Leadership styles and skills developed through game-based learning

Sousa, Maria José; Rocha, Alvaro

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14508

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Authors

Sousa, Maria José

Rocha, Alvaro

Abstract(s)

Game-based learning (GBL) as a universal approach to developing leadership skills have been winning attentionfrom researchers and practitioners. There are numerous studies which support the positive effects of games onlearning and knowledge development; however, more research is needed regarding how games may influencedevelopment of leadership skills. This paper examines recent literature regarding game-based learning influencein leadership skills development and if new leadership styles can emerge during a collaborative gaming process.The research questions were: 1) what were the leadership skills developed, during a GBL course? Moreover, 2)what kind of leadership styles emerge in the gaming context? The methodological approach was quantitative andalso qualitative, privileging the interpretative approach and the primary technique used was content analysisfrom the forums of discussion of 8 GBL courses with 15 participants in each course summing a total of 120individuals and also factor analysis based on data collected by a questionnaire about the leadership skills de-veloped, and which conducted to the identification of the leadership styles. Thefindings suggest that a game-based learning approach is an effective approach to leadership skills development and the primary skills de-veloped were: motivation, facilitation, coaching, mindset changing, and communication. The significant ori-ginality of the research was the analogy process between the games situations and the organisational life re-sulting on the creation of a leadership typology.