Don’t we all wish that life was as tidy as biz school case studies? Well, it’s not. It’s also not fair, and smart people do stupid things. All of which should be factored into real-world business planning.Thus, my idea: MBA the board game! Instead of systematically working a case with defined variables and assumptions – people would learn to think on their feet and turn on a dime. Depending on the roll of the dice and cards chosen – the students would have to deal with everything from natural disasters…to global economic changes… to the start-up founder’s sudden death in the middle of the crucial first investment round (something that really happened to one of my clients.) The professors could have great fun coming up with new things for every game or turn.
Photo by R80o.
Daniel on November 11th, 2005 at 3:16 am
Hi,
Have you heard about http://www.richdad.com/ ?
They have board books, board games and computer games that teaches you financial freedom. I think this is one of the issues a lot of people dont know…
» I Miss Monopoly by Blueprint for Financial Prosperity on November 11th, 2005 at 6:40 am
[...] This post probably has very little to do with personal finance but everything to do with the classic game of Monopoly. I was reading Dane’s Business Opportunities blog (specifically this post about an MBA game) when I was sucked in by a gorgeous set of photos on Flickr by R80o of a 1938 (he thinks) copy of Monopoly. When we were on the Bermuda cruise, we had a couple days at sea so we opted to play Monopoly and lose fake money instead of messing around in the casino and lose real money. Below I have a collection of fun links related to Monopoly: [...]
Mary Schmidt on November 11th, 2005 at 8:25 am
Ah, Monopoly - another childhood favorite. We used to change the rules so you could put as many houses/hotels as you wanted on even a single piece of real estate (which, come to think of it was much more like real life.)
There is a whole industry around customized Monopoly games - which are just fascinating - Barbie, Harley-Davidson, Albuquerque…want your own? There’s a company (or two) that would be happy to help.
All that said, I’m thinking of an academic tool - which would, of necessity, require a lot planning behind the scenes and a different type of implementation than the retail consumer games. (Plus, the game and toy industry is cut-throat. I’m a battered - um - player - having tried to launch a card game in the past.)
carey on November 11th, 2005 at 9:23 am
ahh…actually reminds me of a business school case study, about an entrepreneur and a board game: Robert Reiss & TV Guide Trivia Game. What a classic example of a shrewd entrepreneur.
http://www.lowrisk-highreward.com/author.htm
Business Innovation 2005 on November 11th, 2005 at 1:27 pm
November 11 Innovation Linkage, the Veteran’s Day edition
Where is innovation happening? [Innovate on Purpose] The manifesto of The Creative Generalist [Change This] MBA: The board game [Mary Schmidt via Business Opportunities Weblog] Toby Bloomberg on innovation [Diva Marketing] Glossy rut-busters [Worthwhi…
Insomniac on November 11th, 2005 at 5:07 pm
Thing is, the Harvard case-study method is only copied by other schools to a certain degree. Many of the most challenging classes at my school used computer sims in addition to case studies in order to increase the complexity…with professors throwing curveballs at us all day long, as well.
My MBA would have been much less stressful with Monopoly…seriously.
anina.net on November 12th, 2005 at 8:25 pm
wow! great blog. great advice. wish i could play this game. i think it could help me a lot! i have been thrown in with the tigers.
School Teacher on November 23rd, 2005 at 7:28 am
Brilliant! I would use it sometimes at my clases though I do not heve any relevance to MBA studies.
Diploma owner on November 24th, 2005 at 3:13 am
i think it’s great to play while studying.
Network Marketing Training Tools on April 9th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
This article reminds me of a board game that was designed for network marketing / MLM. People are actually beginning to think more creatively. It is a network marketing training tool that I found to be very educational. Being involved while learning, is really the way to go! I found this board game to be highly effective, and a great mlm tool for any network marketer.
Take a look at what they are doing with
this mlm tool at http://www.mlmboardgame.com
Have a good day folks,
MLM Guy