Starting a new job can be a daunting experience for anyone. The fear of the unknown and the anxiety of fitting into a new environment can often lead to a lack of productivity and a prolonged period of adjustment.
This is where effective onboarding comes in. Onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into an organisation and familiarising them with the culture, values, and practices of the company.
While most organisations have a basic onboarding process in place, many fail to realise the importance of building a strong foundation for new hires. This is where business simulations come in.
Bear with us for a moment. The Canadian school system has an option called “French immersion” where the pupils are taught by a teacher who speaks to them in French, all the time.
These programmes exist for a number of reasons, one of them being that if learning is approached holistically, pupils learn more, faster, and then are able to apply those learning skills (because learning is a skill in and of itself) to other scenarios, and learn those things faster, too.
Business simulations used as part of a new hire onboarding programme are designed with similar outcomes in mind. New hires join an organisation bringing knowledge, skills and (most importantly) potential with them, but it can take a long time – perhaps months – to settle into a new role and start to add real value.
Due to the immersive nature of a business simulation – which typically are designed around an organisation’s strategic goals, KPIs, processes, terminology – new hires find their place within an organisation faster and can get started with making their contribution sooner because they have experienced more of what it is like to work there.
As well as the technical elements covered by a business simulation, the gamification element helps new hires get to know their colleagues, building strong relationships through shared experiences and successes. Networking without the awkwardness, if you will.
The memory of the experiential business simulation event stays with the new hire, as the foundation on which their career was built.
Experiential learning events where participants immediately apply their ideas in a business game or simulation relevant to an organisation allows participants to push themselves in a risk-free environment, building confidence within their new context.
Gamification makes learning fun, which matters because engaged learners retain more of what they have learned.
Whether learners are competitive or not, a well-designed simulation allows everyone to bring their best to the team, and shape what success looks like.
But how do you implement business simulations as part of your onboarding process? Here are some tips to get you started:
- Determine the goals of your business simulation: Before designing a business simulation, you need to determine the goals of the simulation. What skills do you want your new hires to learn? What processes do you want them to become familiar with? What organisational values do you want to reinforce?
- Design the simulation: Once you have determined the goals of the simulation, it's time to design the simulation. This involves creating scenarios and challenges that are relevant to your organisation and that will help new hires to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
- Test the simulation: Before implementing the simulation, it's important to test it with a small group of employees to ensure that it's effective and achieves its goals.
- Integrate the simulation into your onboarding process: Once the simulation has been tested and refined, it's time to integrate it into your onboarding process. This can be done by incorporating the simulation into your new hire orientation program or by providing access to the simulation through your learning management system.
Business simulations are gaining popularity as an effective tool for onboarding new hires. A study by the Training Industry shows that companies that use simulation-based learning have a 75% higher retention rate than those that don't.
This indicates that simulations not only provide an engaging learning experience but also help new hires to retain information better.
Moreover, business simulations can help new hires understand complex organisational structures and hierarchies, as well as the roles and responsibilities of different team members.
It can also help them gain a better understanding of the company's business model, products, and services, and how they fit into the bigger picture.
Benefits of Business Simulations:
- Immersive Learning: Due to the immersive nature of a business simulation – which typically are designed around an organisation’s strategic goals, KPIs, processes, terminology – new hires find their place within an organisation faster and can get started with making their contribution sooner because they have experienced more of what it is like to work there.
- Relationship Building: As well as the technical elements covered by a business simulation, the gamification element helps new hires get to know their colleagues, building strong relationships through shared experiences and successes. Networking without the awkwardness, if you will.
- Experiential Learning: Experiential learning events where participants immediately apply their ideas in a business game or simulation relevant to an organisation allows participants to push themselves in a risk-free environment, building confidence within their new context.
- Fun Learning: Gamification makes the learning fun, which matters because engaged learners retain more of what they have learned. Whether learners are competitive or not, a well-designed simulation allows everyone to bring their best to the team, and shape what success looks like.
MDA Training is a leading provider of business simulations and experiential learning solutions that can help organisations build a strong foundation for their new hires.
Our simulations are designed around an organisation's strategic goals, KPIs, processes, and terminology, making it easier for new hires to find their place within the organisation and start adding value sooner.
With our gamified simulations, new hires can also build strong relationships with their colleagues and learn in a risk-free environment. Book a call with our MDA Experts today to learn more about how our solutions can benefit your organisation.