Why games are becoming part of the strategic toolbox for consultants

With more than 25 years of experience working with leaders, teams and organizations, Dennis brings a strong combination of psychological research and practical consulting experience. For him, games offer a powerful way to move beyond simply explaining theories and give leaders the opportunity to experience them in practice.

From theory to experience

Dennis explains that traditional training can be valuable when the goal is to communicate knowledge and theories. But when the goal is to create behavior change, mindset change and collaboration, he sees a clear advantage in experiential learning.

“If you only want to transmit theory, I think training is a good thing to do. But when you really want to have a behavior change, when you want to have a mindset change, I dare say, it is much easier when people are making an experience.”

Rather than simply discussing how leaders should respond to resistance, participants can experience the consequences of their decisions in a safe and playful environment.

A shared experience for almost 100 leaders

One of Dennis's first major experiences with Actee was with nearly 100 leaders from a financial-sector organization undergoing significant change.

Using the Actee Best Seller change game, the leaders worked in groups to make decisions about how to lead people through different stages of change and resistance.

The purpose was not simply to teach another change model. The organization wanted its leaders to work on the challenge together, exchange perspectives and develop a shared understanding of the change.

The experience gave the participants a common reference point that they could continue to use after the workshop.

Seeing leadership and group dynamics in action

For Dennis, one of the most valuable aspects of game-based learning is that it makes people's thinking and behavior visible.

Participants make their own suggestions while also working towards a group decision. This creates several perspectives around the same challenge and allows participants to see how their individual choices compare with the choices of the group.

It also gives the consultant an opportunity to observe:

• How people make decisions
• How they influence each other
• Which voices are heard in the group
• How people respond to different perspectives
• How individual choices affect the overall outcome

The game therefore becomes more than a learning activity. It becomes a window into group dynamics and leadership behavior.

The consultant remains essential

Dennis emphasizes that a game does not replace the consultant.

The technology and game mechanics create the experience, but the consultant's role is to observe, challenge, facilitate and translate the experience back into the participants' everyday work.

He describes the consultant as a kind of translator: someone who helps participants connect what happened inside the game with what happens in their real organization.

“The most important thing still is the group process.”

For Dennis, a good consultant becomes even more effective with a game because the game provides another practical layer for exploring behavior and dynamics.

Connecting games to theory

The connection between theory and the game is particularly important to Dennis and GMP.

The decisions participants make can be connected to theoretical frameworks, allowing consultants to use the results for feedback to both groups and individuals.

Dennis sees this as important for business transfer. The results can also be revisited later in coaching or leadership development, allowing the learning to continue beyond the original session.

Building games around the customer's world

Looking ahead, Dennis sees significant potential in the Actee Game Builder.

GMP works with a range of leadership and organizational theories, and the Game Builder gives them the opportunity to build these theories directly into games.

Even more importantly, games can be adapted to the language, concepts and leadership models of each customer.

This makes it possible to create an experience that feels relevant to the organization's own reality while still allowing consultants to connect participant behavior back to their chosen leadership principles and theories.

Dennis's advice to consultants

Dennis's advice to consultants who are considering game-based learning is simple:

“Be courageous.”

He recommends trying a game yourself first, either in a session or with colleagues, so you can experience what it feels like as a participant.

And his second piece of advice is just as important:

“Prepare well, about twice as much as you would think.”

His experience with large-scale game sessions has shown him that good preparation, testing, technical support and a backup plan are essential.

Conclusion

Dennis's experience demonstrates how Actee games can help consultants move from knowing to doing.

By combining theory, simulation, decision-making, group discussion and reflection, game-based learning creates an environment where leaders can explore complex situations, test their thinking and see the consequences of their choices.

For GMP, the value is not simply that games make learning more engaging. It is that they provide a practical and experiential way to work with the complex human and organizational dynamics that sit behind leadership and change.

Listen to the podcast with Dennis Brodbeck from GMP to hear more about his experience using Actee games in leadership and change consulting.