Author Description

Gaming/simulation has really taken off as an educational and training tool, but the applications of gaming/simulation are broader. An academic and two management consultants have written a book on changing organisations with the aid of gaming/simulation, also called ‘gaming’. Today, games are being used increasingly to teach people in organisations to change internal and external circumstances. Games provide insights into the structure, the culture and the behavioural processes within an organization. Gaming/simulations can function as a mirror (to become aware of what is happening now) and a window (to explore the future). Many people will already be acquainted with gaming/simulation in a training situation. The use of this technique in the management of change, however, is likely to be relatively new to the reader. That is why this book provides not only detailed guidelines on the background, design and uses of gaming/simulations but also describes in depth eight organizational change projects in which gaming/simulations have been used, what the objectives of the simulation were, how the simulation was designed and what was done to ensure that the game experiences resulted in actual changes. A chapter is devoted to unique research data: the effectiveness of gaming/simulation is studies in a large-scale change process. A set of remarkable findings and conclusions are presented. This book is aimed at executives, supporting staff and consultants who are involved in designing and supervising change processes in organisations. Its clear structure and the many case studies ensure that the book is also suitable for use in higher education.