Business Leadership

Leadership for sustainability draws on personal values and individual purpose. Because of this, it often creates inspiring and engaging work.  Experience shows that to succeed in business sustainability, one should possess leadership qualities such as:

  • A sense of interconnectedness
  • A tendency for collaboration
  • A long-term vision
  • Willingness to take risks
  • Ability to learn from mistakes

Participants can practice these leadership qualities and other business skills throughout the simulation. Green Business Labs focused on leadership behaviors often assign coaches to observe leadership skills and offer feedback to individuals and teams.

In the Green Business Lab, participants take the role of an Executive Team of a company. The Board of Directors has tasked them with leading the company while minimizing their environmental footprint and increasing social value. Their performance will be measured using the triple-bottom-line.

Further, they must run the company with accountability, transparency, and respect for employees and other stakeholders. To do so, participants must develop their leadership model, align it with the other leaders on their team, and put it into practice.

More specifically, each participant plays a unique and essential leadership role on the Executive Team as they:

  • Create a vision and craft values for the company.
  • Align functional areas of a company around a strategy to make an effective organization.
  • Build a culture of sustainability that engages employees with a sense of purpose and creates a positive work environment.
  • Strive to create and develop a company that performs well against triple bottom line metrics and the competition.
  • Analyze performance results and identify key success factors.
The simulation game teaches corporate leadership.

Working together, participants learn new ideas, practice new skills, and discuss new approaches with their colleagues.

  • Leadership strategy and supply chain are important in the simulation game.
    Apply the concepts, frameworks, and techniques of leadership in various real-world situations.
  • Participants observe leadership strategies.
    Recognize leadership traits in themselves and colleagues through the observation of behaviors and tendencies.
  • The simulation is a business leadership strategy game.
    Create a vision and set of values for their company including a code of ethics and responsibility.
  • Participants plan their leadership business strategy in the simulation game.
    Develop leadership skills in problem-solving, analytical reasoning, and integrating solutions across functions.
  • The simulation game is about employees.
    Understand how to align functional areas of a company around a strategy to make an effective organization.
  • Leadership strategy for supply chain, the environment, and the planet.
    Build a culture of sustainability that engages employees and creates a positive work environment.
  • Teams use the marketing business simulation game.
    Identify stakeholder interests and respect stakeholder perspectives in order to build trust.
  • Leadership is a skill.
    Demonstrate the ability to adapt leadership styles according to the differing needs of a team over time.
Diagram of the sustainability simulation game work process.
View the "Process" graphic
Description of the sustainability simulation game work flow.
Download the "Process" PDF

The following table describes in detail 3 Lab formats: Half-Day, Multiple Cycle, and In-Depth.

Labs with longer formats have more options for available features, content, and interactivity.

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Team Activity
Formats for Teaching Leadership
Half-Day Multiple-Cycle In-Depth
Design and manufacture a product and make operational decisions. 1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions that are aligned with the company strategy and values.

1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions that are aligned with the company strategy and values.

3. Make decisions regarding employees to improve organizational effectiveness.
Market the product. 1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement marketing decisions that are aligned with the company strategy.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement marketing decisions that are aligned with the company strategy.

3. Foster trust between the company and its customers.
Promote the company and product through Social Media. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Post comments about the company and product to the Lab’s internal Social Media feed, and comment on the other posts.
Engage with stakeholders designed into the Lab. This is an optional activity described in the Intermediate format. 1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

2. Engage interactively with stakeholders played by the instructor via the Lab’s internal email app (optional).

Make leadership decisions for your company.

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 1. Make decisions for 1 leadership topic.

1. Make decisions for up to 3 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

1. Make decisions for up to 8 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

2. Make decisions for custom topics (optional).

Propose a solution to a business opportunity related to leadership.

 

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format.

1. Propose a solution to a business opportunity that relates to course content. Here are some examples:

  • Implement an idea to improve organizational effectiveness.
  • Start a project with external stakeholders to create shared value.
  • Implement an idea to improve team effectiveness in the company.
  • Implement a code of ethics.
  • Empower women and minorities in your company and supply chain.

2. Propose a solution to custom topics (optional).

 

Complete Debrief Questions & Surveys about company, team, and peer performance.

(For the In-Depth format, we can create custom surveys based on instructor input.)

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Leadership Debrief Questions.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Leadership Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Leadership Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

3. Team Evaluation Survey.

4. Answer custom Debrief Questions or Surveys that we create for the instructor, based on their input (optional).
Make a final presentation to the Board of Directors. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Present company strategy, progress-to-date, and future direction to a volunteer Board of Directors.
Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Participants explore topics in greater detail and interactively as time allows.

View this page as a PDF
Data that describes the sustainability simulation game.

Focus Areas

Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

The Green Business Lab logo for the simulation.

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