War gaming: virtual reality, real lessons

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present leaders with a tool – war gaming – for effectively and efficiently stress‐testing their plans and strategies in a changing world under competitive pressures.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses case studies and anecdotal experience accumulated over 25 years.

Findings

War games reveal three basic myths regarding strategy: Everyone knows what strategy is intuitively. Improving execution is the essence of strategy. Everyone shares the leaders' enthusiasm and perceptions regarding the firm's strategic direction. Structuring war games correctly solves all three misconceptions.

Practical implications

Leaders looking for effective tools to test their ideas before committing resources to them will find war games exceedingly easy to use and very quick on results. This paper provides four quick “rules” on doing it right.

Originality/value

War games – long practiced by the military – have been successfully adapted for business use. Adopting the methodology to commercial environment offers wealth of opportunities for leaders to improve strategy.

Citation

Gilad, B. (2010), "War gaming: virtual reality, real lessons", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 38-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878571011088050