Companies are playing 'Chanakya'

The game, called Chanakya, needs two days of 7-8 hours each, including a briefing session of 2-3 hours. Participants are encouraged to use calculators, PCs and laptops though many participants have also won the games without these tools.

It demands a team-based approach to encourage consensual decision-making among participants. Participants respond to business cases and industry scenarios designed by the games administrator. Every game event along with its related situations and problems is quintessentially Indian.

All India Management Association (AIMA) director, Kamal Singh, says the association has registered a 20 per cent increase in the number of companies participating this year.

The growth has been significant, over the past few years with almost all sectors encouraging management games of late, he adds. This year, 25 companies have joined the list with the likes of Airtel, HPCL, IPCA Labs, Essar Group, Ispat Industries and Reliance Industries.

The Aditya Birla Group which has been using management games as a tool for the past four years has seen tremendous excitement from its employees to participate in the games.

Says president HR, Aditya Birla Group, H R Shashikant, "Every year there has been a significant increase in the number of participants. Participating in these games have made employees more business-oriented and has given them a functional angle to look at things. One needs to understand what is the game plan in a business and management games just help one do that."

Hero Honda Motors, Sr.VP-HRM, Narendranath Akhouri, says: "It's a very competitive world today and both the employer and employees need to find optimum solutions to the various issues being faced. Business Simulation helps in doing that effectively, in a compressed manner. Management simulation uses a blended learning approach and this method incorporates different styles and practices, allowing each participant's understanding to evolve throughout the exercise. Both individual and group dynamics come into play."

"Simulation games have been particularly useful in competitive scenario building and fostering cross-functional appreciation among the team members, both of which are crictical in today's complex and dynamic business world," concurs S Sivakumar, Chief Executive, Agri Business, ITC Ltd.

These games give one a chance to showcase one's talent and grow in an organisation. Says director AIMA, Kamal Singh, "When people win, they get awards. A competition spirit is inculcated in them, it gives them a better understanding of the business working and thereby they grow. I have seen people who have grown from managers to CEOs.Employees learn to be co-operative and take strategic decisions."

The winners at the Chanakya competition represent India in the Asia Pacific region. So far AIMA has conducted games with over 12,000 particpants in 300 companies. Besides, as many as 2,500 students from 150-odd business schools have benefited from these games.