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| "For us the main benefit was team building. We had people from three different countries in the team, and after the training we know each other better and work more effectively as a team. This is good training in general management as well. After the game we had an evaluation meeting and agreed that the right things are there and in a balanced way. The level of complexity is appropriate for the target audience. It was a smooth process, and the manual and other materials were clear and to the point. Good game!" |
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Knut Hovind
Director HR & Quality
KONE Scandinavia
Managing Director
KONE AS, Norway |
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| "Some key areas in the game were formulation of strategy in the beginning, and analysis of competitors and market development throughout the game. We had people with different backgrounds in the team, and teamwork was a positive experience. What stands out in the training is seeing how things relate to each other in business, for example how paying dividends changes your EVA." |
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Marja-Liisa Laihonen
VP Finance
Rolls-Royce |
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| "The training concept is good, well balanced and well executed. The case we played reflected modern business thinking, emphasizing the most important points. Good manual and other documentation. The training being in the form of a competition raised our level of motivation and commitment." |
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Esa Vataja
Unit Manager
Uponor Suomi Oy |
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"What we had in mind when we decided to participate was to improve our new management team's business understanding and team-related skills. The training was well structured, the schedule being just optimal, not too tight or loose. An advantage was also that we could choose the time and space for the rounds - efficient use of time!
The game helps players focus more on the external environment -customers and competitors. It emphasizes the significance of positioning in the marketplace as well as how essential it is to see your decisions in the context of those by the key competitors. The importance of the long term as compared to the short term becomes clear." |
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Teemu Airaksinen
General Manager
Cabinet Drives/System AC Drives
Automation Technologies
ABB Oy |
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| "This is a great tool for practicing teamwork and simulating what decision making in the business environment is all about. The game allows teams to test how well they can execute strategic and tactical plans in a competitive environment." |
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Pertti Hokkanen
ABB Oy
Vice President
Business Unit Low Voltage Drives
Autom. Technologies |
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| "After the experience, we understand more clearly and more broadly things such as the dynamics of make-or-buy decisions, pricing & marketing, RTD and the impact of process improvement on sales volume. It was also interesting to follow how the decisions of the other ten global teams affected our plans. It was not only about good budgeting or so, as the need for an effective strategy and action plans were clearly to be seen. On a more general level, we now understand better how different decisions affect profitability and the balance sheet, and how different decisions relate to each other. Because of the experience, we will be able to make better decisions. We had a good time together. Time well spent!" |
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Christer Winberg
Director, Business Development
Metso Automation Inc, Field Systems |
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| "We had four IT people in the team. During the process, most of the decisions were made in phone and net meetings, as the group physically met only once during the training. As everyone knew each other beforehand, this worked very well. The best thing in our experience was the improvement of general business understanding. It was easy to see more clearly how a company's profit is determined, for instance. This is a good tool for sharpening one's grasp of the dynamics of business from a holistic perspective." |
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Pekka Pajalahti
Vice President, Information Technology
Metso Paper / Corporation |
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| "We participated together with other Atlas Copco teams in the training. Our team was put together from different parts of the organization in order to create synergy effects. The feedback we have received from the team is positive. The common feeling is that one's horizon has been broadened. Participants see the effects of an action (like a price decrease) not only in their main field of interest but for the company as a whole. Another advantage is that theory becomes virtual reality. And finally: the competition element is always challenging. A flexible approach and a positive experience!" |
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Jeannette Verzijl-Damen
HR Director
Atlas Copco Compressors Nederland |
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| "After the first game round, the team we had in the training was seventh, but partly because of effective teamwork they finished the job as the second best team of the division. These are some of the observations they made during the training: (1) You always need to know your goal; (2) Managing a business has many aspects and they tend to be related to each other; (3) It is better to be proactive than reactive; (4) Benchmarking yourself to the competitors can be very beneficial; (5) How you allocate your resources really makes a difference; (6) You need to improve and develop your company all the time, there is no standing still; (7) Being big is not everything, and being small can be beautiful; (8) Having too much money on the bank account can be very expensive; and last but definitely not least (9) Having diversity in the team is a great blessing (you just need to utilize it)." |
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Jukka Järvinen
President
Outokumpu Harjavalta Metals Oy |
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| "The main benefits of the game can be summarized as follows: demonstration of the most fundamental principles of general management in an efficient and nice way; opportunity to explore and experience benefits of teamwork under relaxed circumstances; demonstration of the complexity and implications having to do with the decision making process, as well as the significance of quality assurance of this process; possibilities regarding efficient penetration of (main aspects of) new areas." |
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Piotr Druzynski
Business Auditor
ABB Sweden
Group Internal Audit |
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| "The BGF training was very interesting and provided a fun learning environment. The game was an effective team building experience even though our team members reside in four different office locations throughout Canada. We gained a practical insight and understanding of an integral business environment and the numerous interactions and complexities involved in making decisions. It was clear that a well-defined strategy and deep analysis of results were of paramount importance to succeed in this game." |
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Kevin McAllister
Business Unit Manager
ABB Canada |
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| "The main purpose for us joining the BGF Business Game Training Program was to take advantage of some practical management training with an emphasis on teamwork. The game we played was an effective solution, in regard to both time and cost, with flexible execution over the internet. We were able to improve our understanding of the importance of strategic thinking and engaged in a lot of investment-related problem solving. For us, marketing, finance and product development were the most essential learning areas." |
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Satoshi Takagi
Manager, Development & Quality Assurance
Alfa Laval KK (Japan) |
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| "We participated with a multidisciplinary team gathered from different departments in the organization. Our team had lots of fun during the training, and the exercise turned out to be a good tool for helping one gain visionary understanding as well as more fully grasp the complexities present in real-world decision making. We have improved our strategic thinking, we can predict more accurately market behavior, and we have sharpened our skills in areas such as finance, marketing, HR, and production. Good and entertaining training! Recommendable for people who want to develop their business understanding and strategic thinking." |
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Roque Corral
Head of Department of Technology and Methods
Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A. |
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| "In this game, the impact of management decisions on the business becomes evident very soon. The game covers most aspects of management in a concentrated form." |
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Christopher Ganz
ABB Switzerland AG
Power Technology
Plant Automation |
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| "Our team consisted of managers from three different countries, and what the game did was provide a feeling among the participants' of a united Benelux organisation. As a management team of the simulated company the group began to identify with the problematics that are faced by senior level management. They also began to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and that of the group as a whole on a more concrete level. The game gave the group the opportunity to view a company in a big picture sense, thus highlighting the complexity of running a business. It is our intention to join the game on an annual basis as a part of the development, recognition, and reward programs for our high potentials." |
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Peter Van Den Meijden
HR Director
ABB Benelux |
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"Electrolux Belgium participated in the global business game tournament that BGF runs each year. It was an interesting and rewarding experience. For example, the importance of creating a strategy and sticking to it was vividly illustrated. In forming a strategy, we needed to understand how different parts of the company interact, and on the other hand, we needed to be able to see the company from a holistic perspective.
Another interesting area was risk management: how to evaluate your risks, and how much risk you can and should tolerate, if the goal is to get as good results as possible. We became very result-oriented. As our team included people from different areas and departments of Electrolux Belgium, the teamwork aspect was also important. All in all, it was a rewarding experience." |
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Jan-Francois Koeune
Marketing Director
Electrolux Belgium |
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| "Through the game, we now fully understand a company’s operation is dependant on teamwork of the different function areas. Every round has a different market condition, which gave us a chance to consider our strategy. Team discussions create an opportunity to fully express ones opinion, and then make decisions based on consensus. Every round I carefully read the materials and made an analysis in contribution to our team’s discussion. Normally every team member read the materials by themselves, and after everyone had finished there homework, we then met together to discuss and finalize our decisions. Know we understand the relationship that exists between different operational functions and better understand importance of a strategy if you wish to have a competitive position in the market. We also found that it is extremely important to fully consider the environment and make plans before starting projects. Finally I have seen the value in not only considering my own business function, but the entire business chain." |
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Rachel Yang
Gregg Yang
Rachel Xiao
Stella Li
Eva Li
Joanna Li
Volvo Construction Equipment China |
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"We participated in the BGF Business Game Training Program with a team of key people from both group M&A and group controlling. We found the program to be very useful in terms of developing managerial skills and understanding the big picture of business. Our team consisted mainly of persons with financial and M&A experience, and the training has developed their understanding of other major areas in business such as production, operations, logistics and long term strategy. In addition to this we would like to underline the program's ability as a team building and knowledge sharing method.
All training arrangements and the service provided were of excellent quality. We see the value of this program being included in the development portfolio of the ABB organization." |
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Ulf Hoof
Head of Mergers & Acquisitions
Group Function Mergers & Acquisitions and New Ventures
ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. |
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"I have played several business games, and this is the best in which I have participated. In addition, the training worked very well as a learning process. In the beginning our 'company' consisted of a group of people, but we surely were a team at the end. We were enthusiastic and eager of learning
- we learned a lot of general management and accounting issues - it was fun, and it was well worth the effort. Our team proceeded to the semifinals, and even almost caught a ticket for the final round." |
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Jonni Jahnukainen
Process Owner, Order Fulfillment Process
ABB Oy, Marine and Turbocharging |
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