Summary of the Experience
SCIRE facilitates an interactive learning experience by creating a realistic environment that balances the business and academic factors of leading a university through a virtual business simulation. The behavioral learning scenarios embedded within the simulation present many decision-making opportunities, which challenge the executive to choose defined options based on a collection of data presented in the form of emails, reports, voicemails, etc. The impact of their decisions is then visually displayed on a dashboard and summarized in a final report after completing all three years of simulated management.
As part of the simulation story, participants take the helm as president of the struggling SCIRE university, a multi-campus school located on a fictional island nation, all set within a world recognizably like our own. The participants complete three hour-long simulated ‘years’ running the university, where they are faced with a variety challenges as they attempt to set the school back on a sustainable course. This is no easy endeavor and participants must contend with everything from financial underperformance to student unrest; from technological change to regulatory reforms.
In the role of president, players also have to manage 25 direct reports, all with different talents, traits, strengths and weaknesses. Participants must make key decisions, both short term and long term, from the moment they press play – and they often must make these vital decisions amidst uncertainty. Thankfully, participants come to understand the impact of their decisions and actions on an organization’s strategy and personnel in a safe environment without immediate real-world effects.
