Olympus Executive Simulation

Olympus simulates a diverse industry of six competitors providing a variety of technology-based products to industrial customers.

An Executive Simulation That Really Improves Decision-Making Skills

Participants are divided into a maximum of six teams, constituting a simulated marketplace. Each team of nine to 12 participants controls a unique company, of slightly differing size, capability, profitability, and strategic direction. If there are not enough participants to make six teams, the simulation will manage any remaining companies with automated strategy guidelines.

Each Olympus team has access to three personal computers with identical software. No computer is keyed or preset for any specific decisions. One machine is designated as the Consolidator to which the other two computers must physically bring their decisions for the final scenario.

The teams are completely free to organize in any way they choose. Regardless of what decisions they place on each machine, it is their responsibility to provide information for decision support, should the orientation of their decisions be sub-optimal.

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The products and services all in some way contribute to automated control of a variety of manufacturing processes. Their broad categories include computers for the control of milling machines, imaging peripherals for design, communications equipment, consulting, maintenance, and software. Each line of products is based on several technologies that are loosely referred to as “components.” These are the basic technology building blocks that are assembled to make products.

In This Business Simulation You Can Add Political and Economic Uncertainty

Global Markets in Olympus can have political and economic uncertainty. Beyond the simple notions of number of consumers, preferences, and growth in markets, teams will have a variety of inbox items that indicate or suggest changes in the overall political and economic balance in various regions. These items are mostly informational; actions are only required by teams’ understanding of the ramifications. The three regional markets each have specific size and preference characteristics. The markets are broadly defined as Asia Pacific, Europe, and Americas; each has four distinct buying segments that do not overlap or cannibalize from each other.

Key Simulation Issues

• Business ecosystems
• Value creation
• Cross-organizational processes
• Strategy development
• Organizational alignment
• Group dynamics
• Change management
• Risk management
• Partnering
• Resource and asset management

Simulation Benefits

The simulation exercise encourages teams to scan their environment. Some of the information needed to anticipate change is delivered via in-box items, market research, and numeric indices that illustrate changing customer preferences. However, some of the information is hidden in a “trolling” function; specifically, and by design, each team receives only pieces of the information, and must rely on its ability to network throughout the industry to uncover the entire scenario. Further, significant leads/lags in decision implementation provide an advantage to those who anticipate and prepare for change. Late adopters are at a disadvantage unless they have significant competencies to overcome their late-mover status.

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Olympus Executive Simulations?

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