Scenario

The company Beenhakker BV finds itself in economically heavy weather. How do you prevent bankruptcy together with all parties involved?

Dilemma

Due to a major loss company equity has eroded. Without funding, the company is bankrupt. Secure financing for the company and carry out a reorganization that reduces personnel with 40 FTE.

Learning goals

Corporate recovery, control rights, debt structure, corporate turnaround strategy, corporate financial distress, bank "distressed debt"/ "intensive case" unit, group think, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation).

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• How do you deal with the insights and interests of the various stakeholders about the direction of the company (the bank, the consultant, the creditors, the tax authorities and the owner)
• How do you allow staff to flow out of the organization in a good way during the restructuring?
• What guarantees of the parties are needed to achieve financing?
• How do you determine whether a person is a suitable entrepreneur for the company?
• How does your own frame of reference impact the assessment of the persons involved?
• How do you deal with emotion versus content?
• How to negotiate effectively? (Harvard negotiating model).
• How do you deal with common interest and individual interest? What is really good for the company? Versus what is good for the shareholder and the other individual parties?

Scenario

Radical innovation within ASML. Development of a new EUV chip machine. ASML, a state-of-the-art supplier of, chip machine (photolithography systems) for the semiconductor industry, must decide on its innovation strategy.

You and your fellow managers must decide on ASML’s innovation strategy. How to allocate your resources? What innovation strategy to implement? How to weigh your personal interests against company interests?

Dilemma

Where do you get the resources for innovation? Do you get it from the old cash-cow the PAS 5500 system or do you get it from your newer less profitable Twinscan machine?

Learning goals

Innovation management, radical/incremental, S-curve, first-to-market, communities of practice, organizational structure (matrix organization), resource allocation/ personnel scarcity, phase gate model, R&D Policy, risk mitigation, patenting, group think, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation)

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• Are you committed to innovation or not?
• How do you distribute the resources if all parties represent a different interest?
• How do you use your team (composition and diversity) for optimal innovation results?
• Do you work closely with a customer? And what are the consequences in the area of competition? Might it constrain competition?
• Are you committed to marketing and customer service or innovation?

Scenario

Nursing home “Onder de bogen” for people with disabilities is faced with 3 Work council dilemmas.

Dilemma

How do you, as part of the work council (OR), deal with the various interests within a work council, organization and management?

Learning goals

Work Council/Staff representation, Work Council Act – Dutch Civil Law (Labour Law), Collective labour agreement (CLA), Absenteeism, Trade union (FNV)

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• Application procedure: Management hires a new HRM manager without following the application protocol or seeking the agreement of the Work Council.
• Sick leave: The new HRM manager wants to reduce absenteeism by enforcing a strict policy.
• Overtime: The majority of employees want to work overtime. At the same time, a minority of personnel doesn’t want to work overtime. However, the self-managing teams do not give the minority a chance to make their case. Management doesn’t want to get involved. What does the Work Council do?
  
  NB. The simulation consists of three short stand-alone simulation games that allow players, after a short analysis by the coach, to practice and put into practice what they have learned in the next game.

Scenario

How do you come to a choice between different safety interests of patients, employees, external security or digital security? How do you translate this into policy with a limited budget for measures?

Dilemma

How do you organize your team and individual effort? How to deal with external stakeholders, expectations of your teammates and your personal goals?

Learning goals

Governance and strategy, health care management, decentralization of care, working with (institutional) layers, safety and security in the hospital (more than patient safety), distributed power and actor dependency, decision making, uncertainty, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation).

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• How do you weigh different types of safety?
• Which measures address relevant safety risks and how do you distribute the budget?
• How do you deal with the Sunk cost fallacy?
• Gain insight into processes and the duration and timing of decision-making. (For example, how the time associated with research can have costs and effects on decision-making.)
• How do you deal with administrative decision-making and navigate between the interests of parties?

View case (dutch)

Scenario

A merger between Hip Brewery and Stabile Brauerei.

Dilemma

Hip Brewerey sails close to the wind in terms of tax payments. Stabile Brauerei is a fiscally conservative firm. How do you come to a Letter of Intent (LOI) about a merger or sale together?

Learning goals

(International) Merger & Acquisition (M&A), Structuring, Financing, Due diligence, Taxes, Transfer Tax, VAT, compensable loss, Tax Authority, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation).

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• How do you reach an agreement when one party wants a non-binding (open) Letter-of-Intent (LOI) and the other party focuses on a legally binding Letter-of-Intent (LOI) which covers every eventuality?
• Who gets what position within the company after a merger or sale?
• What tax risks for yourself and the other party do you recognize and how do you cover them?
• Where does the corporate head-office go; to the Netherlands or Germany? (What would the tax implications be?).

Scenario

The company’s management team must decide on the company’s strategy and resource allocation. Take up your role in the management team. How to allocate your resources? How to weigh your personal interests against company interests?

Dilemma

How to align different interests and formulate company strategy? Where do you get the resources for innovation?

Learning goals

Change management, organization theory, project management, organization structure, communities of practice, organizational structure (matrix organization), resource allocation/ personnel scarcity, risk mitigation, patenting, group think, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation)

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• What is het impact of a Matrix structure on decision-making?
• How do you distribute the resources if all parties represent a different interest?
• How do you use your team (composition and diversity) for optimal (innovation) results?
• Are you able to adjust and redirect company strategy? Are you able to achieve a majority in the management team?
• Are you committed to marketing and customer service or innovation?
• How can you work together as a team

Scenario

How do you organize your team and individual effort? How to deal with external stakeholders, expectations of your teammates and your personal goals?

Dilemma

How do you organize your team and individual effort? How to deal with external stakeholders, expectations of your teammates and your personal goals?

Learning goals

Organizing teamwork, team dynamics, inter-cultural skills, conflict management skills, leadership styles, asking for help, work/life balance, diversity in personalities and working styles, negotiation strategy (Harvard principles of negotiation).

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• How can personality types collide within a project and how do you deal with it?
• How do you achieve an effective collaboration in a team?
• Do you recognize which aspects of a group project lead to conflict and how do you resolve those conflicts?
• What role does culture play in cooperation in international teams?
• How do you deal with deadlines and time pressure?
• How do you deal with conflicting interests between Company and Academic coaches?

Scenario

A self-employed professional of entrepreneur has to deal with the ongoing tensions between work and private life. How do you achieve a healthy balance?

Dilemma

What practical problems and challenges do you encounter as a self-employed person or entrepreneur?

Dilemma's and questions in this edu-game

• How do you maintain a healthy balance between work time and private time in a reality where they are so closely intertwined?
• How do you make the trade-off work time and private time? Between out-of-pocket costs and private time?
• How do you deal with unexpected expenses?
• How do you build buffers for potential setbacks?
• How do you draw up a liquidity plan? Don't forget the taxes!?