Business Games in the Process of Management Training in Israel and the United States

Abstract

"The use of business games in management training is now widely accepted. As of 1960, over 100 business schools in the U.S. were using games as part of their programs [3, p. 11], and their use has continued to expand. The games vary in size, area, degree of comprehensiveness and complexity, but all of them are based on accepted decision-making techniques, and most are played in a competitive environment in accord with the values of the American- economic system [8, p.20]. Despite this widespread usage, business games are still in need of reassuring evidence concerning their effectiveness in training. Schriesheim and Schriesheim, in a review of the published literature of gaming effectiveness, point out that none of the ten most commonly made claims about business games has sufficient empirical support [12, p. 25]. Thus, it seems that business-games usage is supported only by “expert opinions,” and their strong face validity."