Are you Kidding?!? Business Simulation For Soft Skills?

When you think of a business simulation, you probably think something along the lines of E=MC^2, right? Of course, most people do.But how are companies successfully using a business simulation for the soft skills and are they using them at all for this? The short answer is, “Yes, companies are certainly using business simulations for the soft skills.” In reality, the long answer is that it depends (of course). Let’s take a closer look at the topic:

Business Simulations For The Soft Skills

Let’s start by all agreeing that effective behavior and leadership skills has a positive effect on business outcomes. We’re not going to go into the research, but this is a fair and proven assumption. The one problem is that people understand this, but they don’t really know how or how much. At the same time, today’s learners want to see impact, results, proof, and application. This is where effective use of a business simulation comes in.A business simulation done right strikes an effective balance between soft skills and tangible business decisions. In reality, it doesn’t just balance them, it integrates them. Making a decision here has an effect there. This is what a simulation is all about... the experience without the risk.Giving training and development participants the opportunity to experience the impact of effective management of the soft skills (communication, leadership, etc) is a fantastic use of a business simulation. When implementing this, it is critical to keep an eye on demonstrating the impact of the soft skills on hard outcomes. Otherwise, today’s learners will discount the content and focus more on tangible decisions.So, in summary, companies are definitely using business simulations for the soft skills. But the simulations are not devoted strictly to the soft skills or the hard business skills. They are nicely balanced and integrated with one another.Hope this helps!