Innovation game gave students insight into business processes

A group of 60 students from Digital Innovation & Management at the IT University went behind the scenes at the clothing company Getro. The project resulted in a number of suggestions for how the company can improve its business processes - and gave the students new insights on the challenges of a real company.

EducationbusinessBusiness IT Department

Written 28 October, 2015 15:12 by Vibeke Arildsen

As in so many Master’s programmes, the students from Digital Innovation & Management at ITU come from widely different backgrounds - from philosophy to business. This can present a challenge for professors. So to give her students common ground for understanding business and innovation processes, professor Mar Alaranta developed an innovation game. The game ran over eight weeks, challenging the students to optimize the order and delivery cycle at Getro, a wholesaler specializing in fashionable sportswear.

"The goal of the innovation game is to give students a first-hand experience of business processes and a process innovation project. The collaboration with Getro has been a good, tangible way to get students into process thinking and understanding the challenges faced by real companies. At the same time, the game provides new insights and ideas for the case company. Such an exchange of knowledge makes the boundaries between the university and the surrounding society more permeable, "says professor Alaranta.

Three-hour roleplay
The first task for the students was to create an overview of the order and delivery processes at Getro through analyses, observations and interviews with both customers and employees. The students then brought the whole order cycle to life in a three-hour roleplaying game that mapped the perspectives of all stakeholders - from customers to warehouse employees. The project work resulted in 13 suggestions for improvement, which the students presented for Getro at a pitching round at ITU.

For Getro, the project has brought new and different perspectives on the business.

"The good thing about this project has been that the students sometimes thought a bit further than we have done. The students came with an objective perspective and theoretical reflections that went a little beyond our practical, everyday reflections. All in all it has been quite an educational experience, "says Christian Martin Quitzau, Operating Manager at Getro.