How successful is AROUSAL ?
In its
first ten years AROUSAL was used with over 30,000 managers on
a range of management development programmes including 'tailor-made'
courses for some of the largest contractors in the UK and by major
international construction, property and consulting organisations.
In 1984 it was introduced to the USA on The Construction Executive
Development Program at Stanford University. This was attended by
senior executives and project managers from some of the largest and
most sophisticated contractors and purchasers of construction in the
world. AROUSAL was also used extensively by non-construction
firms as well as by numerous universities and other educational
institutions throughout the world.
AROUSAL
has been extremely well received by both managers and their
sponsoring organisations and by students and their universities. Moreover, many past users consider that
AROUSAL represents a major step in organisational and management
development. In 1987 this contribution was publicly recognised by
the announcement of a Building Innovation Award for the
development of AROUSAL.
Whilst these achievements could
date the system as being something more appropriate to the 1980s,
this is not the case. AROUSAL is updated regularly and the
software has been rewritten a number of times so as to bring it in
line with contemporary IT environments and expectations. It
continues to be used across the world by leading companies and
universities.
Why is AROUSAL so successful?
In its citation for the winning
Information Technology entry to the Building Innovation Award
in 1987, the AROUSAL corporate simulation system was judged
to be “a superb innovation aimed at stimulating new ways of
thinking and of approach…... the system has pioneered simulation in
the building industry, aimed essentially at organisational and
management development, not only in general terms but also in the
context of the firm.”
Since that award, the world of IT
has changed out of all recognition. So too have the development
needs of managers and their organisations. Yet, AROUSAL
continues to be an important and powerful vehicle for management
development in the construction and related industries.
Why does it continue to be
successful?
One of the reasons for this success
is the extensive research undertaken before the system was
developed. First, the starting point for the design of the system
was painstaking research into how managers learn and develop, and
what makes a successful experience from the points of view of both a
course member and the course facilitator. Secondly, much of the
material used by the simulation system draws on major investigations
into those factors which influence the success and failure of
construction firms. Thirdly, the system development work was
undertaken in close consultation with the industry, producing an
approach which was credible from both a training and business
perspective. The resulting system has been used regularly with
international executives and yet it has also been used with those
just entering the industry and with university students. It has been
experienced by thousands of managers and students from over 20
countries on five continents, some of whom have had little or no
connection with construction.
Is AROUSAL up-to-date?
Whilst the philosophy of AROUSAL
has not changed, the materials have developed in response to the
changing nature of business and advances in IT. A significant
development was the Windows version. This incorporates all of the
original options as well as new ones, for example links between
AROUSAL databases and Excel. These extended the versatility of
AROUSAL and added to the many features valued in the DOS version.
Also, the opportunity has been taken to transfer the audio-visual
materials accompanying the case study to a multimedia production.
However, with changing skills, needs and expectations the case study
materials are now much less important to creating an appropriate
learning environment than in the 1980s. The complete system
including documentation runs on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and in most instances on Windows 95 and 98!
Who developed AROUSAL?
AROUSAL
was developed by Peter Lansley whilst at Ashridge Management
College. In 1984 he moved to the University of Reading where he
became Professor of Construction Management and he established
Management Reality, an organisation devoted to developing the
AROUSAL philosophy.
He has been assisted by many
others. The US version was created in close collaboration with Dr
Henry Irwig, who was then at MIT, but for many years has been
working in the property and construction sector. The Australian
version was created with the encouragement and help of David Picken
of Deakin University. Major software developments were led by
Ioannis Fitsakis who now works in the risk management sector. The development and delivery of AROUSAL management programmes for
senior level executives owes much to the guidance and involvement of
Mona Hipwell, formerly of Ashridge Management College. More recent
development work has been stimulated by discussions with regular
users of the system including: Liz Burnett and Bob Cleveland (CITB/Construction
Skills), Dr Willy Sher (Newcastle University, Australia and Professor
Raymond Levitt (Stanford University). |