FLIGBY’s Technology Today and Tomorrow

Original developments

When FLIGBY was marketed to corporations in 2012, it was a state-of-the art serious game. The main technical features of the Game at its unveiling:

1. Plugin-free application – FLIGBY’s complex online learning content has been delivered through a variety of web-browsers. Each and every browser provided ready access to FLIGBY without the need for extra plugins. In order to assure access to FLIGBY through any browser, FLASH-based technology was employed. At the time, FLASH was accepted and commonly used for e-learning purposes. In recent years, FLASH has become less popular because certain browsers decided not to guarantee automatic run of FLASH-based contents, but require permitting the run by the user. Although adding the required plugin is quick and simple, it interrupts -- even if only briefly -- the game-running process. How to avoid this has been one of the greatest challenges of maintaining FLIGBY at the technical frontier. The architects of FLIGBY are in the process of modifying FLIGBY’s platform to HTML5.
2. Interactive movie format – In order not to require extra-plugins for running complex 3D models, FLIGBY’s architects used video-technologies (instead of avatars). It is important to note that relying on video sequencing enhances the feeling of reality of the persons and of the situations depicted in the Game. In our experience, the expectations of those players who use serious games differ significantly from the expectations of those who are just playing videogames. By observing, in serious games, real actors functioning in real situations, the simulation becomes more realistic as compared with the characters being avatars (increasingly the case in videogames whose only purpose is entertainment). Therefore, this feature of FLIGBY will remain unchanged.
3. Single-user application – Our initial design goal was for FLIGBY to be like most other “traditional” leadership simulation programs: designed for single users. However, there has been a growing demand in recent years to incorporate in such games the possibility for social interactions and teamwork among players belonging to a defined groups. FLIGBY’s architects have responded to this by adding new features to the platform, such as benchmarking the players against each other within their groups, opportunities for intra-group communications, and options for group assignments.
4. Optimized for laptops – When FLIGBY was developed tablets were not yet widely used. In recent and in the coming years, internet-usage have migrated overwhelming to tablets and smartphones, a trend that will continue. This requires the redesign of the user interface, which we have started to do (details below).

For the reasons summarized above, FLIGBY’s technology is not static. It is under continuous development in our attempt to keep FLIGBY at the technological frontier. At the same time, careful attention is being paid to maintaining technical and data comparability among the game results of successive generations of players.

Development commitments

The following development projects are underway by FLIGBY’s architects:

1. Re-coding FLIGBY’s game-engine to HTML5 – Prepare FLIGBY’s game-engine to be smoothly operational in any kind browser or device environment. This involves modifying each and every FLASH-based solution in FLIGBY’s ecosystem. The plan is to complete this changeover during 2017.
2. Redesigning FLIGBY’s user’s interface – Parallel with the above, the user interface will be optimized to tablets and other mobile devices, too. Furthermore, the “look and feel” of the Game are being updated in response to the expectations of the younger generations (for example, enabling more direct visualization of the indicators, like profitability and the Flow-map, on the main user Interface). This project will be completed during 2017.
3. Launching the new METRIX – This involves redesigning (a) the account-management functions (creating groups and clusters) and (b) reporting on the multidimensional results of the Game so as to be more informative and user-friendly. Both these tasks are nearing completion; the target is Q4 of 2016.
4. Expanding reporting functions – One of FLIGBY’s strong features is that it generates a variety of reports in different formats for different users. FLIGBY’s reporting system is continuously being greatly expanded to better satisfy various kinds of feedback demands. Depending on who a particular report is targeted to, 8 different kinds of reports can be obtained.for The types of reports differ based on two dimension: (1) individual vs group results, and (2) report format (on-line, PDF, Excel), as shown in all type of users, clients and sponsors (see the matrix on the next page, below the text). All 8 types This will be accessible by completed during by Q4 of 2016. 
5. Utilizing Big Data – In cooperation with academic institutions and other sponsors, the architects of FLIGBY had established in 2015 and continue to support a global network on research on Flow and Leadership. This is viewed as a significant social contribution by the FLIGBY team and its sponsoring and other cooperating institutions (http://flowleadership.org). FLIGBY’s contribution to the financing of this research is making available the FLIGBY databank free of charge to bona fide researchers. This is an ongoing activity.
6. Embedding FLIGBY in social media – This is a multi-faceted activity, involving widening (FLIGBY-related news to appear in more and more types of social media), as well as deepening (increasing content sophistication). An example of the latter is sharing, regularly, with a Facebook-group (and with others) insightful ideas on Flow-promoting leadership.

Trial and Error

‘So, you screwed up?’ – How many times have you heard this criticism when you failed? What this question often implies is that you are a looser, someone who lost its reputation or having difficulty managing a situation or a relationship. Hidden, this question sends the message: ‘You are not good enough’.

No wonder, that it is inherently coded in us to fear failure and be ashamed when we fail. Even though every one fails sometimes in life, as failure is part of a learning process we cannot avoid. If we look deep inside, everybody would agree, that our failures that make us stronger and unique.

Studies show that the most successful people failed a lot. When testing concepts, ideas, solving new problems in real world one cannot avoid making mistakes, or to fall flat sometimes. Successful managers, leaders and entrepreneurs all understand the importance of failure, in deed they are mastered in failing but:

1. they have learnt to move on; and
2. learnt from their mistakes, in other words they truly understand the meaning of trial and error.

To me, failure and self-development come hand in hand. It is not a question if: ‘Will you fail or not?’, but rather ‘What level of risk you take?’ when you fail. Successful managers and leaders suggest testing concepts, ideas in low-risk environment to minimize risk associated with failure.

So, why not to use this ‘formula’ in teaching management and leadership? Computer games and online simulations, such as FLIGBY offer to test and master leadership and management skills in a safe, low-risk environment and allows to experiment. By playing FLIGBY the players can face with some of their lacking abilities, management or leadership skills. It is almost certain that they will fail someway or another as leaders/managers while playing the Game. Odd it might be, but true that failing in the Game motivates the player to play more in order to test and try out other alternative management and leadership styles and skills in order to succeed.

This is how FLIGBY unconsciously teaches new management and leadership skills and styles, teaches to accept failure as part of a learning process, and master in people management skills.

After all our whole life is based on ‘trail and error’, but no one can take away the experience we collect through truly experiencing life, including the mistakes we make!

(The author of this entry is Esztella Fazekas, member of the Leadership & Flow Research Team)