Leadership training often fails because new knowledge can’t be applied into practice. Nevertheless, a Harvard Business School study has shown that gamified training can have a positive effect on organizational performance. Our customers and collaborators have echoed these ideas:
We now know that gamification leads to faster and better absorption of knowledge. While playing the games, participants actually get the experience what we mean in practice. – Prof. Stijn Viaene, Professor of Digital Transformation, Vlerick Business School
If you lack ideas for an engaging leadership training program, why not try one of our top picks for training games on leadership?
#1: Insight Cards on Leadership
What to expect?
Insightful dialogues on leadership, dynamic group interactions
What is it?
The Insight Cards on Leadership is a card game on leadership. The game draws on the power of questions to inspire dialogues on leadership. There are 40 powerful questions on leadership and 12 “what-if” questions to spark out-of-the-box thinking.
When to use?
Leadership training, leadership workshop, strategy meeting, team meeting
How to play?
There are many ways to play Insight Cards game in leadership training i.e. Insight Circles, Insight Circles with Dice, Insight Networking.
For detailed instructions, please see here.
Use case?
Any company or organization with management challenges i.e. how to transform fixed/traditional mindsets
Side-note!
Download free guidelines here and create your own Insight game!
#2: Using a role-play game for DiSC® leadership assessment
What to expect?
Self-discovery about own behaviors and others’, sale-skills practice and improvement, insightful dialogues on team behaviors and relationship management, dynamic group interactions
What is it?
A role-play game for DiSC leadership assessment is an interactive game on leadership. It features 4 distinctive behavioral profiles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Contentiousness. The gameplay uses DiSC profiles as theoretical framework while capitalizing on the engaging nature of role-playing.
When to use it?
Leadership training, leadership workshop, team building workshop
How to play?
- Participants must identify their own styles by reviewing significant traits of each style. You can check out the overview of DiSC here.
- After reviewing all DiSC profiles, participants select a different style (not their own) to role play.
- Create different scenarios i.e. team leaders try to get a new person to join their teams (How does each style persuade or get a person excited?)
- Divide participants in pairs or trios and let the participants “act out” according to their chosen styles
Use case?
Any company or organization with communication challenges i.e. how to recognize communication needs of team members
Side note!
Get free scenario ideas here and create your own version of the game.
#3: The Organization Workshop leadership simulation
What to expect?
Real-life situations, dynamic group interactions, lasting impacts for leaders, empathy for different organizational functions
What is it?
The organization workshop leadership simulation is a leadership game that simulates real-life situations in a fast-paced environment. With pre-assigned roles as top executives, middle managers, workers and customers, participants are given a whole new lens for seeing, understanding and moving past the road-blocks to success.
When to use?
Leadership workshop, leadership training, executive training
How to play?
- Create a scenario with a challenge and specific responsibilities & physical restrictions for different functions: Top, Middle, Bottom and Customers
- Assign each participant to a certain function and let all participants reflect on their roles, the system and their relationships with other stakeholders in the company
- Participants must work with one another to solve the challenge.
- Make sure that the participants must conform to assigned responsibilities and restrictions while interacting with others
Example scenario: CCI is a company delivering creative services for its clients’ marketing communication. The Tops have overall responsibility and are allowed to wear shoes and keep everyone’s shoes. Each Middle has supervisory responsibility for his/her Bottom group and is allowed to wear shoes. Bottom groups work on projects as designated for them either by Tops or Middles but can’t wear shoes. Clients receive high quality visuals or prototypes generated from Bottoms.
Use case?
Any company or organization in transformation i.e. new leadership transformation
Side-note!
Our staff includes accredited Organizational Workshop facilitators so if you are looking for someone to facilitate this workshop in Europe please get in touch with us. For other regions, please explore with Power+Systems.
Looking for more?
Hope you enjoyed our sample of engaging training game about leadership There are probably dozens of training games out there, so we would love to hear which one is yours?. In case you want to work together on leadership games or have something else in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
What is your favourite leadership game or simulation? Comment below.
