Individual and Organizational Learning in a Top Management Game

Abstract

A wide variety of methods have been used to assess the validity of a business game experience. This paper employed Choo’s (1998) theory of the knowing organization to judge the efficacy of a strategic management-type game. A contiguous three-part organizational learning system comprised of knowledge crea-tion, environmental sense making and actionable decision mak-ing was used in a before/after research design. All companies increased their knowledge levels as decision-making groups. Within each team learning levels were uneven. The firms with the greatest learning gains were the most profitable. A top-performing company was one that had at least one high-performing player and a high average knowledge level. The group was also superior at mobilizing the knowledge it pos-sessed and in applying that knowledge to the challenges pre-sented by the game they played.