High Command, Pod Leaders, Aquanauts and Swimmers comprise the Red School, which seeks to claim treasure and territory against the Gold School. The underwater world of The Aquanauts is crystalline and beautiful. However, when a fiercely competitive battle erupts, it is also dangerous. Soon, in both the Red and Gold Schools, miscommunication and confusion between the High Command and Pod Leaders leave the Aquanauts and Swimmers gasping for air. Trust evaporates. Confusion reigns. The front line becomes isolated and is left under water without enough information or air. High Command members are dry in their land-based office, while the Pod Leaders get stretched into madness in the middle. Neither school will be able to claim victory over the other unless each is first able to understand and operate effectively within its own system.

Each participant in both schools is assigned a key leadership role as either a member of High Command, a Pod Leader, an Aquanaut or a front line Swimmer. The mission revolves around going 'head to head' with the other school in order to gain control of the Aquanauts’ Universe.

What happens when information doesn't flow the way the organizational chart said it would? Why are resources going to poor or average Swimmers when the best and most capable are left gasping for air? Where has the trust gone within the system? What happens when the lowly Swimmers discover new and strategically important information? Does the strategy change? Can the entire school switch mid-stream and integrate new findings?

This powerful simulation immerses participants in an underwater world where they struggle to perform as part of a complex system. The Aquanauts is an experience whereby small changes can produce big results. Yet finding points of leverage requires careful observation, data gathering and modelling.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The Aquanauts is a powerful, team-based simulated environment that focuses on:

• Systems thinking
• Fostering leadership at all levels of the organization
• Aligning strategy and implementation with mission
• Maximizing teamwork across boundaries
• Creating effective and efficient communication vehicles
• Valuing others
• Customer focus

Confederacy of Stars
For a more complete look at the specific applications and learning outcomes of each individual simulation within Confederacy of Stars, launch yourself into one of the following worlds:

The Journey Home - First Light - The Aquanauts - Alien Contact
- World View