Alima Dostiyarova Role plays and simulation upd 14 07 13

DEVELOPING AND RUNNING BUSINESS SIMULATIONS & ROLE-PLAYS DURINGTHE COURSE “BUSINESS COMMUNICATION”

By Alima Dostiyarova (ABD)KIMEP UniversityAlmaty, Kazakhstan

AbstractThis paper is an attempt to consider and prove that business simulations and role-plays are important and useful tools in integrative learning and teaching for business schools. These techniques involve all students in class discussions and analysis. Students make own contribution to the class activities and best solutions. Such activities help students prepare for future business life. Moreover, these exercises create a special atmosphere in the class and diversify the usual lecture based material. In the article the examples of the role-plays exercises and obstacles are discussed.

Outline:

1. Introduction

2. Role-plays and simulations as principles of Integrative

Teaching and Learning

3. Defining of General Goal and Objectives

4. Methods used

5. Analysis

- Analysis of the roles defined

- Analysis of the case/situation given as a task

- Analysis of the Solutions, Ideas as the outcome of the

exercise

6. Assessment

- Evaluation and assessment of roles played by students

- Assessment of theoretical knowledge and skills applied in

practical situations

7. Decisions/ Effects

- Feedback from students

8. Practical implementation

9. Outcome

10. Conclusion

Introduction

Nowadays role-plays and simulations are widely used as class

activities, especially, in the business education. Business

simulations and role-plays incorporate dynamic model enable

experimentation with business strategies in a risk free

environment and provide a useful extension to case

study discussions. Usually, these class activities are used for

several purposes. They are:

raising the students’ interest and applying of theoretical

knowledge into real practical situations,

developing and strengthening different competences such as

self-confidence,

ability to speak,

decision making,

critical thinking,

analytical skills,

creativity and others.

According to Mary Taylor Huber and Pat Hutchings, “One of the

great challenges in higher education is to foster students’

abilities to integrate their learning over time. Learning that

helps develop integrative capacities is important because it

develops habits of mind that prepare students to make informed

judgments in the conduct of personal, professional, and civic

life. On the other hand, even when higher education has

identified such learning as a goal, it has been difficult to

incorporate into the undergraduate experience because the normal

structures of academic life encourage students to see their

courses simply as isolated requirements to complete” (Huber, et

al ). From this point of view, I think that the main goal of

every teacher is to motivate students to study with interest and

pleasure. One of the motivational techniques that can be sued as

integrative learning and teaching are using role-plays and

simulations during the course.

Role-plays/ simulations as principles of Integrative Teaching

and Learning

According to the definition of Association of American Colleges

and Universities, “Integrative learning is an understanding and a

disposition that a student builds across the curriculum and co-

curriculum, from making simple connections among ideas and

experiences to synthesizing and transferring learning to new,

complex situations within and beyond the campus”. Role plays and

Simulation are one of the principles of Integrative learning and

teaching because these activities imply connection of skills and

knowledge, interaction of students within and out of class.

Through these activities students address real-world problems and

find multiple solutions that are beneficial for both audiences:

instructor and students as well. This process never stops as

instructor learns from its students as well as students learn

from their instructor. Moreover, using games/role plays/

simulations as class activities may raise the students’ interest

in the learning process, may stimulate the active participation

of students, their creativity, “in many cases, they help

participants to develop their initiative, divergent thinking, and

creative skills” (Ellington and Earl, 1998), develop

communication skills and increase interactions between students,

develop and strengthen the relationship between students and

instructor.

Students are being taught the theory and with the aim to deepen

their knowledge and better understand the possible outcomes there

is a solution to have simulation and role-play.

However, there are some arguments that one of the disadvantages

is simplification of such activity (Surcliffe, et al). I do not

agree. I think that instructor’ requirements, the role of the

instructor as a script writer or orchestrator, defined goals and

objectives of such exercises, possible outcomes, students and

instructor expectations would imply how everything will go during

the class.

Defining the General Goals and Objectives

It seems that there is a game, even the name of the exercise

“role play” presupposes that it will be for fun and students

become feeling themselves more relaxed and they become easy to be

involved in such activity. I think it is from psychological

perspectives. At this point of view, it might help to adapt

easily to “play”. But in reality there is a huge responsibility

for students to come to the right solution and at the same time

to play according to the scenario. At this stage, the

instructor’s role is very important and responsible to coordinate

the class and explain the expectations and possible outcomes, to

define clearly the objectives and goals.

For example, I offer a role-play “Difficult behaviors in team”

after conducting a lecture about effective teams. This role-play

consists of a case discussion plus play-role itself. This role

play is a twofold exercise which I state prior the students:

first of all, students have to come up with a final solution

after the case discussion because there is a scenario and second,

the group of students is given their roles. The intrigue is that

students do not know the roles of each other’s until the end of

the activity and they have to play according to the given roles

and at the end of the class they have to report the final

solution to the case and identify or guess the roles of every

participant. These are main goals and objectives which are given

students clearly at the beginning of the exercise.

Some role plays have to be prepared in advance, they are more

complicated, require some research, rehearsals, but they help

understand the principles more deeply. For example, after

conducting the lecture about identifying and using principles of

supportive communication which is difficult to memorize from the

first time, we play “Coaching & counseling role-play” exercise

with a discussion at the end what techniques and principles

students used, whether it was easy or difficult to identify the

problems and find the possible solution. The interest of this

exercise is that every role player has its own objectives and

goals as usually in our business life. For example, supervisor or

head of the department has its own vision about the subordinate

with whom he communicates his performance and future plans from

the point of the whole organization. Subordinate (another role-

player) has its own hidden agenda and wants to achieve its own

goals. How they communicate and find the consensus, what words

they use – every time the scenario is different because of

creativity and nature of players. Students, first of all,

memorize all principles, understand their purposes and

prescriptions, they realize how to use them, preferences and

significance of ones and how to employ them. The discussion

follows after the role-play in order to understand mistakes,

strengths and weaknesses of the solution and behavior of players.

And it helpful as students will know the material not only from

the theoretical point of view but they can imagine the practical

issues.

Analysis

The final analysis and discussion of all outcomes, roles defined

and assessment of how every person coped with it, analysis of the

case given as a task, analysis of ideas and solutions are

conducted at the end of the exercise. Moreover, students share

their feelings and emotions about how the role-play and

discussion were going on, whether there were some difficulties,

obstacles and how they overcame the resistance within the group.

Usually students give the positive outcome to such exercises.

They enjoy playing as they can re-embody and feel the difference

what they learnt and what they adapted and at the same time they

realize how it is in reality.

Obstacles of using role plays and simulations

One of the obstacles that we can face with during such exercises

is time constraint, the other one that can create difficulties is

the class size (the bigger the class the more obstacles can be).

Every activity which is used during the class has to be

controlled by time defined. If the class is big (50-55 students)

we have less time to listen to every student’s opinion as all

students would like to express their feelings and their

reflections, share the experience. Usually, I ask the group

leaders to express a common assessment, analysis and solution.

Sometimes, you can see that the group was working as an effective

team and they give mutual conclusion. Sometimes, if the group

is weak, for example, students do not have good speaking

abilities, especially, if they have to express their thoughts in

the second language, - it is difficult for them to express

everything that they feel. Sometimes, students do not understand

the task clearly and they spend more time for discussion and

could not come up to the final conclusion on time.

Some students feel themselves unsatisfied with the outcome. There

should be a more attention from the instructor to identify such

challenges and obstacles and resolve these in order to allow all

participants feel comfortable and be satisfied with the exercise.

One of the sensitive obstacles is language barer. If there is a

role-play such as a business meeting, students have to express

their ideas clearly and hold a meeting. There is an interesting

role-play, I call it “Byron vs Thomas”, it is played in pairs and

then I asked volunteers from different pairs to play among the

class. The main idea is that boss has its own thought about its

subordinate and the employee (Judy) has its own goals to express

to the supervisor; they both do not know who bears what in

itself. With this role-play students learn how to hold the

meeting, how to express the ideas and thoughts clearly, and at

the same time they learn and repeat the material.

Feedback

The students’ feedback is very important and valuable because it

gives a clear picture and assessment of provided the class

activities. The feedback can be as immediate effect during the

activity, it can be after activity when there is a time for final

conclusion, or at the end of the semester there is a “Faculty

evaluation survey” where students anonymously give feedback about

the course. The most valuable feedback that I got is after

finishing the course, when students give conscious feedback on

the voluntary base (usually, students send e-mails) and they

evaluate the whole course with summarizing all activities

including role plays. Students expressed that such activities

created a special warm atmosphere in the class, they became more

cohesive and they realized that they opened a lot of potential

and competences in themselves and they realized and strongly

believed that they can do more because through such type of works

they benefit more.

Conclusion

The course Business Communication means interaction and

communication. How to teach students by not giving them

opportunity to interact and communicate these skills? By using

play-roles and simulations we are giving this opportunity to our

students. They realize the benefit of such exercises and feel

themselves more competent and more qualified during the final

exams and for the future business life.

Moreover, I strongly believe that learning process has to be for

students as a pleasure, and when we can create a special

atmosphere, where students can easily adapt and learn with the

interest, it will give the best results and outcomes. I believe

that my experience will contribute to understand better how the

instructor can improve the learning process and how these types

of exercises as play-roles and simulations may enhance the

integrative learning and teaching principles in the business

education.

References

AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities). 1991.The Challenge of Connecting Learning

AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities). 1998.Statement on Liberal Learning. http://www.aacu.org/about/liberal_learning.cfm

AAC&U. (Association of American Colleges and Universities). 2002.Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes toCollege. http://www.greaterexpectations.org/

Ellington, Henry. Using Games, Simulations, Case Studies and Role-Play to stimulate students’ creativity. Higher Education Academy Imaginative Curriculum Guide.

Ellington, H.I., Addinall, E. and Percival, F. (1982) A Handbook of Game Design. London: KoganPage.

Ellington, H.I. and Earl, S.E. (1998) Using Games, Simulations and Interactive Case Studies – apractical guide for tertiary level teachers. Birmingham: SEDA Publications.

Huber, Mary Taylor, Pat Hutchings, (2002). Integrative Learning:Mapping the Terrain. A background paper for Integrative Learning:Opportunities to Connect An Initiative of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching andAssociation of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Taylor, Imogen and Hilary Burgess. 1995. Orientation to Self-Directed Learning: Paradox nor Paradigm. Studies in Higher Education 20(1) 87-99.

Steven, Blank (1985). Effectiveness Of Role Playing, CaseStudies, and Simulation Games in Teaching Agricultural Economics,Western Journal of Agricultural Economics

Sutcliffe, Mark. Simulations, Games and Role-play. The Handbook for Economics Lecturers.

Whetten D., Cameron K. (2002). Developing Management Skills. 5th

Edition. Prentice Hall

Appendix 1. Role-Play

Difficult Behaviors in Teams*Prepared By Katie Sullivan, University of Utah

Overview: this exercise allows participants to role-play specific “difficult behaviors” in order to better understand how to preventand respond to difficult behaviors in teams.

Objective: To allow participants to better understand specific “difficult behaviors” and discuss how to respond to the behaviors.

Time required: 30 minutes

5 minutes—break class into groups, give them a note card with their “difficult behavior” instructions.

10-15 minutes—groups should discuss the organizational situation (overhead).

10-15 minutes—groups should share their difficult behavior roles with the class and discuss implications of difficult behaviors on teams.

Size of group: at least seven (larger groups can be broken into groups of seven)

Materials Required:

1 overhead of organizational situation. 1 overhead of all of the “difficult behavior” types. A note card with a specific behavior type for each person in

the group (each group member will get one of seven roles).

Procedure: Put class in groups of at least seven people. Each member ofthe group is given one note card, each with a different role and instructed to keep their role to themselves and not share with the group (1. the silent type, 2. the monopolizer, 3. the intimidator, 4. the nice guy, 5. the unhappy camper, 6. group facilitator, 7. “play yourself”). If there are more than seven group members, those members should also receive “play yourself” cards. Group members are told to operate strictly within the behavior type they are given. Groups have fifteen minutes to discuss the organizational situation.

After 15 minutes, groups should be instructed to share their roles with their group members and discuss how each difficult behavior impacted productivity, cohesiveness and climate.

Put overhead of difficult behavior types up during the discussion for more clarity.

*Adapted from L. Bendaly, (2000) The Facilitation Skills Training Kit, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Note cards:

You are the silent type

You do not like participating in groups. You have come because:

1. Your boss asked you to go. 2. Participation and teamwork are key values in your organization,

and you recognize that if you don’t participate more than you have in the past, you will be limiting your career success. However, speaking up in groups is very difficult for you.

You are the monopolizer

You think the newsletter is an excellent idea and were sorry when it was not previously launched. You are full of ideas and intend to make sure they are heard and included in the final outcome.

You are the intimidator

You were involved in the last attempt to launch a newsletter and havestrong ideas about what will work and won’t. You are sure that:

Management won’t allow enough company time to put together a comprehensive newsletter. It has to be kept short!

It has to be important—information about the company and important happenings—not social “stuff” like birthdays and weddings.

You are the “nice guy”

You don’t have any strong opinions about the newsletter and don’t carewhat’s in it. You expect some heated discussions, though, and you don’t like conflict.

You are the “unhappy camper”

You don’t want to be here. You’ve got better things to do. You believe that people are not interested in the newsletter anyway, and that some people have some really silly ideas about what should be inthe newsletter.

Play yourself

Respond as you actually would in this type of meeting.

Facilitator

You will facilitate the discussion group.

Have fun!

Organizational Scenario

Your company has for several years talked about initiating an employee-published newsletter. Two years ago, this type of communication medium was close to being established, but the ideawas dropped during a period of downsizing. It was generally believed that the management did not see the newsletter as a

priority. Some employees who had supported the idea have since left, and others have lost interest.

You have been invited to a meeting to give input that will be used to design a new company newsletter. You will be asked to discuss what you believe should make up the content and style of the newsletter. At issue, too, is editorial control over the newsletter.

Behaviors that Can Hinder:

The Silent Type:

May be simply quiet by nature and or may not want to be part of the success.

The Monopolizer:

Full of ideas, usually the first and most frequent to speak, thisperson’s confidence can intimidate or unduly influence others.

May tend to repeat points.

The Intimidator: Forcefully spoken, judgmental, has strong opinions; to this person the answer is obvious; often critical of others; tends notto listen.

The “Nice Guy”

Always wants to please everyone; agreeable, hesitant to take a position, waffles.

The Unhappy Camper: Negative, looks for faults with the process and/or others’ ideas.

Appendix 2. Play-role (Source: Whetten D., Cameron K. (2002). Developing Management Skills. 5th Edition. Prentice Hall)

Byron vs. Thomas

Effective one-on-one coaching and counseling are skills that are

required in many settings

in life, not just in management. It is hard to imagine a parent,

roommate, Little League

coach, room mother, or good friend who would not benefit from

training in supportive

communication. Because there are so many aspects of supportive

communication, however,

it is sometimes difficult to remember all of them. That is why

practice, with observation

and feedback, is so important. These attributes of supportive

communication can

become a natural part of your interaction approach as you

conscientiously practice and

receive feedback from a colleague.

Assignment

In the following exercise, one individual should take the role of

Hal Byron, and another

should take the role of Judy Thomas. To make the role-play

realistic, do not read each

other’s role descriptions. When you have finished reading, hold a

meeting between Hal

Byron and Judy Thomas. A third person should serve as the

observer. An Observer’s Form

to assist in providing feedback is in Appendix 1.

Hal Byron, Department Head

You are Hal Byron, head of the operations group—the “back room”—

in a large bank corporation.

This is your second year on the job, and you have moved up rather

quickly in

the bank. You enjoy working for this firm, which has a reputation

for being one of the

finest in the region. One reason is that outside opportunities

for management development

and training are funded by the bank. In addition, each employee

is given an opportunity

for a personal management interview each month, and these

sessions are usually

both productive and developmental.

One of the department members, Judy Thomas, has been in this

department for 19

years, 15 of them in the same job. She is reasonably good at what

she does, and she is

always punctual and efficient. She tends to get to work earlier

than most employees in

order to peruse the American Banker and USA Today. You can almost set

your watch by

the time Judy visits the rest room during the day and by the time

she makes her phone

call to her daughter every afternoon.

Your feeling about Judy is that although she is a good worker,

she lacks imagination

and initiative. This has been indicated by her lack of merit

increases over the last five

years and by the fact that she has had the same job for 15 years.

She’s content to do just

what is assigned, nothing more. Your predecessor must have given

hints to Judy that she

might be in line for a promotion, however, because Judy has

raised this with you more

than once. Because she has been in her job so long, she is at the

top of her pay range, and

without a promotion, she cannot receive a salary adjustment above

the basic cost-of-living

increase.

The one thing Judy does beyond the basic minimum job requirements

is to help train

young people who come into the department. She is very patient

and methodical with

them, and she seems to take pride in helping them learn the

ropes. She has not been hesitant

to point out this contribution to you. Unfortunately, this

activity does not qualify

Judy for a promotion, nor could she be transferred into the

training and development

department. Once you suggested that she take a few courses at the

local college, paid for

by the bank, but she matter-of-factly stated that she was too old

to go to school. You surmise

that she might be intimidated because she doesn’t have a college

degree.

As much as you would like to promote Judy, there just doesn’t

seem to be any way to

do that in good conscience. You have tried putting additional

work under her control, but

she seems to be slowing down in her productivity rather than

speeding up. The work

needs to get done, and expanding her role just puts you behind

schedule.

This interview coming up is probably the time to level with Judy

about her performance

and her potential. You certainly don’t want to lose her as an

employee, but there

is not going to be a change in job assignment for a long time

unless she changes her performance

dramatically.

Judy Thomas, Department Member

You are a member of the operations group in a large bank

corporation. You have been

with the bank now for 19 years, 15 of them in the same job. You

enjoy the company

because of its friendly climate and because of its prestigious

image in the region. It’s nice

to be known as an employee of this firm. Lately, however, you

have become more dissatisfied

as you have seen person after person come into the bank and get

promoted ahead of

you. Your own boss, Hal Byron, is almost 20 years your junior.

Another woman who

joined the bank the same time you did is now a senior vice

president. You can’t understand

why you have been neglected. You are efficient and accurate in

your work, you

have a near-perfect attendance record, and you consider yourself

to be a good employee.

You have gone out of your way on many occasions to help train and

orient young people

who are just joining the bank. Several of them wrote letters

later telling you how important

your help was in getting them promoted. A lot of good that does

you!

The only thing you can figure out is that there is a bias against

you because you

haven’t graduated from college. On the other hand, others have

moved up without a

diploma. You haven’t taken advantage of any college courses paid

for by the bank, but

after a long day at work, you are not inclined to go to class for

another three hours.

Besides, you see your family only in the evenings, and you don’t

want to take time away

from them. It doesn’t take a college degree to do your job,

anyway.

Your monthly personal management interview is coming up with your

department

head, Hal Byron, and you have decided the time has come to get a

few answers. Several

things need explaining. Not only haven’t you been promoted, but

you haven’t even

received a merit increase for five years. You are not getting any

credit for the extra contributions

you make with new employees, nor for your steady, reliable work.

Could anyone

blame you for being a little bitter?