Synergy is an attended seminar that, for two days, submerges the participants in a situation of growing complexity, uncertainty and change. Using a “behaviour simulator”, it has a high impact and achieves emotional involvement such that learning through experience is assured.

1. Distributed Leadership,
High Performance Teams,
Complexity and Decision
Making in uncertainty
Training Games
Experiential Learning

2. Introduction
A Holistic Model of Organizational Complexity .
Synergy is an experiential learning program based become aware of the ‘whole’ and balance the
on a behavioural simulation that enables achievement of their personal goals with those of
participants to transition from a situation of the organization.
uncertainty to one of complexity. The first stage of
uncertainty relates to conditions of change, crisis, A playful, powerful and experiential dynamic,
chaos, mergers and takeovers, and can include the generates high emotional impacts on group
dynamics of growth, new businesses, and corporate motivation and cohesion, and so builds a
restructuring. The second stage of complexity is heightened sense of ‘ownership’.
related to mature, competitive, globalized, In complex and interdependent environments
interrelated and interdependent markets. where the individual capacity to decide
As the program progresses, both organizational- appropriately is either exceeded or dependent on
level and personal-level needs are diagnosed. Initial others, the team decision-making mechanism kicks-
competences tend to focus on either exploration, in. A new approach to decision-making is
flexibility, the ability to influence, or learning. This demanded, allowing the organization to build a
is complemented by a subsequent focus on more consensual strategy driven by actions based on tacit
relational competences including team dynamics, and local knowledge, creating synergies through
such as, motivation, communication, cooperation, distributed leadership.
shared leadership, delegation and coordination. Our rigorously developed conceptual model enables
As the participating team develops, and as an subsequent personal action plans and the
indirect result of its search for a proposed objective, immediate transference of new executive
the group modifies its priorities naturally i.e. competences to the client’s organization.
without external interventions. The participants

3. “The formation of a new team of persons coming from different business areas, and
even from other organisations, to take on a far-reaching project resulted in the need to
develop a training program that would create a propitious environment for
interpersonal knowledge and promote teamwork. But above all, it was necessary to
clearly show the challenges and problems that we faced, which is the most novel aspect
with respect to a training action. The experience with the Equilibrium Cone was
simultaneously gratifying and successful, given that it combined fun aspects (games
and simulators) and operational aspects (specific work projects) that satisfied the
objectives of both cohesion and efficiency, respectively.”
Ricardo Alonso Fernández
Director of Corporate Banking
Global Banking & Markets
Santander Banking Group

4. Objectives
The current environment in which organizations must decision-making based on teams in situations of
compete is increasingly complex. Firms must survive complexity, interrelationships and constant change.
and grow in an interconnected world in which it is
increasingly difficult to foresee future Decision Making: To identify the guidelines needed
environments. to take actions through uncertainty and to reconcile
anxieties arising from such decisions.
The objective of Synergy program is to develop the
following organizational capacities and Synergy: To promoting the optimal distribution of
competences: resources through shared use.
Distributed leadership: To appreciate and act upon Synergy is an attended seminar that, for two days,
a recognition of the significant differences between submerges the participants in a situation of growing
traditional leadership paradigms, based on the complexity, uncertainty and change. With the use of
individual and the new model of distributed a behavioural simulator, it achieves a high impact
leadership which is based on the executive team and generates emotional ownership, whereby
function. learning through experience is assured.
High Performance Teams: To build autonomous Our diagnostic approach based on the notion of
and self-driven teams that develop initiatives, to duality – personal and business – allows clients to
make risk-based decisions and that can recognise how inter-relating personal capacities is
demonstrate flexibility and diversity in action. the key to promoting cultures of Shared Leadership
and Teamwork in organisations.
Change management: To identifying the benefits of
Experimentation through Gaming and Simulation is
a highly effective, attractive, motivating and
proven learning methodology, with constant
changes of rhythm, which encourages constructive
interactions and sustainable, participant owner-
ship. Our program designs reflect our belief in the
idea of serious play and its causal link to executive
performance.

5. “Participating in SYNERGY was an intellectual challenge for me due to the different
way of facing a known subject. The idea of breaking with schemes and not being
anchored in traditional ones is perfectly clear. Learning to dominate my natural
leadership in order to adapt it to good teamwork was another good practice.
Overall, an intense and very recommendable experience for people who want to learn
different methodologies.”
Jordi Ballesté
Vice-President
Angelini Group

6. Program Outline
Introduction to High-Performance Cultures High-Performance Teams
 How technology and globalization influence the ex-  Teamwork is an emerging pattern of decentralized
ecutive decision and spontaneous self-coordination
 The risk of treating complex decisions as simple. Long  Promoting team consciousness
term and systemic implications  Excessive cohesion is a disadvantage. Teamwork is
 More than the sum of the parts- a complementary not an end in itself
approach to executive teams  The group dynamics approach maximizes results
through collaboration
The importance of a High Performance Environ-
ment High Performance Organization
 The impossibility of direct intervention in the High  My weakness is the result of my politics. How am I
Performance Environments blind to it?
 An Entrepreneurial Team Learning Perspective- how  An organization that learns from experience. The im-
to build a flexible and adaptive organization portance of failure, errors and mistakes
 Communication as the product outcome of an inter-  Silver bullets in designing for the “it depends” conun-
active exchange process rather than a simple infor- drum. Learning to discriminate
mation dissemination process
The personal perspective
High-Performance Leadership  How to benefit from the anxiety produced by uncer-
 The new field of Distributed Leadership for today’s tainty
high performing executives  We are prisoners of our own mental models
 A fundamental dichotomy in leadership styles: the  Locus of control or how to take the responsibility for
Entrepreneur versus the Manager our decisions
 The risks of dysfunctional leadership profiles: indi-
vidualism, simplification, groupthink and perfection- The Cooplexity model
ism  The knowledge level: Pro-activity oriented to results
 How does leadership behavior encourage or discour- and relations
age team performance  The teambuilding level: group integration and trust
 Measuring risky leadership behaviors through the generation
TEAM 12 test  The team working level: equal relationship and crite-
rion of action

7. Key takeaways
The dynamics of the program allow critical executive themes to be internalised, and include:
Areas of personal analysis
 How to tolerate frustration to permanent and ongoing change.
 How to work in uncertain environments.
 How to transition from the ambiguous (emotional) through to the paradoxical (emotional/
rational) and from the paradoxical through to a resolution (rational).
 How to manage anxieties generated by a sense of a lack of control in emergent situations
 How to generate attitudes favouring Teamwork as an organizational response.
 How to communicate in symmetry (from peer to peer, as equals).
 How to embed and recognize the effects of Non-hierarchical leadership.
 How to develop and produce performance-enhancing competences in the relationship be-
tween level of ambition, commitment and results.
The perspective of the participants is such that the transfer of program learning outcomes to organiza-
tional realities is high. This also allows for:
 Filming the sessions in order to obtain personal video-feedback with an analysis of personal
behaviour and individual impact on the group and organization.
 Planning subsequent coaching sessions.
 Complementing the session with subsequent consulting for the organisation based on the
model used.
 Defining an action plan for personal development.
Therefore, the program is directed at companies and organisations of a certain size and complexity. Spe-
cifically, it is directed at companies that are either operating in highly competitive environments, face rap-
idly changing situations or seeking high strategic growth rates as a result of new executive initiatives.

8. “SYNERGY is an intelligent way of demonstrating through play that at the company, we
are all necessary and that there is strength in unity. It is a side to transversality, and at
Dannon it has been very useful for realising how important people are in all functions,
each in their own role, so that projects advance and become a reality.”
Robert Cosialls
Director of Purchasing of Dannon for Southern Europe

9. Faculty
We deliver value to our clients through the combination of experiences in
both the academic and professional learning spheres.
The faculty of the Synergy program presents a unique combination between academic and professional
careers. Both, Edward Gonsalves and Ricardo Zamora are professors at prestigious Universities and Busi-
ness Schools; they have specialize on complementary aspects of the Cooplexity model upon which the
seminars are based and both have applied their knowledge with proven success in large companies and
multinationals. Many of their publications and lines of research are used in the course material, readings,
tests and form the basis of group discussions.
Pr. Edward Gonsalves Pr. Ricardo Zamora
Edward specializes in the development of execu- Zamora has specialized in the development of sys-
tive program design for teams in entrepreneurial temic competences and applies this program in
and large firms. He holds a number of director- large corporations with complex interrelationships.
ships, advises, consults and publishes in the area of He is the creator of Synergy, an attended seminar
Strategic and Entrepreneurial Learning. that, for two days, submerges the participants in a
situation of growing complexity, uncertainty and
Edward is a Visiting Professor on MBA and Entre-
change.
preneurship Programs at the European Business
School, London, Barcelona Management Institute He is managing Director of Training Games and as-
and Toulouse University Business School-ESEC, Bar- sociate professor in the Advanced Management
celona. Edward is a Founding member of the Bar- Program at ESADE Business School - Executive Edu-
celona Entrepreneurship City Group. cation, Department of Business Policy. Associate
professor at the Executive MBA and Bologna Mas-
His publications include C.W.J.A., Gonsalves, E.
ters at ESADE Faculties.
(2008). Entrepreneurial Resource, Organizational
Learning and Strategy-Making: Linking Theory and His publications include “Cooplexity: A model of
Empirical Design. In R. T. Harrison, & C. M. Leitch collaboration in complexity for management in
(Eds.), Entrepreneurial Learning: Conceptual times of uncertainty and change” and “Teamwork:
Frameworks and Applications. London: Routledge. motivation, commitment and results”.
He was the learning facilitator on the Park Royal Is member of the ESADE's Leadership Development
Partnership 'Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program' Research Centre focused on effective leadership
for Small & Medium Size enterprises (a London De- and emotional and social competencies (Glead).
velopment Agency funded program) and is a lead He is member of the System Dynamics Society and
adviser to the GBP15m London Carnival Village NASAGA (North American Simulation and Gaming
capital Project. Association).

10. Customers
University Partners
ESADE: Management School of Business of
Barcelona (Spain)
UTD: University of Texas Dallas
UAB: Universtat Autónoma de Barcelona
Mass Consumption
Cobega (Coca Cola Group), Dannon , LU
(Dannon Group), Font Vella (Dannon Group),
Heineken, Puleva Food, Mahou-San Miguel,
Grupo Siro, Bimbo (Sara Lee Bakery Group),
Unilever, Frigo (Unilever Group), Nestlé,
Arbora & Ausonia (Procter & Gamble Group)
Technology
Telefónica, Hewlett Packard, Thales
Information Systems, Adbraintage, Astra, T-
System
Pharmaceutics
AstraZeneca, BDF - Beiersdorf, Boehringer
Ingelheim, Farma-Lepori (Angelini Group),
CibaVision (A Novartis Company), Novartis,
Roche Diagnostics, Pfizer, Chefaro , Lilly,
Medichem
Finance
Santander Group, Banco de Sabadell,
Deutsche Bank, BBVA, Caixa de Catalunya, La
Caixa
Construction, Real State
Ferrovial-Agroman, Acieroid, Lafarge-Asland,
Inmobiliaria Colonial
TRAININGGAMES UK
Health 17 Cox’s Ground
Sanitas, Sanitas Residential, Mutua del Oxford OX2 6PX
Carme, Asepeyo T. +44 (0) 203 026 5376
Chemicals
Kao Corporation, BASF, AKZO Chemicals TRAINING GAMES SPAIN
Utilities Parque Empresarial “La Finca”
Pº Club Deportivo, 1 - Edif. 15A, 1ª pl.
REE (Red Eléctrica de España), ENDESA,
28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid)
UNIÓN FENOSA,AGBAR Group T. +34 911 877 554
Textile, Fashion
INDITEX, Dimodes, Nike, Venilia (grupo www.traininggames.com
Solvay)
Logistics
DHL