The Widget Management Game: An Experiential Technique on the Division of Labor and Job Design, Inspired by Industrial History

The game was developed for undergraduate business and management programs to teach the fundamental concepts of work organization and job design. Although it was inspired by historical problems in production and the division of labor, the real focus is on organization and managerial action. It can find application in a broad range of management education programs because the game draws from the questions that formed the roots of management education, still relevant today: How do we organize for production? How do we manage the human consequences of this? The debrief process guides students to possible managerial actions to ameliorate the negative consequences of the division of labor. It is frugal, easily scalable, extendable, and customizable to incorporate a broad range of class sizes and management theories. For readers, its implementation could improve their undergraduates’ appreciation of management theory and its relation to managerial action, as they are often without experience of managing or management.