Engaging a Real-Time Simulation: Evidence-Based Assessment and Practice in Leadership Teams

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Short Description

Opportunities for leadership training and development are often considered “nice to have," but expendable. To squeeze something in when other priorities dominate, more didactic and less experiential approaches become the default approach. This workshop will introduce a comprehensive, intensive, and proven approach to building leadership capacity. With quick application of learning insights, this real-time simulation addresses the actual challenges and opportunities that leaders are likely to experience in current or future roles. After a brief introduction on the model’s emergence, participants will experience the simulation by working on a scenario in small teams. A facilitated discussion will address learnings, assess future applications, and answer questions.

Detailed Abstract

The purposes of this workshop are threefold. First, the workshop has been designed for ILA members who are leadership training and development professionals. They will have an opportunity to experience and assess a unique simulation process designed to build leadership capacity within organizations. Second, they will be able to determine ways to engage the simulation within their own leadership work. Third, they will discuss how this real-time simulation may provide ways to circumvent the “not enough time for training” perspective that often happens during turbulent times.

Designed by the presenter, this real-time simulation addresses the actual challenges and opportunities that leaders are likely to experience in current or future roles. While the entire simulation consists of 30 brief case scenarios that align with the real work of leaders, ILA members will have an opportunity to engage in a selected sample of these scenarios in small groups. The resolutions for each of the challenges presented are based on research and evidence-based practices—and as such, involve multiple lenses for addressing the challenges. The uniqueness of this method relates to the simulation’s simultaneous real-time assessment and practice opportunities, engagement of both intact and / or ad hoc teams, and its brevity.

There are several benefits of this simulation. First, it is based on real-time assessment and practice with quick application of learning insights—without the typical long window of time separating assessment and practice. Second, participants interact with many leadership challenges that present a realistic work preview. Third, client organizations, and in this case ILA participants, would be able to process how the simulation could be tailored to serve their own needs. Fourth, this process engages others by modeling a “learning organization” perspective with multiple ways of resolving the issues presented in the scenarios, such that one size does not fit all. Finally, the many challenges of leading stem from evidence-based practices in such areas as: performance management, disruptive colleague behaviors, emotional intelligence, leadership development, strategic planning, relational leadership, change management, team development, organizational culture, operations management, career development, systems thinking, conflict management, negotiations, and organization development.

With my own clients, I have engaged in the following phases in the simulation design:

1. Needs assessment 1: This was conducted in several organizations to discern the most pressing leadership concerns through interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
2. Case simulation design: Themes from the needs assessment results were incorporated into relevant cases that simulated the respective work of leaders.
3. Validity procedure: Subject matter experts were engaged to review each simulation scenario and prepare several potential ways to resolve the leadership challenges presented.
4. Organizational transference: The simulation was tailored to serve each individual organization.
5. Needs assessment 2: Themes from the simulation results served as a needs assessment to understand the broad leadership strengths and areas for improvement.

At the end of this workshop, ILA participants should be able to engage in the following learning outcomes:

1. Experience a simulation built on evidence-based practices, leadership theories, and seminal and contemporary research
2. Describe the benefits of real-time learning
3. Use the process in their own organizations or clients to build more effective teams
4. Identify how to engage subject matter experts in the content validity procedure
5. Explain how to integrate simulation data into an innovative needs assessment method.

In this workshop, ILA participants will review how the simulation is developed from evidence-based practices and models. While dozens of models and practices are engaged in the simulation, those that may be identified in this simulation include but are not limited to the following: Adaptive Leadership (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009), Relational Practice (Fletcher, 1999), Toxic Behaviors and Civility (Kusy & Holloway, 2009), Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, 2005), Emotional Intelligence (Goleman, Boyatzis, and McGee 2013), the Learning Organization (Senge, 2006), Board Development Process (Finkelstein & Mooney, 2003), and Negotiation Methods (Cialdini, 2001). Because ILA participants in this workshop will have significant knowledge in many of these arenas, these will not be discussed in great detail but rather, used as models for practice.

Time parameters for this experiential activity would be allocated into the following ways:
1. Presenter shares the background that led to the need for the real-time team simulation process (10 minutes)
2. Participants in small teams experience the simulation by working through the leadership scenarios presented (25 minutes)
3. Participants in the large group experience the ways each of the small teams have processed the simulation scenarios (25 minutes)
4. Presenter facilitates an interactive discussion to address questions, challenges, and opportunities (25 minutes)
5. Presenter closes the workshop with themes and calls to action (5 minutes).

Many clients who have experienced this simulation have reported consistently that this is a comprehensive, intensive, and brief learning experience that applied directly to their real work as leaders. I hope to share this experience with ILA members.

Sub Unit

• Leadership Development

Presenter

• Mitchell Kusy, Antioch University