The safest way to test your decision-making under pressure
See how RCSA reimagined staff development with an applied learning simulation
DECISION MAKING UNDER PRESSURE
What happens when your whole team has to run a new business…in real time, with every decision impacting customer value and the bottom line?
The Scene is Set
It’s mid-morning in a Melbourne conference room, and the team from RCSA are leaning over tables, voices low but urgent.
Tables are strewn with paper, post-notes and notecards. One group is debating whether to buy one of the big Sydney or Melbourne franchises or make a significant investment in the stadium. Another is strategising how to pickup all the players they want in the national draft.
The clock is ticking and the business environment can shift in an instant.
In the middle of it all, it’s all smiles because it’s the safest place they’ll ever make high-stakes, multi million dollar business decisions.
From RCSA Team Member to Franchise Owner in seconds
RCSA’s leadership brought Live Simulations in as part of a two-day conference.
On Day 1….
The team needed something that would bring everyone together, cut through silos, and surface how they make decisions under pressure.
They chose the Franchise Face Off simulation. A competitive yet collaborative scenario where teams make strategic decisions on how to best invest $60Mil in a professional sports franchise. It’s a dynamic challenge to navigate the tension between revenue generation, tight budgets and performance. It might seem like a game on the surface, but in the room, it feels like the real world.
Perspective of the CEO:
“I wanted every team member to understand the different decisions that need to be made in a dynamic business, and to see that it’s always a balancing act.”
“What Live Simulations does so well is show that the game of business is about context.”
Why It Worked for The RCSA Team
The RCSA team was diverse. Team members had different strengths, role focus and varied levels of experience in setting business strategy .
The simulation gave them:
- A shared language for balancing competing priorities
- A safe space to experience pressure without real-world consequences
- The chance to see the trade-offs in action. Every decision, investment, or cost cut had ripple effects
Kate’s Experience in the Simulation:
“It was absolutely fabulous. I’ve never had learning like this before. The session was interactive, different, and really unique….I would recommend this to anyone, any business, any sector”
From Gameplay to Real-World Strategy
The session wasn’t just fun and energising. It positioned the rest of the professional development sessions so the team can grow together.
Some of those themes carried forward included:
- Financial constraints and value decisions often compete but both matter
- Asking more questions can unlock better strategies when it really matters
- Strategy isn’t just a plan on a page, it’s a series of decisions which is tested in real time
Brooke’s Experience:
“It really lifts the veil on the competing considerations at play in any business decision.
The simulation was such a powerful way to elevate everyone’s thinking and to get people looking through a different lens at how our organisation makes its choices.“
Takeaways
By the end of the session, RCSA’s team had a shared language for balance strategic decisions for their members. They left with better strategic instincts and a clear appetite for bringing these lessons into their real work.
- Simulations meet teams where they are, whether they’re seasoned leaders or new to strategy.
- Real decisions create real engagement. No one drifts off when the outcome is in their hands.
- Insights transfer immediately. Participants leave the session with new ways to think about their own strategy