Business Acumen Challenge - An Open Enrollment Course

Becoming a great manager can't be learned from a book - it is the result of training that integrates hard knowledge, effective communication, and leadership development.

The American Management Association partnered with Enspire Learning to create a seminar that does just that. Business Acumen Challenge: A Simulation Experience for Leaders is a three-day seminar offering a rigorous environment for professionals to develop communication, interaction, management, and business strategy skills.

Simulation

The curriculum of the seminar is formed around Enspire's Executive Challenge simulation. Participants take management positions in simulated companies and work together to lead these companies to success or failure. Teams compete against each other in timed quarters to achieve their business goals.

Players must make challenging decisions in the face of uncertainty and duress and then navigate the consequences of these decisions. The soundness of the team's business strategy and ability to communicate intelligently under pressure are critical to their success.

Context and Relevance

The curriculum that AMA and Enspire built for the seminar involves topics that include business strategy, decision making, interdepartmental communication, resource management, and team dynamics. Instruction and discussion provide real world context for these issues, while Executive Challenge offers participants practice in an environment free of real-world risk.

Instructor-led elements, gameplay, and feedback are dispersed throughout the course. This allows participants to learn concepts, practice them in the game, and prepare to apply them in the real world.