The Pacific Production Game

Abstract

There are many exercises available to instructors that illustrate concepts in general management, leadership, teams, and negotiation. In this article, we describe a Lego® building activity that can be used to teach any (and all) of these concepts. The “Pacific Production Game” is both fun and educational. Students all play an active role in conducting and debriefing the exercise, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive. This activity can be adapted to students at all levels. It can be conducted in small classes and classes as large as 150 students. Detailed instructions for preparing the materials, running the activity for three different learning objectives (four functions of management, team building, and negotiation), and conducting the debriefs for each are provided.