Overview
GLAM 2049 is an immersive and interactive, in-person role-based educational game that enables participants to experience the exciting challenges of a multidisciplinary innovation process in a safe and fun learning environment.
During the simulation, participants collaborate to develop and launch a product for the emerging GLAM vehicle market. Working as a team, participants take on various managerial and technical roles to identify customer requirements; develop a LEGO-based product that satisfies market needs; determine production and financial models; and market and sell their product. The simulation requires participants to collaborate across functional boundaries and make decisions under uncertain and changing conditions.
Two versions of GLAM 2049 are available:
- Venture edition: suitable for 15-60 participants. It can be run with 3-10 teams, with 5 or 6 people in each team.
- Enterprise edition: suitable for 45-180 participants. It is also designed for 3-10 teams, but with 15-18 people in each team.
Each version can be run independently, or they can be run one after the other. If the latter is chosen, it is recommended to run the Enterprise edition before the Venture edition.
Session Plan
A single session of either GLAM 2049 Venture edition or Enterprise edition lasts approximately two hours and is divided into the following sections:
- Introduction (10 minutes). Participants are introduced to the simulation and assigned their roles.
- Gameplay (50 minutes). Participants work in their teams, with each person taking on a specific role. Teams have access to a finance dashboard, can purchase market research and third-party product features, and build their GLAM vehicle with LEGO.
- Showcase and results (20 minutes). Each team pitches their product, then the results are reviewed. This stage can be longer or shorter depending on the number of teams participating.
- Debrief and discussion (40 minutes). Participants discuss their simulation experiences in their teams before key insights are drawn out during a plenary discussion. These insights focus on teamwork, coordination, communication, uncertainty, and decision-making.
Learning Outcomes
Participating in either version of GLAM 2049 provides participants with:
- Enhanced awareness of the financial, marketing, process and technical challenges during innovation projects.
- Improved appreciation of how uncertainty affects communication, coordination and decision-making.
The Venture edition and Enterprise edition provide further learning outcomes due to the different team sizes. In GLAM 2049 Venture edition, participants experience the challenges of operating with constrained resources in start-up environments, while in GLAM 2049 Enterprise edition, participants experience the coordination challenges of innovating in larger organizations.
Along with its learning benefits, GLAM 2049 can also be used as a teamwork-based activity or as an immersive alternative to interviews during hiring.
Facilitating GLAM 2049
GLAM 2049 is currently available for in-person facilitation by Simon Ford in the Metro Vancouver area or by arrangement elsewhere.
If you are an educator or corporate trainer who would like to facilitate GLAM 2049 yourself, you are welcome to join the closed beta and register as a GLAM 2049 facilitator on the GLAM 2049 website here. After registering, you’ll gain access to the facilitator resources and receive two free trial runs of the game.