Abstract for: Workshop - Beer Game: Supply Chain Learning Exercise

In this workshop, participants will experience the Beer Game. The Beer Game is a great way to introduce systems thinking and System Dynamics in classrooms and business settings. Given the interactive, hands-on, experiential learning nature of this workshop, participants will be better prepared to incorporate this game into their practice and teaching. Participants will experience the pressures of playing a role in a complex system and can see the long-range effects of their choices during the game. The second half of the workshop will include a debriefing session, which is where we will highlight the management system insights and systems thinking concepts that played out during the game. This workshop is intended for all experience levels, for people who haven’t ever played the Beer Game before, and for those who have played. Participants must join live in Bergen. We will also use this workshop as an opportunity to test some modifications to the Society’s version of the Beer Game. These modifications include: a new slide deck that incorporates the methods of several expert Beer Game facilitators, a new calculator for collecting data and creating game graphs to dramatically reduce debrief preparation time, and a new fabric game board.