The Center for Army Leadership (CAL) created simulations for leaders to practice high priority skills. Six hours of simulations covered decision-making, negotiation, cross unit cooperation, and subordinate assessment and development. To ensure leader and actor behaviors were accurate and grounded in behavioral science, CAL integrated a number of practices into the simulation development process. First, a needs analysis drawing on annual survey data on Army leadership identified topics critical for performance. Next teams of applied psychologists interacting with technical engineers identified research-based theories and associated content to ensure accurate representation of leader behaviors. This was further reviewed by Army subject matter experts. Customized treatment documents where then developed which instantiated human input, throughput, and output behaviors. Often numeric values were assigned to human behaviors, goals, or attitudes (e.g. satisfaction, intended effect, etc) to set threshold criteria that would trigger realistic changes in work/environmental conditions and outcomes. First playable simulations were created to demonstrate an example leader action, other actors' responses, and subsequent leader action or work environment consequences. Behavioral science experts as well as Army SMEs reviewed the first playable to confirm a leader's actions were appropriate and triggered typical responses and outcomes. Once accurate leader behaviors were confirmed, the rest of the simulation's leader interactions were created along with associated work environment consequences. In beta tests Army leaders confirmed the authenticity of each simulation and rated its ability to generate learning. This paper identifies innovative and effective ways to develop simulations which seek to create and emulate leadership behavior, one of the most complex and vital elements of military operations.
Creating Accurate, Research-based Behavioral Representations for Leadership Simulations
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