the playing, which is the most meaningful phase of gaming especially in a simple game which is an abstract model of a social system. To be mean- ingful it needs the richness of the previous experiences of players. I used to try to make players to debrief on what has happened in the play and to make an interpretation of how to connect them to management problems. All failed be- cause they hesitate to open their mouths, probably because they want to avoid embarrassment before their classmates. Silence continued in the classroom. Instead of oral debriefing, exchange of opinion notes among team members is introduced. They write what has happened and what it meant (Figure 5). Someone makes their comments and then someone else adds their com- ments on the comments related in some way. This contin- ues until no one makes further comments. I got to see the merits of this journal writing after awhile. Figure 4 More-Haste-More-Profit Play Figure 5 Team Writing Debriefing Continued from Table 2 Individual simulation Planning Playing Writing debreifing 30 min. 30 min. 15 min. 30 min. Individual Team Functional structure Individual Experring all gamed roles, recording working hours of one’s own Strategic planning, Job assingment, Manufacturing Paper Plains Findings, fellings, suggestions etc Table 3 Extended Steps of the Gaming for Novices Page 355 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 MANAGEMENT PLAY BY OBJECTIVES AND SELF -CONTROL This presentation proposes the following, a sort of “individual simulation exercise.” The aim of this exercise is to make possible the transfer of knowledge of middle man- agement to management novice. The solution is so simple that players should be able to correct the data of working hours provided on the description sheet learning through a learning-by-doing phase of the gaming. At the right time as players have concretely experienced the data inaccuracy, they are motivated to try to do all the gamed-roles. I redesigned the gaming steps to add an individual simu- lation phase to the original steps (Table 2) developing to the extended steps of the gaming for novices (Table 3). INDIVIDUAL SIMULATION All players are instructed to play all the gamed-roles in the same way as described using objects such as pencils, scales, scissors, and scissors, and staples. They are to re- cord their own working hour of each gamed-role on a simu- lation results sheet. The values are averages of several tries. Figure 7&8 show their one player simulation. Figure 6 One Player Simulation 1 Figure 7 One Player Simulation 2 Figure 8 One Player Simulation Results Page 356 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 PLANNING The main issue among players again is that of who takes charge of which gamed-role. As optimized solution could be available mathematically, discussion on planning, Tekizai-Tekisho in particular, becomes complicated and much longer. It seems to be a combinational problem for them. The exchanges are very activated (Figure 9). PLAYING Though all players at the gamed work places concen- trate on their own work again and yet they play on their own pace. They have already discovered the wastefulness of a more-haste-more-profit play. DEBRIEFING Usually, the last of gaming phases is debriefing, be- cause the debriefing is known well to be the most important one. Which of the gaming phases of this simple game run deserves a usual debriefing is the combination of the indi- vidual simulation and planning (2nd one). All players are able to share the deep knowledge through conversation and dialogue (Baker, 2002:9-10), or agreement and conflict. For the closing of the gaming, I chose an individual reflection phase, in other words, an individually written debriefing. Each player is instructed to reflect on all the gaming phases and then write their reflections with refer- ence to the team writing debriefing (Figure 5). The indi- vidually written debriefing format is the same as that of the team’s format. THE MANAGER According to Drucker (1985:398-399), a manager has two specific tasks. The first is creation of a true whole that Figure 9 Discussion on Tekizai-Tekisho Figure 10 Individually Written Debriefing Page 357 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 38, 2011 is larger than the sum of its parts. The second is to harmo- nize in every decision and action the requirements of im- mediate and long range future. This notion would be appli- cable to the tasks of the players of the simple business game and simulation The first task is said in particular that the manager should make effective whatever strength there is especially in the human resources and neutralize whatever there is of weakness. Consequently, the matured players of the paper plane game presented in the first half of this paper proved their excellence to management. Also, the players of the individual simulation and the planning phases in the last half of this paper learned the first task by doing or literally manufacturing parts. As for the second task, the manager should live and act in two time dimensions and balance them. He is responsi- ble for the performance of the whole and of his own com- ponent in it. At the paper plane game demonstrated in ISA- GA1991 Japan, the player who instructed the other partici- pants on how to play the game did not have the knowledge of management at all. Instead, the matured players first discovered both of the management and operational levels being latent in the original game. All the players practiced and familiarized on all the gamed-roles in the individual simulation. Due to low-priced stationery products used, the game and simulation are simple enough to be exercised in any settings. The gaming design presented on this paper makes an excellent business game. REMARKS I learn from any game run that the success of a play depends on the exactness of responsibilities of players. Armstrong (1979) suggested some principles of natural learning; learner responsibility, setting objectives, finding and engaging in active learning tasks, obtaining feedback on performance, and applying what was learned. With players’ self-directing, no human facilitators would be re- quired to run a game except only at the start of each new stage. In other words, we could do with minimum depend- ence on facilitators if the players are seriously motivated. Even then, the interest of the gaming researcher would be not much about practice in itself but with the design of the game. However, it is an agreed viewpoint of the gaming researchers that the quality of knowledge transfer controls the success or failure of gaming. From the previous case of the paper plane game it shown that even if the research got the participation of the well-matured player, it has become clear for gaming play that responsibilities, principles, and practices of the player are essential for research on gaming. In addition to the natural debriefing approach as a structured debriefing (Ichikawa & Nakamura, 2009), the structuring of knowl- edge transfer frame enables natural learning for players and by the players. As a conclusion, the simple game needs debriefing oriented gaming design. Through this presentation, I showed the importance of the knowledge transfer structure design in gaming design and practice of gaming design. REFERENCES Armstrong, J.S. (1979). “The natural learning project,” Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation, 1(1): 5-12. Baker, A.C., Jensen, P.J. & Kolb, D.A. (2002). Conversa- tional Learning: An Experiential Approach to Knowl- edge Creation. Quorum Books. Duke, R.D. (1974). Gaming: The Future’s Language. Sage Publications. Drucker, P.F. (1985). Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices (revised version). Harper Business. Ichikawa, A. & Nakamura, M. (2004). “For the knowledge society: how to involve human resources in gaming.” In: Shiratori, R., Arai, K. & Kato, F. (Eds.) Gaming, Simulations, and Society. Springer, pp.227-236. Ichikawa, A. & Nakamura, M. (2009). “The natural de- briefing approach: A case in a simple business game pursued for perfect communications” Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 36: 277-283. Legg, L. (1994). “Planes or bust: an OPT scheduling game.” In: Armstrong, F. & Saunders, D. (Eds.) The Simulation and Gaming Yearbook Vol. 2: Interactive Learning, Kogan Page, pp.209-219. Nakamura, M. (1999). “Dilemma and depression in the ninth year.” Simulation & gaming, 30(3):356-360. Sterman, J.D. (1989). “Modeling managerial behavior: mis- perceptions of feedback in a dynamic decision making experiment". Management Science, 35(3): 321-339. Table of Contents Volume 38, 2011 Simulated Tabletop Exercise for Risk Management - Anti Bio-terrorism Scenario Simulated Tabletop Exercise From Business Games to Simulations - Simuworlds & Microworlds Demand Equation Redux: The Design and Functionality of the Gold/Pray Model in Computerized Business Simulations Managing Client-Based Learning: Insights from Successful Teaching Project Courses in Marketing Tracking Forecast Error Type, Frequency and Magnitude with the Forecast Error Package Responding to Facilitate Collaboration Simulating Sudden Change and the Value of Timely Information Managing Human Resources Simulation A Study on Collectivism and Group Decision-Making: An International Comparison of Japan, China, and Russia Using a Gaming Simulation The Use of Management Games in the Management Research Agenda Gaming On-Line: A Simulation Application Positioning and Performance in Simulated Networks Supply Chain Management: A Simulation Application Simulation as a Teaching Method in Strategic Management Distance Studies Entrepreneurship: A Game of Risk and Reward Phase II: The Start-Up Return to the Paradise Islands: From Confrontation to Cooperation Effect on Market Performance of Displaying Supply and Demand Curves in a Business Simulation Appreciating Complexity: The Chief of Staff of the Army Game Managing Organizations: Experiential MBA Course Teaches Alternatives to the Machine Model A Simulation Model for Analyzing the Night-Time Emergency Health Care System in Japan The Continuing Evoluation of Assessing Project Management as an Academic Learning Outcome (ALO) Should College Instructors Change Their Teaching Styles to Meet the Millenial Student? The Mouse Game and its Effects on Team Interdependence Learning from the Gulf Oil Spill to Prepare for a Brighter Future: A New Game Engaging Stake Holders in Triple Bottom Line Accounting & Strategic Planning Video Killed the Biblio Star: The Impact of Digital Media on Student Learning Outcomes Exploring Motivation: Using Emoticons to Map Student Motivation in a Business Game Exercise An Alternative to PC and Internet Based Simulations: The Internet Integrated Mode MiddleState University -- A Crisis in Education Complexity Avoidance, Narcissism and Experiential Learning Examining the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor Dimensions in Management Skill Development Through Experiential Learning: Developing a Framework A Situational Leadership Exercise Based on the Biology of a Starfish JOGAI CEFET -- The Industrial Administration Undergraduate Game Would You Take a Marketing Man to a Quick Service Restaurant? Modeling Corporate Social Responsibility In A Food Service Menu-Management Simulation Use of a Simulation in a Large Class Environment for a Marketing Principles Class: A Qualitative Analysis of Whether Learning Objectives were Met A Team Based Information Literacy Exercise ABSEL Marketing Communications Plan An Interdisciplinary Study of the Impact of Playing a Marketing Simulation Game on Student Knowledge of Management Accounting/Finance Principles Analyzing Construction Planning of Interiro Finish Work of Apartment Building by Simulation Doing Murder One Again The Simple Business Game and Simulation Transfering the Knowledge of Middle Management to Novices Infectious Disease Simulation Model for Estimation of Spreading Understanding the Relative Influence of Several Factors in ERP Simulation Performance: An Exploration of Ecological Validity Tragedy of the Commons: An Exercise Using Clickers to Illustrate and Teach a Key Concept in Negotiations The Meaning of Firm Demand in Business Simulations If the Games Work, Why Aren't More Faculty Willing to Play? Those Who Do and Those That Don't: A Study of Engaged and Disengaged Business Game Players