Infinity Inc.

We invite you to witness the birth of Infinity Inc., a virtual company that is a global leader in manufacturing and marketing of major home appliances. Participants enter the simulated world under the guidance and counsel of a butler, skilled facilitator and servant leader, who initiates the first assignment of role selection for each of the teams that will compete with each other within the Infinity Inc. organization. Who will step forward and take the helm as Chief Transformation Officer? Who will challenge themselves by accepting a role that is the polar opposite of their real life role?

The first task of each of the new Infinity Inc. leadership teams is to develop a strategy for success that is aligned with the goal of achieving the highest sustainable customer loyalty score. They come to recognize that there are many variables to consider, such as the selection of talent, negotiations with the trade partners and suppliers, and what drives customer demand. Participants learn that success in the simulation requires more than traditional business skills and "bottom line number crunching." Success moves beyond incremental change to transformational change, which is found in the Infinity inc. team’s ability to develop a deep understanding of the customer. The ability of a team to accomplish this goal is tracked by a computer model that reports each team’s financial performance and the significant customer loyalty score to determine how successfully teams are driving transformation on behalf of the customer.

Throughout the simulation individuals have the opportunity to use a leadership log that creates the reflective time and space to set goals for their simulated and real life roles. From planning through performing and debriefing, participants receive feedback from colleagues, the butler/facilitator, trade partners, and the supplier on how they are demonstrating their leadership talents. This feedback allows participants to track their observed performance against their personal learning goals. Stars, along with documented feedback sheets, are awarded for individual performance that moves the organization forward in an innovative manner on behalf of the customer.

Participants discover that transforming the company requires them to look through a new lens as they execute strategy in the simulated world. They discover that looking through a traditional lens leads to poor performance in both the simulated and the real marketplace. The Brand Essence Wheel is one of several tools provided within the simulation to encourage teams to understand their customer deeply. The simulation concludes with a debrief that mines the learning experiences, recognizes the team with the highest customer loyalty score, reinforcing the need for each participant to accept the responsibility to drive transformation on behalf of the customer.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The learning outcomes include developing and demonstrating skills and knowledge in:

• Talent selection and leveraging diversity
• Creating dialogue with customers, trade partners, suppliers, and team members
• Interpreting and translating knowledge of customers into innovative strategy
• Leadership skills required for transformation on behalf of the customer
• Demonstrating stewardship and service