This document describes a simulation game called "Work A Round" developed by Dr. Jan Eckert to address challenges related to distributed and mobile knowledge work. The game aims to empower stakeholders like workers, companies, transportation and design firms. It uses a board with locations and task/action cards for players to match tasks and workplaces. The game is followed by a two-part debriefing to discuss strategies, work patterns, and insights. The game has been tested with companies and can provide research findings on distributed work practices and space needs.

1. Empowering Stakeholders
Simulation Games as a participatory method
Dr. Jan Eckert
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

2. Philosophie
• Switzerland is a rather small country.
• still most people daily commute to work.
• during rush hours, motorways and trains are
crowded all over the country.
• at the same time many office tasks could be
easily completed at home or other places.
Lucerne Main Station

3. • The office has shifted from one physical
place towards a network of places.
• more and more, people need strategies
to match their tasks with the right place.
• companies are struggling todefine the
right amount of office space to provide.
Vitra & Sevil Peach, «Studio Office», 2016

4. Challenges in public
transport, daily worklife
and self management.
Challenges in personnel
management, facility
management and office
design.
Empower today‘s knowledgeworkers,
companies and office designers to
meet these challenges.

5. Partners from the transport
& communication sector
SBB – Swiss Railways
Swisscom
Siemens
«Which research and planningmethods
could help to gain insights into the change
from single located towards multi located
knowledge– work in order to provide tools
for workers, companies and planners?»
Partners from the
planning& design sector
Vitra
RBS Group

6. iMOW
Integrated Mobile Office Work
Tools for mobile knowledge–workers
University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

7. iMOW – toolset
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

8. iMOW – toolset
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

9. WORK A ROUND
A Simulation Game focusing multi locatedwork

10. Work A Round – design
STAKEHOLDER GROUPS
workers
learn to match tasks & places
companies
increasing productivity by supporting
mobile–flexible work
service providers
new transport strategies
better equipped trains
mobile data management
office planners
requirements for the main office
and third places

11. Work A Round – design
REASONS FOR A SIMULATION GAME
empower stakeholders
• support cross–disciplinary teams in their
ability to express needs
• cooperative learning
flatten Hierarchy
• Intentional masking of functional boundaries
• gaming as an «altered space»
• oppen scenarios & thinking out of the box
• game–program, no individual goal
• facilitator
• hands–on experience & fun

12. Work A Round – design
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

13. Work A Round – design

14. Mainboard:
4 Home Offices
1 Main Office
6 Third Places
Work on Train
Work A Round – design

15. Work A Round
4 players
4 personas
4 mobilityprofiles
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

16. Task–cards
Action–cards

17. Work A Round
Matching tasks
& places
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

18. Work A Round – design

19. 2step debriefing process
1st debriefing (after 8rounds / 45min)
• How many tasks have been completed?
• How many of the team-tasks have been completed?
• Which are the locations that are mainly used?
• Which locations have not been used at all?
• Does the situation represented by the play deck
relate to the players’ real experiences as well?
• Which problems are known from their everyday work
experience?

20. 2step debriefing process
2nd debriefing (at the end)
STRATEGY
• What has been the difference between the first and second part of the game?
• Is there a strategythat has evolved while playing the game?
• How could this strategy be transferred to the player’s real work situation?
WORKPLACES
• Which arethe locations that have been mainly used?
• Are these “Hot Spots” being used in the player’s real lives as well?
• Which locations have not been used at all?
• Are these locations possibly the same in real life?
LEARNINGS
• Which arethe five team members’s core learnings from playing the game?
• Name the two that could have the highest impact on the current way of working?
• What could be possible steps to implement these two?

21. REACTIONS
• Awareness of own work-patterns and work-culture
• Stepping out of hierarchies and habits
• Participation (in the planning process)
• Strategies for the real work life
• Shared fun time amongst players

22. CURRENT STATE OF THE PROJECT
• The game has been tested in 12 different groups
with a total of 60 participants.
• Currently it is being applied in two companies
for change management.
• Evaulation as a research tool

23. RESEARCH TOOL – recordingthe game
EXPECTED FINDINGS
• Findings about distributed work patterns
• Correlation tasks and workplaces
• Team behaviour in distributed work scenarios
• Use and need of office space

24. RESEARCH TOOL – recordingthe game
Dr. Jan Eckert | Empowering Stakeholders – Simulation Games as a participatory method

25. thank you for your attention!
www.janeckert.ch
Janeckert.ch@gmail.com