Designing Leadership Programs That Are Experiential - Part II

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At the 2017 Training Conference I led a session on Developing Leadership Awareness Through Experiential Learning, in which I included a brief case study that highlighted using simulations as an experiential learning activity. After the session, I was asked what other activities might be used within an experiential learning laboratory environment.

At the 2017 Training Conference I led a session on Developing Leadership Awareness Through Experiential Learning, in which I included a brief case study that highlighted using simulations as an experiential learning activity. After the session, I was asked what other activities might be used within an experiential learning laboratory environment.

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Part I of this blog series took a deeper dive into what is required to make a learning program experiential. With that framework in mind, let’s explore some of additional learning activities that can be used within an experiential leadership development program.

Part I of this blog series took a deeper dive into what is required to make a learning program experiential. With that framework in mind, let’s explore some of additional learning activities that can be used within an experiential leadership development program.

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Role-play

Role-play

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  Create a realistic scenario participants might encounter as a leader

  Create a realistic scenario participants might encounter as a leader

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  Identify roles on a team

  Identify roles on a team

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  Rotate roles within the scenario to experience looking at the situation from different points of view

  Rotate roles within the scenario to experience looking at the situation from different points of view

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  Role Play Experiences- Battlefield for strategy or A Day in the Life of a CEO

  Role Play Experiences- Battlefield for strategy or A Day in the Life of a CEO

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Problem-based project

Problem-based project

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  Identify a problem/challenge within the organization

  Identify a problem/challenge within the organization

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  Individuals can bring their own functional problem/challenge as ideas and the teams can vote on which problem to solve

  Individuals can bring their own functional problem/challenge as ideas and the teams can vote on which problem to solve

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  Mix teams up by functional background to help look at the solution from different points of view

  Mix teams up by functional background to help look at the solution from different points of view

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  Allow the groups to present the challenge they worked on and the proposed solution

  Allow the groups to present the challenge they worked on and the proposed solution

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  Allow the groups to select the best solution

  Allow the groups to select the best solution

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  Perhaps have the groups present their findings to Senior Functional leads

  Perhaps have the groups present their findings to Senior Functional leads

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Case study – leaderless discussion

Case study – leaderless discussion

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  Pick a case study that is relevant to the group

  Pick a case study that is relevant to the group

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  Divide the case study up amongst the team

  Divide the case study up amongst the team

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  Individuals share what they took from their portion of the case study

  Individuals share what they took from their portion of the case study

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  Hold a brainstorming session to identify the questions that senior leaders should be asking about the information presented in the case study

  Hold a brainstorming session to identify the questions that senior leaders should be asking about the information presented in the case study

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  Keep it leaderless to see who emerges as leaders and how all participants can be leaders in one way or another when working collaboratively

  Keep it leaderless to see who emerges as leaders and how all participants can be leaders in one way or another when working collaboratively

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  Real-time case study

  Real-time case study

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  Works best if the program is extended over a longer period of time

  Works best if the program is extended over a longer period of time

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  Groups observe and discuss how their company or an external company is handling:

  Groups observe and discuss how their company or an external company is handling:

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Or even performing on a quarterly basis

Or even performing on a quarterly basis

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  Recommendations can be made as to how they may have approached things differently

  Recommendations can be made as to how they may have approached things differently

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  Job Rotation

  Job Rotation

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  Identify what functions the participants should rotate through

  Identify what functions the participants should rotate through

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  Allows for cross functional understanding of the organization

  Allows for cross functional understanding of the organization

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  May require a longer timeline to complete a full rotation

  May require a longer timeline to complete a full rotation

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  Growth

  Growth

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  A specific problem

  A specific problem

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  Change the rules

  Change the rules

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  Put them in teams (collaboration)

  Put them in teams (collaboration)

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Gamification

Gamification

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  Shorter in duration than simulations

  Shorter in duration than simulations

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  Works great for repetitive behaviors or actions

  Works great for repetitive behaviors or actions

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  Works well for addressing a specific scenario

  Works well for addressing a specific scenario

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  Caution: don’t make it too much like a video game

  Caution: don’t make it too much like a video game

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  Keep it relevant to their current or future roles

  Keep it relevant to their current or future roles

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  Board Games

  Board Games

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  Works well for shorter duration programs

  Works well for shorter duration programs

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  Business board games

  Business board games

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  Don’t rule out games you know and love for non-business objectives

  Don’t rule out games you know and love for non-business objectives

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  Imagine playing the game Risk as a team competing against other teams to work on strategic thinking skills

  Imagine playing the game Risk as a team competing against other teams to work on strategic thinking skills

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  Make sure to tie game lessons back to their real-world roles

  Make sure to tie game lessons back to their real-world roles

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Simulations

Simulations

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  Business Simulations: strategy, business acumen, financial acumen

  Business Simulations: strategy, business acumen, financial acumen

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  Functional Based Simulations: project management, operations

  Functional Based Simulations: project management, operations

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  Task-based simulations

  Task-based simulations

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The great thing about experiential learning activities is that they allow for learning by doing, teaching, and mentoring others in your group, and using facilitators as guides in a classroom setting to tie in relevancy. All aspects of the 70-20-10 model for learning are represented in experiential learning programs. Remember, any of these activities should be conducted in a safe environment to allow experimentation. We are developing leaders, we are not in a selection process.

The great thing about experiential learning activities is that they allow for learning by doing, teaching, and mentoring others in your group, and using facilitators as guides in a classroom setting to tie in relevancy. All aspects of the 70-20-10 model for learning are represented in experiential learning programs. Remember, any of these activities should be conducted in a safe environment to allow experimentation. We are developing leaders, we are not in a selection process.

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If you’d like to talk further about designing your leadership program, please reach out to me at [email protected]

If you’d like to talk further about designing your leadership program, please reach out to me at [email protected]

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Stay tuned for our next blog on using off-the-shelf simulations versus custom simulations.

Stay tuned for our next blog on using off-the-shelf simulations versus custom simulations.