Professor Michael Roberto, author of the award-winning Everest simulation, was interested in exploring the complex issues related to human judgment, cognitive bias, and decision-making.
Forio worked with Harvard Business School Publishing and Professor Roberto to create a detailed storyline, then design and develop the model and user interface. In the simulation, students play the role of a product manager at a medical device manufacturer. Customers report a series of critical problems with the company’s newly launched blood glucose monitor. As the product manager, each student receives a barrage of communications from colleagues about the problem — via email, video messages, voicemail, and instant message chats — and must quickly determine the root cause of the issue and make recommendations on how to proceed.
As with many actual product-quality crises, the situation unfolds over time, and the resolution does not come quickly. At the end of the simulation, the students must prepare remarks to be delivered at a press conference on the unfolding situation. A facilitator-led debriefing session highlights how the simulation provides practice in leadership and how to respond in a crisis situation, as well as how it provides an understanding of factors which can impair judgment and decision making.
This simulation was awarded bronze in the Corporate category at the Serious Play awards in 2015.
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