Learning to lead: simulation and reflection activity
This activity can be used in team workshops or planning days to prompt discussion about learning behaviours and everyday learning opportunities.
Scenario
You are in a newly appointed leadership position, supporting the implementation of a learning culture initiative. Your goal is to foster a culture of continuous learning across teams while you maintain essential service delivery.
During the scenario, you will encounter 5 critical decision points where you must choose an approach (A, B or C).
Each decision has immediate and long-term consequences on staff engagement, service delivery and stakeholder satisfaction.
At the end of the scenario, reflect and self-analyse your decisions by working through a series of questions.
How the activity helps with leadership capabilities
This activity helps you actively develop and test leadership capabilities in a realistic, risk-free environment before implementing it in the workplace. In doing so, you are supporting a learning culture and leading by example.
Benefits of the activity
- Builds practical decision‑making skills.
- Strengthens understanding of organisational impact on learning culture.
- Reinforces a learning culture mindset.
- Encourages self-reflection and growth.
- Provides a safe environment to experiment.
- Aligns leadership behaviour with organisational goals.
Suitable for
Managers and leaders
Decision point 1: Launching think tanks
Monthly sessions have been introduced where staff dedicate time to explore new methods, digital tools or community engagement strategies.
You notice that many staff are sceptical about dedicating time to the sessions because they fear it will disrupt essential operations. They worry they won’t meet key performance indicators.
| Option | Consequence | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Make participation mandatory for all teams, emphasising it as a top priority. | There is quick adoption but potential resentment – some services may temporarily fall off. |
| B | Offer voluntary participation with incentives, highlighting success stories from early adopters and change champions. | There is moderate adoption, slower culture change, but staff feel empowered. |
| C | Pilot learning sprints with only one team to prove value before scaling up. | There is a risk of some teams feeling excluded, but success stories can motivate wider adoption. |
Decision point 2: Encouraging cross-functional mentorship
Mentoring has been introduced. This has senior staff mentoring employees from other teams to foster collaboration and share best practices.
Some senior managers resist mentoring staff from other departments, saying they are limited with time.
| Option | Consequence | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Require all senior staff to mentor across departments. | There is broad coverage, but direction may reduce engagement. |
| B | Create mentorship circles where participation is voluntary but recognised publicly. | This builds goodwill – slower adoption but stronger buy-in. |
| C | Launch an internal mentorship pilot with volunteers from a few departments. Showcase results. | This demonstrates value – you can convince hesitant managers, but rollout is slower. |
Decision point 3: Measuring impact
Your director has requested evidence that the initiative has improved service delivery through learning uptake.
| Option | Consequence | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Track quantitative metrics like response times, service completion and complaints. | Hard numbers may not capture staff learning or innovation benefits. |
| B | Conduct qualitative surveys of staff and their satisfaction. | Rich insights, but it is harder to measure organisational impact. |
| C | Use a combination of both to provide a balanced view. | Provides both insight and credibility but requires more effort to implement. |
Decision point 4: Handling resistance
Some middle managers have expressed concerns that learning activities interfere with daily operations.
| Option | Consequence | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ignore complaints and continue rolling out the learning culture programs. | This may generate grievances and uptake could stall. |
| B | Hold feedback sessions to understand concerns and adjust programs. | This builds trust – solutions may be slower but more sustainable. |
| C | Offer managers rewards or recognition tied to team participation. | This encourages adoption but could foster results-focused orientation. |
Decision point 5: Sustaining learning culture long-term
After 6 months, initial adoption is moderate. You need to ensure the learning culture continues to grow.
| Option | Consequence | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Embed learning objectives in annual performance reviews. | This aligns goals with individual performance. It may feel disciplinary if it is poorly implemented. |
| B | Continue quarterly town halls showcasing learning success stories. | This maintains visibility – slowly embedding it into the culture. |
| C | Develop internal learning champions in each department to mentor peers. | This creates peer-driven culture – adoption may vary by department. |
Reflection task
After completing the simulation, review:
- Which decisions balanced learning culture growth with maintaining essential service delivery?
- How did leadership approaches affect staff engagement and adoption?
- What strategies could you implement next to sustain and scale the learning culture?
- What metrics would you track to evaluate the initiative’s impact on stakeholders?
- How might this learning culture improve your team’s (and wider agency) ability to respond to future change and challenges?
Completion
Congratulations. You have now completed this scenario.
Use these insights to identify practical actions you can apply in your own context.
Consider how your leadership choices can strengthen learning while maintaining service delivery.
Consider taking one priority action forward to support a resilient, future ready learning culture.