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For
a few days recently, there existed-on paper, that is-a-high-flying, but
ultimately not too successful, Frankfurt-bases European carrier called
Air Dot. Com.
After
a heady start, what went wrong? Why couldn't any amount of
brainstorming, calculated crunching of numbers, refleeting, bold sales
initiatives and marketing analysis keep aspiring Air Dot.Com from being
outflanked commercially by rivals EuroMax and Premium Air? Much as in
the real hardball air transport business, canny "executives"
of Premium and EuroMax simply made more of the right moves at the right
times in powering themselves to market leadership.
And
they faced a challenger that (unfortunately for Air Dot.Com) didn't
make the right moves at the right times consistently enough to make a
difference on the bottom line. All three airlines were fictitious but
(by definition) similar, starting out as equals in a mythical
competitive market under preordained game-plan parameters as to route
structure, fleet, capitalisation, staffing, etc. The decision makers
were participants in GAMS, a "general airline management
simulation" program developed by Lufthansa Consulting GmbH and
UNICON Management Systems.
Somewhat
similar airline-business simulations are also conducted by the Air
Transport Group at prestigious Cranfield College of Aeronautics in the
U.K. Peter Morrell, head of the group and director of consultancy
services, took active part in the seminar in Germany.
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An
independent unit of the Lufthansa German Airlines group, Lufthansa
Consulting (LCG) organises its English-language seminars either on an
"open" basis for any interested parties, or in versions
designed on request specifically for individual companies' in-house
implementation.
Mayer
(left) and Wasserfuhr
The
target group basically revolves around leaders in various industries
who seek background knowledge about operational dynamics within the
airline business. .
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But players also come from companies
and professional organisations who simply want to familiarise
themselves with an distinctive, active learning platform for practical
management training in general. Related computer simulation seminars in
German have been used successfully by Lufthansa for many years as an
integral part of internal management training, explained veteran LCG
consultants Barbara Wasserfuhr and Thomas Mayer
They
organised in a highly professional manner the recent seminar in
question at a small conference hotel in a secluded rural setting near
Frankfurt Airport, and functioned as "lead trainers" with
assistance from Stefan Holztrattner, Claudia Eben and Wolfgang Franzen.
Up
to 18 people participate in a simulation, and are assigned to from
three to five teams, depending on attendance at any given seminar.
Before they arrive for the exercise, each player receives a dauntingly
thick manual with the extensive ground rules and conditions that apply
during the simulation exercise.
Therein was also a potential problem for some participants. Few were
conversant with all the details in the book before arrival at the
seminar site.
Much
of game plan was too detailed to absorb and retain on the run in time
to make best use during the stressful, timed working sessions.
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