Practicing Leadership through Sustainable Governance

Context

In courses focused on leadership, the Green Business Lab allows participants to examine how leadership choices related to sustainability shape organizational priorities, governance, and performance as companies respond to environmental, social, and financial pressures.

What participants do

Participants work as a seven-person executive team with distinct functional responsibilities, collectively responsible for running the entire company. While they do not manage staff directly, teams make enterprise-level decisions across strategy, operations, marketing, and supply chain, viewed through a sustainable leadership lens, including choices related to values, labor practices, corporate responsibility, and long-term direction.

What participants practice

Through iterative decision cycles, participants practice:

  • Collaborating across functional roles to align enterprise-wide priorities under sustainability considerations
  • Considering employee-related issues, such as labor practices and social responsibility as leadership decisions
  • Making governance-related decisions involving priorities for technology and innovation
  • Articulating organizational values and examining how they guide sustainable strategy and operations
  • Evaluating how leadership and governance choices affect long-term enterprise performance and trust

Closing

The experience concludes with a board-level discussion in which participants explain their strategic rationale and share their vision for the company’s future, along with a self-assessment of governance practices related to accountability, transparency, ethics, and stakeholder engagement.

The simulation game teaches corporate leadership.

Working together, participants practice skills by integrating perspectives, aligning priorities, and discussing decisions within a shared strategic context.

  • 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.
    Identify stakeholder interests and respect stakeholder perspectives in order to build trust.
  • 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.
  • The simulation game is about employees.
    Understand how to align functional areas of a company around a strategy to make an effective organization.
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: Event, Short-Format Module, and Multi-week Integration.

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

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Team Activity
Formats for Teaching Leadership
Event Short-Format Module Multi-Week Integration
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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