I am a former strategy professor, a former intelligence officer and a current
war game facilitator. I run war games. I have been running war games since 1982: dozens and dozens of them in every industry
imaginable... Sometimes war games work wonders. Other times they are a waste of time and resources. The trick
is to know in advance which is which. Hopefully this brief will clarify some of the mystery surrounding this new hot
tool called "War Games."
For clarification, they are neither wars nor games. A more appropriate title
would be a simulation of actions and counteractions in
a competitive setting by major players in an industry or market, with the objective of determining one’s own optimal
strategy and tactics.
See why I prefer to stick with "war games"? ...
There are four basic criteria that must be met for you to consider running
a war game:
- An opponent. War gaming is about figuring out how to outsmart
competitors.
- Competitive intelligence. You need a starting point for predicting
opponents’ actions and reactions. Armchair reasoning by a small set of insulated executives or a navel-gazing
brand team is not a good beginning. Observable behavior is much better.
- High stakes. Otherwise, why bother?
- Desire to make decisions. Otherwise, why bother (part
2)?
Once these necessary but not by themselves sufficient conditions are met,
you need another very important ingredient - an analytical framework which will make the game more
than an exercise in guessing what competitors are likely to do to you...
War games have been used for thousands of years by the most
brilliant military minds in the world and have produced some amazing results...
