Simulation Studies

Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2009, Vol. 8, No. 4, 559 –573.

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Using Simulation-Based Training to Enhance Management Education
EDUARDO SALAS JESSICA L. WILDMAN University of Central Florida RONALD F. PICCOLO Rollins College We suggest that simulation-based training (SBT) offers many advantages as an approach for management education, and in an effort to guide and encourage its appropriate use, we provide several practical guidelines regarding how best to implement simulationbased training in the classroom. Our hope is that these guidelines will increase the use of high-quality SBT interventions in management education, and consequently, improve the performance of management and organizations alike.

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Imagine the following scene: A newly promoted member of a management team at a company sits down at their very first team meeting. The team has been tasked with deciding how to allocate the budget for a newly acquired project. As the team begins to discuss the budget, the newest member thinks, “It feels like I have been here before.” Because of this feeling of familiarity, rather than sitting back and getting a feel for how this process occurs, without hesitation, the new member quickly engages in the discussion and starts contributing new ideas and expertise to the group. Why would this newest member of the management team feel experienced in this situation and consequently jump right into the mix? Because several years earlier, while earning a management degree, he or she participated in a simulation-based training (SBT) exercise focused on decision making in top management settings prior to being appointed to the

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Salas earned a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology at Old Dominion University, and has since co-authored over 300 journal articles and book chapters on topics such as teamwork, team training, and performance assessment. Jessica L. Wildman is a doctoral student at the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program at the University of Central Florida, and a graduate research associate at the Institute for Simulation and Training. Her current research interests include multicultural performance, interpersonal trust in teams, and virtual teams. Donald F. Piccolo is an associate professor in management at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, and Academic Director of the School’s Center for Leadership Development. He teaches and conducts research on organizational behavior, and earned a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Florida.