This Week's Herman Trend Alert The Consequences of Virtual Meetings

The Herman Trend Alert January 31, 2007 Corporate War Games Teach Competitive Advantage On April 17 to 21, 2007, The Conference Board will conduct what they are calling "The Conference Board Leadership Experience at Normandy." Against the backdrops of Paris and Normandy, this experiential learning experience will use the Normandy invasion as a model to help corporate leaders to analyze leadership strategies, correspondence, and reflections from those engaged in the battle. Participants will walk the beaches and retrace the key stages of the invasion. They will stand on the edge of the cliffs and in the shadow of bunkers that had to be taken to control the coastline. They will learn from the strategies and moves embraced by the military leaders who were in control. Thinking about this experiential learning opportunity engendered thoughts of how "real" war games are being used in corporate America today. Of course, the use of war games began with the military. The purpose was (and is) to "play out" various scenarios and try them out against a simulated enemy. This valuable simulation exposes deficiencies and vulnerabilities, so that they may be reduced or eliminated. Imagine an opportunity to "think like your competitor?" Corporate war games allow participants to anticipate competitors’ moves before they make them. Using structured strategic exercises, war games help participants to understand unexplored or unforeseen strategic options. Most significant, war games demonstrate the implications of future decisions long before they must be made. The clear leader in the corporate war game field is Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Fuld and Company (www.fuld.com) that facilitates about two events per month for various organizations around the globe. One of their clients was looking for the most effective recruiting strategy to attract PhD scientists; through playing a war game, the company discovered it needed to be much more aggressive and, like its competitor, establish relationships with Chinese universities. Our forecast: more organizations that want their managers to think differently or question their own assumptions about themselves, their strengths, their competitors, and the marketplace will engage in war games. . .giving themselves a competitive advantage. War games are a powerful tool to get people to look at their marketplaces in realistic ways. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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