Business Acumen Training for Managers, Sales Professionals and Employees

Zodiak®: The Game of Business Finance and Strategy

Zodiak: Government

Zodiak: Government is a sophisticated classroom business simulation disguised as a board game. It’s a fast-paced, energizing and engaging way to build the business acumen of your government agency managers, leaders and employees and impact bottom line success.

Business acumen is a must in today’s complex government landscape. Developed with the U.S. Air Force, this program was designed for managers and employees in agencies using a working-capital or revolving fund. It is customizable for federal, state or local applications and can be used to develop the business acumen of managers, leaders or employees.

Learners deal with such issues as:

  • Demands for services that exceed appropriations
  • Deficits and budget cuts
  • Vendor relationships and purchasing impacts
  • Personnel disengagement

What you can expect from Zodiak:

Government agency managers and leaders develop significantly higher levels of financial literacy and business acumen.

  • They can articulate financial and strategic imperatives.
  • They can read and interpret financial reports.
  • They can align their department and personal goals to overall agency success.
  • They can make better decisions and inspire others on their teams to do the same.

Armed with these new skills, they leave the session committed to take action to impact the efficient and effective management of their departments.

Government agency employees learn to think and act differently.

  • They develop a big picture understanding of the agency’s financial and strategic goals.
  • They see the connection to their own department’s objectives – and their own.
  • They understand where they fit and realize that they can make a difference.
  • And, they make a commitment to impact the efficient and effective use of funds.

The Classroom Experience

First, The Zodiak Simulation

In the first few hours, as they handle chance events, move game pieces, answer to stakeholders and make tough decisions, learners embrace new insights. Not just about how the numbers work, but about the consequences of decisions and actions on success. That’s true business acumen.

Connections — Bridging to Your Organization

Connections exercises following the simulation create a bridge from the classroom to the participants’ organization. Learners explore strategies, budget processes, financial concepts, terminology and more. It’s here that learners also connect to their own behaviors – the day-to-day decisions and actions that impact the effective and efficient use of funds.

You can use the Connections exercises provided with the program, or work with Paradigm Learning to customize exercises for an even closer fit with your issues and your audience.

Uses

Consider using Zodiak to:

  • Broaden your leadership development curriculum
  • Engage managers around company vision and strategy
  • Accelerate employee commitment to major changes
  • Help employees think like business owners to impact the bottom line
  • Energize a management, sales or company-wide event
Target Audience

Managers, supervisors, individual contributors and employees.

Time Frame

One day - 4- to 5-hour Zodiak game and 1 to 3-hour Connections session. Optional extension exercises can be modified or customized.

Training Delivery

Paradigm Learning can train your own in-house facilitators or provide experienced discovery learning facilitators to conduct your sessions.

Language Translations

Zodiak has been translated for use by our clients around the world. In addition to English, some Zodiak versions are available in:

  • Bahasa Indonesian
  • Chinese (Simplified)
  • Czech
  • German
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • Spanish (Latin America)

We are committed to working closely with our clients to meet specific language needs. Contact us to learn more details or discuss your translation requirements.

Download Zodiak Brochure

Download Zodiak: Government Learning Objectives

Download Zodiak Success Stories

Learn more about your Six Zodiak Program Options

  • Zodiak: All Industries – This business acumen program works in any industry and can be used to develop your leaders and managers or key employees.
  • Zodiak: Service Organizations - This business acumen program works in a variety of service organizations and can be used to develop your leaders and managers or key employees.
  • Zodiak: Sales Professionals - This business acumen program will work in any industry and can be used to develop sales representatives, sales managers and marketing and/or sales support personnel.
  • Zodiak: EVA® Organizations – This business acumen program will work in any organization using the EVA® measure and can be used to develop managers or employees at all levels.
  • Zodiak: Government - This business acumen program was designed for managers and employees in agencies using a working-capital or revolving fund. It is customizable for federal, state or local applications and can be used with managers, leaders and employees.
  • Zodiak: HR Professionals - This business acumen program can be used in any industry to develop the business acumen of managers, specialists, team leaders or employees within any HR function.

 

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