Articles

12 November 2026 · 6 min read

A worked power interest grid example for a typical change project, plus three mistakes that trip up even experienced change leads, and how to avoid them.

4 October 2026 · 7 min read

What managers learn when they use the Skill Will Matrix under pressure, from burning out their best people to forgetting that people are not their contracted hours.

27 August 2026 · 2 min read

Business Simulations wins Government & Enterprise Award at the International Serious Play Awards for Cruise, its operational excellence business sim

29 July 2026 · 4 min read

Develop enterprise-level business thinking in tech leaders; bridge the gap between technical expertise and strategic commercial decision-making.

10 July 2026 · 5 min read

One-off e-learning is completed but rarely remembered. Why simulation training embeds behaviour change, with results from MPAC, Venterra Realty and Twinings.

30 June 2026 · 4 min read

For seven food and drink and consumer goods companies, we're delivering lasting learning that trains their leaders for the future through simulations.

1 May 2026 · 7 min read

Three team communication principles from NASA's Apollo missions, with practical takeaways to help you make better decisions under pressure.

19 March 2026 · 4 min read

Compare experiential learning vs traditional learning. Discover why old school training fails and how simulations improve retention and real-world application.

28 January 2026 · 5 min read

Why leaders change behaviour through decision, consequence, and experience, not presentations, and how business simulations create lasting learning.

8 January 2026 · 4 min read

AI success depends on change management. Learn why strategy, governance and leadership execution determine real AI business value.

4 December 2025 · 5 min read

Discover how applying game design can increase engagement and transform learning into a more meaningful, interactive experience.

23 October 2025 · 4 min read

We describe the Sink or Swim method used in our real life learning environments. Our simulations are based on learning frameworks including andragogy.

7 August 2025 · 1 min read

We offered a mini, free business simulation to Publicis Re:Sources for a summer work experience programme, enabling new decision-making skills.

11 June 2025 · 1 min read

Following a weeks-long cyber security audit process, Business Simulations has earned its ISO/IEC 27001 certificate.

3 June 2025 · 2 min read

Discover why psychological safety is essential for effective experiential learning, and how to create safe, growth-focused learning environments.

30 May 2025 · 5 min read

A practical framework for L&D managers and team leaders under time pressure: a game plan, a stress test, and a review cycle to build a high-performing team fast.

30 May 2025 · 3 min read

A practical framework for L&D managers and team leaders: 16 processes across meetings, accountability, communication, and support that build and sustain a high-performing team.

30 May 2025 · 3 min read

Eight strategic thinking models for senior leaders and strategists, explained in full, with a route to build them into a leadership team through our simulations.

29 May 2025 · 4 min read

Seven practical rules for leaders building an online or virtual community that lasts, from starting small to protecting it from spam.

6 March 2025 · 3 min read

Compare 10 immersive business simulations for financial acumen, change management, and high-performing teams. See which one fits your leadership programme.

17 April 2024 · 2 min read

Half of employees are considering leaving because of poor management. Here's what the research shows, and how business simulations close the leadership training gap.

5 June 2023 · 3 min read

What is the difference between a promise and a guarantee? Four commitments, from targets to orders, explained for leaders, with a pilot example.

15 August 2022 · 4 min read

John Adair's action-centred leadership model explained: how to balance task, team, and individual needs, with examples of what imbalance looks like.

21 July 2022 · 4 min read

Compare the business acumen simulations from Business Simulations, from fast-paced market rounds to full enterprise leadership, and find the right fit for your team.

4 June 2022 · 5 min read

Learn how to manage through KPIs using leading and lagging, financial and non-financial indicators, with a practical four-step model, a worked example, and common mistakes to avoid.

17 May 2022 · 3 min read

Nine best practices that set apart top business unit leaders, from goals to governance, and how L&D teams can build them with a P&L simulation such as Acumen or Acuity.

25 February 2022 · 3 min read

A practical seven-step tool for leaders to beat silo thinking and sub-optimisation: keep the main objective the main thing and find real common ground between teams.

25 November 2021 · 3 min read

Explore tactical and strategic uses of business simulations in leadership development, plus a roadmap to choose the right way for your organisation.

11 October 2021 · 6 min read

What a learning map is and how L&D managers use one to design or sanity-check leadership development programmes around behaviours, goals, priorities, and skills.

14 September 2021 · 4 min read

How a custom business simulation is built, from scope to train the trainer, how long it takes, and when a foundation simulation is the faster route.

23 August 2021 · 2 min read

Goals, Roles & Souls: a quick framework L&D teams use to turn a new group into a focused, high-performing team before a project or programme begins.

2 August 2021 · 5 min read

Mistaking correlation for causation quietly wrecks good decisions. Learn the four cause-and-effect traps that catch leaders out, and how to build the judgement to avoid them.

27 February 2021 · 4 min read

The three types of decision that define strong executive decision-making: execution, trade-off and dilemma, and how to build the skill to get each one right.

25 February 2021 · 4 min read

Five skills every project manager needs, and how a facilitated project management simulation lets teams practise them before the stakes are real.

20 October 2020 · 8 min read

Ten practical, ready-to-use tools for change leadership and stakeholder management, including stakeholder mapping and the DICE risk calculator.

8 October 2020 · 2 min read

Learn how to calculate and interpret the DICE score to assess change project risk and improve your organisation’s chances of success.

12 September 2020 · 2 min read

Innovation is a system, not one skill. The IDEAS model breaks it into five elements, practised through Innovate, Dilemma, and Influence.

3 September 2020 · 2 min read

A practical 12-month management development programme template: three blended streams of team simulations, live group sessions and self-directed learning, with an example structure you can adapt.

31 August 2020 · 4 min read

Seven design metaphors for business simulation engines, and how L&D managers can decide whether to build in-house or commission a tailor-made simulation.

8 August 2020 · 6 min read

Discover ten quick, actionable leadership models to boost team setup, performance, decision-making, and virtual collaboration.

20 February 2020 · 4 min read

Most leaders can name only a few collaboration skills. Here are 12, from the foundations to the advanced, with a checklist to assess yourself and your team.

8 November 2019 · 6 min read

Discover a proven model with principles, tools and simulations to lead through crises. Learn how to operate, navigate and communicate under pressure.

19 September 2019 · 6 min read

How to build negotiation skills in teams: principled negotiation, BATNA, and what to look for in live simulation training. A guide for L&D managers.

16 September 2019 · 5 min read

How a risk management simulation helps leaders and project teams practise managing risk, and how to choose between Acumen, Acuity, Dilemma, Crew, or a bespoke build.

24 November 2018 · 3 min read

Many goals fail because success depends on competitors or third parties. Two quick questions turn an uncontrollable target into one your team can own.

6 November 2018 · 4 min read

Two instincts shape how leaders handle change: the engineer who trusts the numbers and the gardener who reads the room. Which makes the better change manager?

13 October 2018 · 4 min read

Free browser-based leadership apps for assessing change, collaboration, team performance, and risk. No sign-up or install, built for L&D managers and leaders.

11 October 2018 · 4 min read

Ten practical leadership tips for lifting morale and motivating your team through a bad patch, and rebuilding performance when results have stalled.

11 September 2018 · 3 min read

The fact-versus-opinion distinction that makes honest feedback easy to give and hear, and the safe communications environment (a SPACE) it builds.

11 September 2018 · 2 min read

A practical framework for team leaders and L&D managers: how to spot empty promises, make solid commitments, and record them so accountability sticks.

29 August 2018 · 4 min read

Project reports tell you too late. The three early warning systems, formal, social, and signal, help leaders spot trouble before it becomes a crisis.

20 August 2018 · 5 min read

How business simulations work, the benefits leaders and sponsors report, and seven characteristics to compare providers on. A guide for L&D managers.

7 August 2018 · 3 min read

A simple model from team simulations: the three confidence levels behind reliable delivery, and how the strongest teams plan for what could go wrong.

1 July 2018 · 4 min read

Financial knowledge is not the same as business acumen. Discover what drives sound commercial decisions, and how leaders build it through live business simulations.

23 April 2018 · 3 min read

A step-by-step guide to stakeholder analysis for change management, plus a free interactive tool to map influence and attitude in minutes.

16 April 2018 · 3 min read

A project manager wears many hats. Here are 24 distinct jobs a PM can be called on to perform, grouped across the leadership, project-team and target-user communities a project serves.

27 February 2018 · 2 min read

How a team business strategy simulation works, what to look for, and how voluntary sector organisations can use Compete free of charge.

21 August 2017 · 4 min read

What neuroscience says about stress, reward, active learning, and spaced repetition, and how learning and development teams can use it to judge simulation-based learning.

28 July 2017 · 3 min read

Explore ten common business dilemmas and how top performers use them to drive leadership growth, agility, and commercial acumen.

26 July 2017 · 4 min read

Showing people the benefits of a change rarely wins them over. People embrace change they can influence and control. Here is what that means for leaders.

8 May 2017 · 1 min read

The leadership colour wheel maps 12 leadership skills across business, execution, stakeholder and team areas, helping you plan leadership development priorities.

28 July 2015 · 1 min read

Step into the new 3D Manage simulation to improve store leadership skills with immersive gameplay and real-time decision testing.

14 October 2014 · 4 min read

Six benefits of working in teams during a business simulation, from informal learning to a common goal, and how to build real collaboration skills.

6 April 2005 · 1 min read

Discover how nature’s models inspire effective teams with the Bioteaming Manifesto - a 33-page guide to building and sustaining team excellence.