Terry Butorac, executive vice president of human resources at Carlson, said one group came up with the idea of having an executive coordinate cross-selling opportunities between the company's many divisions. One of the members of that class was later appointed a company vice president to coordinate cross-selling opportunities. Other issues the classes investigated were opportunities to increase the use of its Gold Points card, and whether the company should get into the credit-card business. Scheurer points out that the center uses simulation exercises in its general management programs open to managers from a variety of firms. Just as in the case of Carlson, a class will use as a case study a challenge one of the participants faces at their corporation.
Simulation hurts A good simulation can sometimes be painful to the participants.
Clemensen learned in the process that his consensus-building strategy, highly laudable in most circumstances, could actually work against him.