Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games As a Participatory Method - Jan Eckert

Empowering StakeholdersSimulationGamesas aparticipatory method

Dr.JanEckertLucerne Universityof AppliedSciences and Arts

Philosophie

• Switzerland is arather small country.• stillmost people daily commute to work.• during rush hours,motorways and trains are

crowded allover the country.• atthe sametimemany office tasks could be

easily completed athome or other places.

Lucerne MainStation

• Theoffice has shifted from one physicalplace towards anetwork of places.

• more and more,people need strategiesto match their taskswith the right place.

• companies are struggling todefine theright amount of office space to provide.

Vitra &SevilPeach,«StudioOffice»,2016

Challenges inpublictransport,daily worklifeand self management.

Challenges inpersonnelmanagement,facilitymanagement and officedesign.

Empower today‘s knowledgeworkers,companies and office designers tomeet these challenges.

Partnersfrom the transport&communication sectorSBB– SwissRailwaysSwisscomSiemens

«Which research and planningmethodscould help to gain insights into the changefrom single located towardsmulti locatedknowledge– work inorder to provide toolsfor workers,companies and planners?»

Partnersfrom theplanning&designsectorVitraRBSGroup

iMOWIntegratedMobileOfficeWorkToolsfor mobileknowledge–workers

Universityof AppliedSciences and ArtsNorthwestern SwitzerlandLucerne Universityof AppliedSciences and Arts

iMOW – toolset

Dr.JanEckert|Empowering Stakeholders– SimulationGamesas aparticipatory method

iMOW – toolset


WORKAROUNDASimulationGamefocusing multi locatedwork

WorkARound– design

STAKEHOLDERGROUPSworkerslearn to match tasks &places

companiesincreasing productivity by supportingmobile–flexible work

service providersnew transport strategiesbetter equipped trainsmobiledata management

office plannersrequirements for themain officeand third places


REASONSFORASIMULATIONGAMEempower stakeholders• support cross–disciplinary teams intheir

ability to expressneeds• cooperative learning

flatten Hierarchy• Intentionalmasking of functional boundaries• gaming as an«altered space»• oppen scenarios &thinking outof the box• game–program,no individual goal• facilitator• hands–onexperience &fun




Mainboard:4HomeOffices1MainOffice6ThirdPlacesWorkonTrain


WorkARound

4players4personas4mobilityprofiles


Task–cardsAction–cards

WorkARound

Matching tasks&places



2stepdebriefing process

1stdebriefing (after8rounds/45min)

• How many tasks have been completed?• How many of the team-taskshave been completed?• Which are the locations that are mainly used?• Which locations have notbeen used atall?• Does the situation represented by the play deck

relate to the players’realexperiences as well?• Which problems are known from their everydaywork

experience?

2stepdebriefing process

2nddebriefing (atthe end)STRATEGY• What has been the difference between the first and second part of the game?• Is there astrategy that has evolved while playing the game?• How could this strategy be transferred to the player’s realwork situation?

WORKPLACES• Which are the locations that have beenmainly used?• Arethese “HotSpots”being used inthe player’s reallives as well?• Which locations have notbeen used atall?• Arethese locations possibly the sameinreallife?

LEARNINGS• Which are the five teammembers’s core learnings from playing the game?• Namethe two that could have the highest impact onthe current way of working?• What could be possible steps to implement these two?

REACTIONS

• Awarenessof own work-patternsand work-culture• Stepping outof hierarchies and habits• Participation (inthe planning process)• Strategies for the realwork life• Shared fun timeamongst players

CURRENTSTATEOFTHEPROJECT• Thegame has been tested in12different groups

with atotalof 60participants.• Currently it is being applied intwo companies

for change management.• Evaulation as aresearch tool

RESEARCHTOOL – recording the game

EXPECTEDFINDINGS• Findings about distributed work patterns• Correlation tasks and workplaces• Teambehaviour indistributed work scenarios• Use and need of office space

RESEARCHTOOL – recording the game


thank you for your attention!

[email protected]

Design

Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games As a Participatory Method - Jan Eckert