Your views
Secret Admirer
David Thorp, director of Research and Information at The Chartered Institute of Marketing, explains why he is such a fan of the BT Better Business Game...
David, what were your first impressions when you first came across the game?
I have to say my initial expectations were not particularly high when I saw how simple it looked, but when I started playing I got a bit of a shock. The answers I gave – which I did with some confidence - turned out not to be very good answers at all, especially when viewed in context. But this helped me understand why it was designed to have an easily accessible interface, so people are not scared of the game and concentrate on the issues.
What is it about the Better Business game that impresses you?
It brings all the choices that every business has to face directly to you. You really have got to think and engage with a much wider array of situations than you might otherwise do. It is a fantastic embodiment of stakeholder management principles trying to take hold across business, awareness of stakeholders being key.
Why is a game like this needed?
In my experience there is a lack of joined-up thinking across organisations and everybody sits in their own little silos and it is easy not to take on board the wider issues. It is absolutely crucial that employees have a competent view of how every last aspect of the organisation can have an impact on what consumers are thinking and the subsequent behaviour that they demonstrate.
Who is the ideal audience for this game?
Well, it is a fantastic group learning tool. Playing in isolation you are missing part of the experience because you actually have the opportunity to discuss all the choices in a group.
If we pick one dimension of the game, employees for example, you can have a fantastic dialogue around whether you should recruit a low cost workforce in Bangladesh or a high cost workforce in south Wales. You could spend money on training the workforce in the third world to bring them up to standards, which would also meet social corporate responsibility issues. Equally you could use the high cost workforce but not have to invest in training as they would not need it.
Or to take the various issues that arise around research and development - do we go for a climate change policy or adaptation policy - questions along those lines come out much better in a group dialogue.
As a trainer I would encourage a group to play it at the start and then discuss the issues that arise from it. Then you can play it again to see how the choices have changed over time and the relationships they start to perceive between the different aspects of the business.
What advantage does it have over other forms of communication?
I think it‘s much more direct. The interactivity also helps engagement and encourages you to play more than once.
Are there any ways in which it could be improved?
Maybe. For instance, you start with a financial input, yet all of the results you are getting are these bar graphs that show just good, average or poor. Nothing comes back in terms of money. Would be much more effective game in a team environment if it had financial feedback and would provide a more real world scenario.
How did you do?
I have played a number of times and my results are not showing any kind of marked improvement! It shows how difficult it is to balance the different considerations required by modern, sustainable business practices. However, the winning is really through enhancing your understanding of these challenges, and I believe anyone playing the game would benefit in that way.
http://btplc.com/Societyandenvironment/Businessgame/index.htm