Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Virtual Leadership Simulations

Talent decisions are among the most important decisions that businesses make, especially who has a seat at the leadership table. The best businesses are always looking for the best leaders, so they look for the best tools to help them make these critical decisions. There are loads of options and even more opinions on the best ways to hire, develop and promote good leaders, but not all tools are created equal. How should you navigate the sea of talent management software, assessments, and self-proclaimed effective solutions? Whether you’re considering tests, software, job samples or interviews, the ideal tools should get you confidence and accuracy in your leadership talent choices. Virtual leadership simulations are among the most effective of the tools on the market and if you’re not using them, you’re missing out on getting the best leaders a seat at your table. 

Here are some basics (and some little-known gems) that you should know about virtual leadership simulations and why you should use them to select, promote and develop your leaders:

1. Employees can’t fake it in a simulation.

Because simulations mirror real job assignments so well, employees can’t fake their way through the experience; they either excel or flounder in each scenario. Simulations give you great information about how candidates will do in a particular role and make these types of assessments more reliable than most tests. Unlike self-report personality tests, or resumes and applications, you can’t cheat or fake performance in a live simulation.

2. Simulations capture leadership skills in-action.

And, they are the only assessment that is capable of doing so. Employees can describe what they “woulda, coulda, shoulda” done in behavioral interviews, or on situational judgment tests. But, how can you trust what they tell you? How can employees know what they might do in a new situation, especially one of high risk or under high stress? This is why live simulations are so paramount; they let you observe future leaders in-action, faced with new problems, ambiguous projects, and challenging team members. 

3. Virtual leadership simulations are very time and cost-effective.

In just a few hours in a virtual leadership simulation, you can know about a candidate’s personality, learning style, job skills, and potential, but also about their culture fit, turn-over likelihood, and engagement in their role! Rather than having candidates travel to attend interviews or assessment centers, or using multiple expensive, and lengthy tests to get a complete picture of your candidate, you can accomplish this all with one simulation experience, completed online, and in just a few hours of the candidate’s time.

4. You can make better decisions.

Live simulations are more reliable and have better outcomes than interviews, personality tests, or manager ratings at identifying who are high-potential employees and which employees are ready to step into the job today (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).

5. Candidates like simulations.

If you’ve ever been on the applicant end of the hiring process, you know it can be time-consuming, confusing and in some cases, seem ridiculous and unfair. When applicants have poor reactions to the hiring process, they are less likely to take a job offer and you might drive away your best candidates. Candidates like simulations (Ryan & Tippins, 2004). They typically see how the assessment relates to the job, view them as fair, and gain some really strong insights into the process.

6. Simulations can inform selection AND development decisions.

Depending on your need, live simulations can inform a number of strategic talent decisions. The information gained from simulations can be used to select the best candidate for a job, to providing feedback to a group of high-potentials who are looking to progress in your organization. Virtual simulations have the benefit of capturing data online, so many more analyses can be run to tell talent professionals about the recruitment effectiveness, investments in L&D programs, organizational culture, team dynamics, diversity & inclusion, and succession planning.

7. Simulations remove bias from people decisions.

People often fall victim to their intuition when selecting or developing talent. The problem with intuition is that it can lead us astray. By using objective results from virtual simulations, you are more likely to make the most accurate talent decision and find talent hiding in plain sight.

8. Virtual simulations simplify talent decisions.

When a simulation is completed virtually, costs are reduced (no travel expenses to bring people in), timing is more convenient (employees can schedule their own simulation experiences), and the interface is easy to use while also being highly engaging. See here for more about virtual assessment centers.

9. Live simulations aren’t just for executive leaders.

There are a variety of virtual simulations and you will likely be able to find one that suits a range of your talent needs. You can and should use simulations to select and develop team leaders and mid-level leaders in addition to your executive team. Simulations are also available for other key roles like sales team members.

10. Virtual leadership simulations will shape the way you view talent and talent solutions.

Time and again, organizations turn to virtual leadership simulations to drive their talent strategy and people investments, because virtual leadership simulations are efficient, cost-effective, are engaging for candidates, and provide the data organizations need to drive a powerful talent strategy.

References

Ryan, A. M., & Tippins, N. T. (2004). Attracting and selecting: What psychological research tells us. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 305-318.

Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological bulletin, 124(2), 262-274.