HR Simulation
At this point in the semester, we are about half way through the HR Simulation. Therefore, I decided I would use this entry to reflect on the simulation thus far. Honestly, it is not what I expected. I do not feel like I am in charge of anything but rather like I have to assign arbitrary values to things. Even though I know that my group is trying to keep our company competitive, it does not feel this way. I think that this is because we do not actually see how things play out. Instead we just receive a sheet with numbers on it that is supposed to be indicative of how well we performed each quarter. I have no idea how the simulation could be made to feel more realistic, but I think if there is a way to do so, it will be much more valuable.
Comments
Posted by: Jerald Smith
Posted on: November 18, 2006 02:10 PM
Hi!
You wrote: "Even though I know that my group is trying to keep our company competitive, it does not feel this way. I think that this is because we do not actually see how things play out. Instead we just receive a sheet with numbers on it that is supposed to be indicative of how well we performed each quarter.
I am the author of the simulation. You are right in reflection the one weakness of simulations...they do not reflect what is happening out on the factory floor, or on the sales department. However, most managers have to manage "by paper reports" so the simulation is no different. The main objective is to force your team to make decisions about the limited budget. If you buy market research, you will know how you compare to other teams. In fact, we give this information to you even though you would not get this information in "the real world."
Hope this helps.
Jerald Smith
Jerald is Emeritus Professor of Management at Florida Atlantic University and has published several simulations with several revisions of each.
http://home.att.net/~simulations/