Scenario-Based Leadership Training

FLAGSHIP PROJECT
Scenario-Based eLearning Course

UNDEAD ALLIANCES

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse with CRM-Driven Leadership

This scenario-based e-Learning concept employs a zombie apocalypse scenario to immerse Construction Project Managers in a dynamic learning experience, strategically teaching and utilizing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tactics to enhance and elevate their leadership skills.

Experience It

Try the Twine Prototype

About the Course

In a world overrun by the undead, your CRM skills are humanity's last hope for survival! Join us in a high-stakes, apocalyptic adventure where you'll learn to master Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as the key to forming alliances, managing conflicts, and building trust among survivors. In this edgy and immersive course, you'll navigate through a zombie-infested world, where every decision counts and your CRM skills will determine the fate of your team. Prepare to develop essential soft skills in a fun and engaging way, all while saving the world from the brink of extinction.

Will you emerge as a CRM superhero or will you let your team become zombie chow? The choice is yours.

Audience & Learning Gap

Audience

Construction Project Managers who work on-site at commercial construction sites, including seasoned, newly promoted, and new hires, and manage a team or multiple teams of construction crews.

Learning Gap

Construction Project Managers at ConstrutR, a commercial construction company, are communicating poorly and leading ineffectively, especially during high stress, rapid, and critical situations. There is a need for improvement in team dynamics, communication, leadership skills, and conflict management. This is evident in the steep turnover rates, high number of safety incidents, compliance violations, and financial losses, highlighting the urgency to enhance these essential skills for the well-being of the team, the success of construction projects, and the bottom line of the business.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, Construction Project Managers will be able to:

Make and communicate effective, people-centered leadership decisions in rapid, critical, and crisis situations
Improve team communication, morale, and retention
Reduce safety and noncompliance incidents

Business Goals &
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

As a result of the skills learned in this course, Construction Project Managers at Company X will be gain the skills necessary to be empowered to achieve the following business goals:

Safety & Compliance:

Goal: 15% reduction in costs associated with safety incidents and compliance violations
- Measurement: Evaluate costs related to safety incidents, fines, and compliance issues, comparing pre- and post-training data.

Team Morale & Employee Retention:

Goal: 50% boost in team morale and an 20% reduction in turnover
- Measurement: Assess surveys administered to team members pre- and post-course, focusing on their perception of the team's overall dynamics.
- Measurement: Calculate turnover costs (recruitment, training) and track changes in employee retention rates post-training.

Decrease in Miscommunications:

Goal: 20% reduction in reported miscommunications within the team
- Measurement: Evaluate incident reports and feedback channels to identify improvements in communication effectiveness.

Toolkit

Articulate Storyline, Twine, WellSaid Labs, Powtoon, MindMeister, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Midjourney AI, Canva

Gamification Elements

I thought it would be fun to create as well as more engaging for the learner if I incorporated gamified elements.

Relationship Building Meter

A meter or progress bar that tracks the learner's success in building relationships with other survivors. As learners make choices and engage with survivors, the meter can move up or down, reflecting their relationship status and trust level.

Zombie Threat Meter

A visual meter that indicates the proximity and threat level of zombies. The meter can increase as the story progresses, and the choices made by learners affect whether they attract or avoid zombies. This adds a sense of urgency and suspense to the game.

Decision Points

Throughout the game, learners encounter decision points where they must choose between different courses of action. The consequences of these decisions impact the storyline, relationships, and the level of threat from zombies. Learners can see the outcomes of their choices in real-time.

Learning Assessments

Pre-Assessment

This pre-assessment gauges the learner's base line of understanding of leadership and CRM principles and strategies. This is only a basic assessment to demonstrate the types of questions I would ask.

If this were a complete course, I would create branching scenarios that would be affected by the learner's responses. For example, if a learner scored below 50%, they would start at the beginning, if they scored over 75%, they may be able to test out.

Take Assessment

Formative

Note: This knowledge check is a work in progress. I am working on adding branching variables so that the Learner receives feedback immediately upon choosing a response.

Feedback #1: Great choice! By facilitating a joint problem-solving session, you empower the groups to work together, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation.

Feedback #2: Excellent decision! Prioritizing your team while showing a commitment to supporting others in the future demonstrates strategic thinking and long-term cooperation.

Take Assessment

Summative

Assessment 1 is a multiple-choice version that provides a quick way for assessing learners' understanding of CRM principles and their application in a dynamic, zombie-infested world.

Assessment 2 is an essay version is a comprehensive summative assessment would cover a range of cognitive levels, from understanding application to analysis and evaluation, ensuring a a deeper evaluation of the learner's mastery of CRM principles in a challenging, real-world scenario.

Take Assessment 1

Take Assessment 2

Follow-Up Dispersed Learning Solutions

These follow-up activities would be dispersed over time, either via email or other communications channels to reinforce learning, enhance retention, and promote long-term memory by periodically revisiting and reinforcing key concepts.

Peer-to-Peer Challenges

Collaborate with managers to facilitate a peer-to-peer challenge where learners pair up or work in small groups.
Assign them a CRM-related task or scenario to solve collaboratively.
Have them present their solutions and learn from each other.

CRM Skill of the Week

Highlight one CRM skill each week via email or a dedicated section on the learning platform.
Share real-world examples or case studies related to that skill.
Encourage learners to share their experiences applying the highlighted skill.

Weekly Challenges

Send out a weekly email with a scenario related to CRM principles in a zombie apocalypse.
Challenge learners to apply CRM skills in their responses.
Provide feedback and additional insights to deepen understanding.

MY PROCESS

Text Storyboard & Script

I created this comprehensive text storyboard to outline each slide and scene for the course, complete with the corresponding script. I incorporated Bloom's Taxonomy and Kirkpatrick's Model for evaluation, along with the Phillips ROI Methodology, to ensure a robust and effective learning experience with a focus on both learner engagement and measurable outcomes. Once I was happy with the overall direction of the story, I took to Twine to refine my script and storyline branches. To view the Twine Prototype, click here. Otherwise, click below to see initial text storyboard and script.

Check it Out

Twine Prototype

Note: My Twine Prototype is currently under development. This is a very rough draft which is constantly evolving.

Still, I invite you to try it out my exploration of interactive, branching storytelling through the Twine platform.

Twine is a free, open-source tool for creating interactive fiction and hypertext narratives. It allows users to build branching storylines, where readers make choices that influence the narrative's direction. Think of it as a digital choose-your-own-adventure book, where the user actively participates in shaping the story.

I was drawn to Twine after reading Cathy O'Neil's book "Map It: The Hands-On Guide to Building Your Own Business Map." In the book, Cathy highly recommends Twine as a tool for creating true branching scenarios. Twine's interactive nature offers a unique and engaging way for me to develop solid story branches.

Twine Storyboard

Note: My Twine Storyboard is also under development and constantly evolving.

I invite you to check it out so you can see how I am developing my branching storyline.

Questionnaire for Learners:

On a scale of 1 to 5, how engaging and enjoyable was the Undead Alliances training experience? 1 (Not engaging at all) to 5 (Extremely engaging)
Did the training effectively capture your interest in applying CRM skills in challenging scenarios? Yes / No
How relevant did you find the scenarios and challenges in relation to building alliances and surviving in a zombie-infested world? 1 (Not relevant at all) to 5 (Highly relevant)

Post-Training Simulations:

I developed three dispersed learning solutions to ensure that learners retained the learned information and continued to use the new skills they learned in real-world simulations. You can view those ideas here.

Observational Assessment:

Following the course, I would need to complete observational assessments by observing crews in the field to evaluate the changes in behavior and procedures of the Construction Project Managers and determine if their behavior has improved. I would also take note of any other ideas for potential improvement to address in the next iteration of the course.

Evaluation Model
Kirkpatrick Model

These evaluations align with the four levels of the Kirkpatrick Model, providing a comprehensive assessment of Construction Project Manager training program in the unique context of a zombie apocalypse.

Instructional Design Model
ADDIE + Action Mapping

I combined the power of two frameworks to develop this course:

ADDIE: The industry standard for systematic instructional design (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation).
Action Mapping: A performance-focused approach detailed in "Map It!" by Cathy O'Neil.

Leveraged Action Mapping principles to define strategic business goals.
Performed a comprehensive needs analysis, identifying knowledge, skill, and performance gaps impacting desired outcomes.
Aligned Action Mapping's performance-centric goals with the ADDIE framework.
Conducted a detailed needs analysis with 2 senior leaders, 3 Construction Project Managers, and 5 construction crew members.
Created an action map outlining project goals, ensuring alignment with leadership and team objectives.

SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION MODEL (SAM)

I took my project a step further by brainstorming how I might have applied the agile instructional design framework SAM (Successive Approximation Model) to this course instead. In this hypothetical scenario, the SAM model allowed for a more agile approach by incorporating continuous data gathering and iterative development cycles. Leveraging various channels such as surveys, analytics, live chat sessions, and agile meetings ensured that the instructional design process remained responsive to learner needs and business goals throughout the course's development and implementation. Here is how I imagined each phase of SAM could have been applied:

I would have gone about the analysis in a similar fashion to the ADDIE model, but I would have anticipated the need for continuous data collection to inform iterative development.

FLAGSHIP PROJECT Scenario-Based eLearning Course