Recur Consult

“None of us is as smart as all of us.” Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct Recur Consult 's "Drive" Leadership and Business Acumen simultion for a group of leaders from IJM Corporation Berhad. The simulation required the participants to work in teams, with each person assigned a role with specific responsibilities. The CEO is responsible for managing the team and finalising the team's decisions; the COO manages the team's operations; the CFO controls the finances of the team; the CTO looks at innovation; and the CHRO looks at which talents to recruit. With each person taking on specific responsibilities, it also means they each only pay attention to certain matters in the simulation. This can create blindspots if the team does not act in as one and equally contribute insights specific to their roles. At the same time, this can also create conflict as each person is only looking at situations from their perspective and role. While this can be challenging to manage, having a unified vision as a team can act as an anchor in the decisions and contributions made by each role in the team. This allows for better alignment and unity, ultimately leading to better outcomes and improved collaboration between team members. After all, in teamwork, silence isn’t golden. It’s deadly. Grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Mallory Loone and Azfarazie Amirolzakri from Work Inspires (Work Inspires Resources Sdn Bhd: 1314814-W) for this session. #gamification #engagement #experiential #strategy #gamesbasedlearning #businessacumen #teamwork #collaboration

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” It can sometimes feel overwhelming when we are faced with a monumental challenge that forces us out of our comfort zone. Such was experienced by a group of learners from SD Guthrie Berhad in a team building survival simulation. Each team had to complete various tasks to obtain sufficient resources in order to "survive" each round, which gradually increased in difficulty throughout the simulation. This kept the participants on their toes with many thinking the tasks were impossible for them to complete within the time limit. However, to their surprise (and ours), many not only met the objectives but some even exceeded them, discovering new skills and talents along the way! The look of pride and surprise in the participants' faces were priceless. It goes to show that the only limit is the one we set for ourselves, and that we are much more capable than we realise. Glad to bring this simulation to these amazing group of learners with our friends from Work Inspires (Work Inspires Resources Sdn Bhd: 1314814-W)! Can you guess what the simulation is based on just by looking at the images? #gamification #experiential #engagement #gamesbasedlearning #teambuilding #survival #design #games

Can live events be gamified? The highly anticipated Alan Walker concert in Malaysia organised by Livescape Group finally concluded last weekend, giving thousands of concert goers the chance to see their favourite artist live. And thanks to All-Access (AAA), fans were able to enrich their concert experience with unique real-world experience rewards, such as meet and greets with the artist, fast track passes, and many more. Over 50,000 quests later, thousands of fans were able to engage with a specially curated gamified experience weeks before the concert, filled with content and challenges related to their favourite artist and his music. Come concert day, fans were also treated to a gamified on-site experience with quests and scavenger hunts to further engage them at the concert venue. It was great to see the countless fan experiences shared on social media throughout the concert that was only made possible by AAA. Thank you to the amazing team at AAA for giving Recur Consult the opportunity to lend our gamification design expertise to enrich this real-world event experience for the fans. I'm looking forward to seeing gamification play a more distinct role in elevating real-world experiences in the many years to come. #gamification #engagement #experiential #liveevent #alanwalker #walkerverse #walkerworldtour #AAA #concert #quests

"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.” Such was the case in a recent team building session with Cheil Malaysia where we facilitated a new simulation that incorporated various game elements, interactive activities, and a storyline that tied everything together. Unlike Recur Consult's usual simulations that are typically set in business environments, this particular simulation brought participants out of this world. The participants took on the roles of a space crew aboard a high-tech alien spaceship, facing the ultimate challenge: surviving a perilous journey back to Earth Starting from the uncharted regions of outer space, participants must work together to collect key resources while navigating through changing space environments that grow more challenging with each round. This simulation was designed to provide participants with an immersive experience that tested their critical thinking and crisis management, while keeping the essence of traditional team building activities. Incorporating a sci-fi inspired narrative allowed for more thematic activities that made the overall experience more immersive and fun while still achieving the desired learning outcomes. I'm grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Azfarazie Amirolzakri, Mallory Loone and their amazing team from Work Inspires (Work Inspires Resources Sdn Bhd: 1314814-W) to bring this unique simulation to life. Looking forward to seeing this simulation in action again very soon. #simulation #storytelling #narrative #theme #teambuilding #experiential #immersive #engagement #design #games #gamesbasedlearning

The only constant is change. When times are good, we think it will never change; when times are bad, we think it will never change. Yet the only constant with organisations is change. The challenge for many new leaders is that this is likely the first time they may have experienced good or bad times, as they have yet to see a full cycle. That makes it difficult to know whether this is a short-term blip or a long-term trend. As a result, new leaders tend to grossly overcompensate by spending too much in good times only to see everything come undone in bad times. Such was experienced by a group of young leaders from Coca-Cola Beverages Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei during a recent session with Recur Consult's FutureCity simulation. At the first half of the simulation, the learners experienced the "good" times where opportunities were abundant and growth seemed to come with ease. However, come the second half, the environment changed and so came the "bad" times, resulting in unplanned bottlenecks in their operations. So how do we deal with this crazy cycle? Leaders need to learn how to act in good and bad times so that they can level out their reactions to both. In good times, it is highly encouraged to focus on growth. But leaders need to realise that every commitment is actually a liability that they have to sustain long-term. So instead of spending all the organisation's resources like it's never going to go away, they should consider setting a certain amount aside for rainy days. And it's never a question of "if" the bad times will be an issue; it's a matter of "when." And the main focus during this period of drought is survival. After all, and organisation needs to be around long enough for the next uptick — that's their only objective. As always, was a pleasure to tag team with Mallory Loone and Work Inspires (Work Inspires Resources Sdn Bhd: 1314814-W) for this workshop. Hopefully this provided a valuable learning experience for these young leaders that will serve them well in their careers. #simulation #gamesbasedlearning #gamification #engagement #experiential #strategy #agility #experience #games #play

"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results." Recently, I had the opportunity to facilitate Recur Consult's "Drive" simulation for a group of senior leaders from alrajhi bank Malaysia where we touched on business acumen and entrepreneurship. Throughout the simulation, we recorded the scores of each team, tracking their progress along the way. This lifted their competitive spirit each time they glanced at the scoreboard and compared their scores against their competitors. However, the scoreboard also has its own story to tell if one looks close enough. Just looking at the growth and decline of each team's scores during certain points of the simulation can indicate to the facilitator what is happening in their teams and what their respective strategies are. In most cases, a low score does not necessarily indicate poor performance, but rather a period of strong investment by the team, enabling significant gains in the later stages of the simulation. Similarly, a high score does not always mean good performance, as the team may be avoiding any form of investment and merely focusing on short term gains, leading to such a high score. However, some teams fixate on the scoreboard, which end up influencing their actions in the simulation, causing them to derail from their initial strategies, resulting in undesirable outcomes. So rather than getting distracted by your competitors' actions, focus on your own strategy and make decisions that capitalises on your own strengths and the opportunities made available to you. After all, you don't get results by focusing on results. Rather, you get results by focusing on the actions that produce those results. Thank you to Alfred Netto and his team for the opportunity to collaborate on this workshop. #simulation #gamesbasedlearning #gamification #design #games #experiential #experience #engagement #play #businessacumen #leaderboard #scoreboard

What factors do you consider when making decisions? When making decisions, we often deliberately or subconsciously consider various factors that form the basis of our decision, which is known as decision criteria. Having decision criteria in crucial as it makes it easier to make decisions by adding speed, quality, and consistency to the decision-making process. This is also means that what we select as our decision criteria has a significant impact on the quality of our decision-making. Such was experienced by a group of leaders from Tenaga Nasional Berhad during a recent session with Recur Consult's new FutureCity simulation. For context, the simulation involves building a smart city while managing the delicate balance between the city's energy demands and the power grid's energy supply in order to avoid unwanted power failures. The team with the most advanced smart city at the end is declared the winner. During the session, each team was faced with several factors that influenced their decision-making, such as infrastructure cost, revenue generation, power supply and demand, limited resources, and more. However, each team had subconsciously focused on different factors, influenced by their own preferences and biases, which ultimately became their decision criteria throughout the simulation. This resulted in vastly different outcomes and challenges for each team, with some teams making progress with ease, while others struggling to gain traction. So when it comes to making decisions, it is crucial for team members to consciously agree on the decision criteria in order to promote high quality decisions and avoid unwanted delays. After all, "nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide". Thank you to Mohamed Mustak and the team at Coach 2 Success Consultancy for the opportunity to collaborate on this workshop. #simulation #games #gamesbasedlearning #gamification #design #experiential #engagement #gamedesign #experience #decisionmaking #problemsolving #decisioncriteria

"The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do." Many leaders struggle to successfully implement their strategies as they tend to neglect one crucial factor - clarity. While it may seem obvious to have clarity when planning and executing strategies, the reality is that most leaders get distracted by operational matters and unconsciously react to unpredictable external factors, deviating from their strategies in the process. Worst yet, some leaders may not even have a strategy in the first place and are merely following the trends and whims of the market that they operate in, resulting in constant pivots and wasted resources. Clarity is the key to successful strategy execution as it acts as an anchor that guides the decisions of leaders when faced with uncertainty. Such a situation was faced by a group leaders from a leading construction company during a recent workshop with Recur Consult's "Drive" simulation. Rather than having a clear strategy, most teams were fixated on the operational matters in the simulation and merely reacted to the market and their competitors' actions. By the end of the session, it was clear that the teams with strategic clarity easily outperformed the others as they were able to remain consistent, make better decisions, work towards clearly defined goals, and accurately measure and evaluate their performance throughout the simulation, making adjustments to their strategy only when necessary. This experience became a valuable lesson for these leaders and will hopefully encourage them to be more mindful when executing their strategies back at the workplace. After all, if you don't know where you are going, you'll just end up in the wrong place. Thank you to our good friends from Thriving Talents for trusting us to run this session! #simulation #gamedesign #gamesbasedlearning #experiential #strategy #clarity #execution #games #engagement #design #play

Can Real World Experiences (RWEs) be elevated with #gamification? With the highly anticipated concert by DJ and music producer, Alan Walker happening in Kuala Lumpur as part of his Walker World Asia Tour, his Malaysian fans understandably can't contain their excitement. To keep these fans engaged even weeks before stepping into the concert venue, All Access Anonymous (AAA) allows fans to immersive themselves in a gamified virtual experience in order to maximise their real world concert experience through fun challenges and attractive concert rewards. I'm glad that Recur Consult had the opportunity to lend our gamification design expertise to this project and to have worked with the amazing team at All Access Anonymous (AAA) and Livescape Group. Grab your tickets and be part of the Walker World Tour! Find out more in the comments section below. #realworldexperience #RWE #design #engagement #experiential #liveevent #alanwalker #walkerverse #virtual #experience #fan #AAA #walkerworldtour

Do we miss the forest for the trees? While it may seem obvious to always have a grasp of the bigger picture in most situations, it can be difficult to take a step back when one is sucked into the daily operations at work. When we fixate on the details and ignore the bigger picture, we tend to make decisions with a narrow perspective that may often lead to unintended outcomes. Such was observed during a recent session with a group of senior leaders while spending a day with Recur Consult's Drive simulation. The simulation requires teams to make numerous small decisions during each round of gameplay, including producing, marketing and selling cars of various types, investing in different innovations, hiring talents, and so on. These actions are intended to mimic the many decisions one would typically have to make on a daily basis at the workplace, which can easily overwhelm most people. To ease the mental load, it's common to rely on assumptions and emotions in order to make these decisions quickly while minimising the use of limited mental resources. But when these decisions are made without taking the bigger picture into account, the teams lose sight of their actual strategy (if they even had one), resulting in short-term wins at the devastating cost of long-term success. While these daily operational decisions are unavoidable, it is important to take a step back every now and then to make decisions with the organisation's long-term strategy in mind. After all, long-term success can only be achieved from the small decisions we make each day. #simulation #gamesbasedlearning #gamification #gamedesign #engagement #strategy #bigpicturethinking #experiential #games #learninganddevelopment #training