Even though StratX, the international training firm, has celebrated its 30th birthday in October, it remains an innovative player in the market. Over the years, the company has built their pedigree on the development of business simulations, a teaching method based on experiential learning that is adapted to address the challenges of businesses looking to transform themselves.
The terms “learn, practice, apply” summarize the teaching method of StratX who specialize in providing management and leadership training for senior executives and high-potential managers. Rather than choosing between a fully digital training offering or a purely traditional approach, StratX builds solutions that provide the best of both worlds. “e-learning courses receive little commitment from teams and require personal discipline which can be difficult to maintain over time, therefore we have developed solutions combining different learning methods. Our approach is based on action and we are committed to creating an atmosphere of a learning laboratory, in which our students can practice in a fun and challenging way, the principles that our consultants have taught them" explains Laurent Bonnier, partner at StratX. This pragmatic approach, based on the notion of focused experimentation, is a product of the imagination of INSEAD Professor, Jean-Claude Larréché, who founded the company 30 years ago with the goal of "reaching an audience broader than business schools and provide a solution that links academic research to real-world operational challenges" says Laurent Bonnier.
The approach of combining academic excellence with experiential learning using a simulation has achieved positive reaction from the market as they have worked with 40 Fortune 500 companies (including L'Oréal, Saffran, Pepsico) and over 500 business schools, thanks in particular to its business games. The company, which is targeting 20% growth in 2015, has been able to carve a niche in the training market as well as provide support for companies who are looking to embark on a transformation process. “Often, our clients look to us to help embed real change in their management approach, support teams to capture market opportunities or train their employees in new processes," he illustrates.
The company, which has offices in Paris and Boston, has worked for example, with a major Swiss pharmaceutical company formed by the merger of two competitors. "We intervened at all managerial levels, R & D, marketing, strategy ... Our role was to unite teams combining learning and play. Since managers tend to obtain 70% of their knowledge through on-the-job experience, we created a simulation to mimic the launch of a new product to market" said Laurent Bonnier. A program lasting several days provided an opportunity for executives to work intensively together in a realistic, risk-free environment to retain more lasting knowledge compared to just listening to presentations or doing an e-learning.
You can find the original article in French on the EXCLUSIVE RH website here.
