Work, Costs and the Unexpected in the Academic's Creation and Use of Games and Simulations in Teaching and Learning

This study examines the lived experience of management academics who create and use games and simulations in teaching, focusing on the actions, unexpected events, costs and risks they encounter. The authors argue that existing research in management education has concentrated on the learning effects and effectiveness of experiential methods while neglecting the teacher's perspective, and that this gap leaves academics exposed to uncontrolled risk and undermines the long-term sustainability of such activities. The analysis draws on a British Academy of Management-funded project covering thirteen cases of digital, in-person and mixed-media simulations, from which three cases were selected for detailed content analysis.

The findings are organised across a work lifecycle comprising initiation, development, in-use and on-completion phases. Academics typically worked alone from the moment of inspiration, drawing on personal histories and concern for their professional reputation, and they navigated considerable social labour in managing organisational stakeholders and resistance. Costs were difficult to quantify in financial terms, but the study identified substantial unpaid, hidden labour, physical and emotional strain during in-use phases, and time pressures that compressed debriefs. Unexpected events ranged from valuable student insights and unanticipated game dynamics to serious design flaws, such as students exploiting loopholes or simulations proving too difficult to win.

The authors conclude that the costs and risks of experiential teaching are real, varied and poorly documented, and that cost-benefit analysis, rarely undertaken by participants, is needed to reduce what they term "unknown unknowns." The study acknowledges its limited sample and the difficulty of generalising across diverse techniques and institutional contexts.