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Asking the Experts: A Delphi Method Investigation into Serious Games for Leadership Development

Asking the Experts: A Delphi Method Investigation into Serious Games for Leadership Development
Asking the Experts: A Delphi Method Investigation into Serious Games for Leadership Development
In an increasingly digital business environment, the development of critical leadership skills such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking is paramount for individual and organisational success. As organisations evolve, innovative and experiential development methods such as serious games become indispensable but these remain underutilised due to reservations around credibility and return on investment. This study employed the Delphi method to consult a panel of experts in leadership development and serious games design, exploring how serious games can foster the development and application of leadership skills. Three master themes emerged, outlining elements of successful serious games for leadership development: simulated interpersonal dynamics, reinforcement for behavioural adjustment and authenticity of learning experience. Sub-themes included motivation and reward, feedback provision, adaptive learning and personalisation, experience of consequences, competitive versus co-operative environments and simulation of complex decisions. Findings are discussed in relation to Flow theory, Social Constructionism and Identity Theory in order to advance the understanding and implementation of serious leadership games for modern contexts.
Serious games, Leadership development, Flow, Identity, Social Constructionism
0302-9743
233–242
Springer Cham
Risley, Kristina Louise
6b774963-ffc5-4041-b0cb-420392dce939
Wanick, Vanissa
d2941cae-269e-4672-b448-8cb93e22e89e
Risley, Kristina Louise
6b774963-ffc5-4041-b0cb-420392dce939
Wanick, Vanissa
d2941cae-269e-4672-b448-8cb93e22e89e

Risley, Kristina Louise and Wanick, Vanissa (2024) Asking the Experts: A Delphi Method Investigation into Serious Games for Leadership Development. In Games and Learning Alliance 13th International Conference: GALA 2024. vol. 15348, Springer Cham. 233–242 . (doi:10.1007/978-3-031-78269-5_22).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

In an increasingly digital business environment, the development of critical leadership skills such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking is paramount for individual and organisational success. As organisations evolve, innovative and experiential development methods such as serious games become indispensable but these remain underutilised due to reservations around credibility and return on investment. This study employed the Delphi method to consult a panel of experts in leadership development and serious games design, exploring how serious games can foster the development and application of leadership skills. Three master themes emerged, outlining elements of successful serious games for leadership development: simulated interpersonal dynamics, reinforcement for behavioural adjustment and authenticity of learning experience. Sub-themes included motivation and reward, feedback provision, adaptive learning and personalisation, experience of consequences, competitive versus co-operative environments and simulation of complex decisions. Findings are discussed in relation to Flow theory, Social Constructionism and Identity Theory in order to advance the understanding and implementation of serious leadership games for modern contexts.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 18 December 2024
Venue - Dates: Games and Learning Alliance 13th International Conference, GALA 2024, , Berlin, Germany, 2024-11-20 - 2024-11-22
Keywords: Serious games, Leadership development, Flow, Identity, Social Constructionism

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 499466
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499466
ISSN: 0302-9743
PURE UUID: 987f516e-d119-48c7-bc2f-9c8b98e96c0d
ORCID for Kristina Louise Risley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4368-6175
ORCID for Vanissa Wanick: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6367-1202

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Date deposited: 20 Mar 2025 18:07
Last modified: 18 Sep 2025 02:08

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Contributors

Author: Kristina Louise Risley ORCID iD
Author: Vanissa Wanick ORCID iD

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