Groupama and TATA Interactive Systems: Building future

Groupama and TATA Interactive Systems: Building
future leaders with the Insurance Business Game
TATA Interactive Systems (TIS) enables Groupama’s aspiring top leaders of Europe through the use of an
innovative Business Game in Groupama’s European Leadership Program (FSM program with EML Executive
Development – the Executive Education branch of EM Lyon Business School).
Selected participants from 7 different countries in Europe participated. EML Executive Coach Hervé da Costa and
Principal Consultant Dominik Maier from TIS developed the participants’ mindset and ability to lead teams and
deliver incredible performance even in the most challenging environments. EM Lyon’s strategy professor Eric
Vogler afterwards related the Business Game to strategic thinking and value creation.
Angela Feigl, International Custom Executive Development Programme Manager at EML Executive
Development said: “In a General Management and Leadership Development programme it is important to kickstart the learning in a dynamic and innovative way to set the pace and spirit. Having participants work in teams
around an interactive Business Game assures that they immediately take the habit of sharing knowledge, to
communicate, to work together while getting to know each other. The learning process is accompanied by a
coach to make sure that each experience is debriefed and that best practices are made conscious thus
sustainable”.
Therefore they used the Groupama - Insurance Business Game (by TOPSIM). In the business game, teams
took over the management of a virtual insurance company and they competed against each other over four
consecutive decision cycles over 2 days (4 years in the business game). After each decision cycle Dominik Maier
and Hervé da Costa provided an analysis of performance results (Dominik) as well as a team coaching (Hervé)
which was followed by a direct team debriefing to increase performance.
The results in achieving the ultimate goals of networking, customer-focused decision making, team performance
development even in stressful decision making processes as well as the bonding of the diverse leadership group
were outstanding. Each team held a final board presentation to demonstrate their accountability and show the
sustainability of their insurance company.
Quotes from participants on what they thought about the business game TOPSIM – Insurance:
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“The game was fun but also a real challenge, providing us the possibility to develop ourselves in
decision making on a more strategic way. It was an excellent laboratory for practicing how to reach
success in a real competitive market also” - participant from Hungary
“The game was of an excellent standard in terms of interaction, in that there were a variety of methods
to keep all participants involved for the whole training. The game is well organized, properly structured
and managed very professionally. During the 2 days training we had a chance to increase our
awareness thanks to debriefs and feedbacks.” – participant from Turkey
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“The game is so realistic that we were immediately immersed. At the end of the game we were
disappointed not to go on and see how our strategy would have developed in the future!” – participant
from France
“The game is perfectly tailored to the insurance business and to our own company. Very specific and
very close to reality. I have done other business games in the past but none so well done as this. It was
an exciting and interesting challenge and has allowed us to understand more precisely the impact of
strategic decisions on the economic results. We really enjoyed it even if we were under pressure of time
and stress! – participant from Italy
Executive coach Hervé da Costa stated: “The Business game created a great opportunity to learn about many
aspects of decision making in the insurance industry and about effective collaboration. Combined with coaching
and regular debriefing sessions, the event became also a leadership development opportunity”
Kerry Costello, responsible for Groupama’s Management Academy summarized: “The theme of the first module
(of the global leadership programme “FSM”) is ‘Getting to know each other, our Group and our business’, so we
decided to integrate the (TOPSIM – Insurance) Business Game as a challenging and fun way to achieve these 3
objectives.
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By working in teams, the participants get to know each other and share their knowledge and experience;
As the Business Game has been customized to represent Groupama’s key business lines and
distribution channels, they have to develop strategies and make decisions that are very much linked to
the key challenges facing our Group;
By managing their own virtual insurance companies, they get a holistic view of an insurance company,
discover the key financial levers and understand the impact of both their decisions and their competitors’
decisions on their overall results.
It was a real success because we were able to use the business game to introduce and develop concepts that
will run throughout the rest of the FSM training programme – team dynamics, importance of debriefing and
feedback, considering “who is the customer”, strategy and creating value, analyzing financial data, decisionmaking and presentation skills.
The participants really engaged with the game, there was a healthy level of competition amongst the teams, and
most importantly, they had fun whilst learning”.
About Groupama
Through its brands, Groupama, Gan, and Amaguiz, the Groupama group, France's leading mutual insurance
company, develops its insurance, banking, and service activities in eleven countries. As of 2012, the group
has 13 million customers and 34,000 employees throughout the world with €14.2 billion in turnover.
About EML Executive Development
EML Executive Development is the Executive Education arm of EMLYON Business School, one of Europe’s
leading business schools. EML offers a global range of programmes and solutions to meet the development
needs of managers and requirements of companies through Open Programmes, Degrees & Certificates,
Customized Corporate Solutions, Coaching and Support. EML is in charge of the FSM in English programme for
the 3rd time.
About Tata Interactive Systems
Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) is the world’s leading developer of learning technology solutions. TIS’ learning
solutions are designed to enable organizational initiatives across industry verticals including Education;
Government and Defense; Telecommunications and ICT; Pharmaceuticals and Health Care; Banking, Financial
Services, and Insurance; Airlines, Transportation, Logistics, and Hospitality; Consumer Package Goods; and
Manufacturing, Energy, and Construction.
With a team of over 800 multi-disciplinary specialists, TIS creates 5000+ hours of learning content across 220+
concurrent projects every year. TIS’ solutions have proven their effectiveness at more than 60 Fortune 500
companies, leading educational institutions, and government departments.
TIS caters to three segments – Corporate, Education, and Government. It offers clients learning solutions that
include:
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Educational Multimedia & Blended Learning
Web-based Training & Courseware
Simulations
Software Solutions
Game-based Learning
Mobile-based Learning
The scope of TIS’ learning solutions encompasses on-boarding, sales training, process training, product training,
curriculum design, assessments, soft skills training, and technical training.
TIS has development centers in Germany, Switzerland, and India. Its sales and marketing operations span the
US, Canada, the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East, and India.
For more information log onto www.tatainteractive.com
For more information, please contact:
Mr Dominik Maier
Principal Consultant – Germany, Tata Interactive Systems
Email id: [email protected]
Log onto www.tatainteractive.com / www.topsim.com