Liquid Assets

Catalyst created the LiquidAssets Simulation to address the importance of communication in lateral and hierarchical organizations. The simulation, which is used as part of training programs and offsite meetings, creates a context for groups to learn to share best practices across an organization and to leverage resources for maximum effect.

LiquidAssets simulates a company that must deliver a new product - a valuable liquid substance - to market within an ambitious time frame. Each level in the organization develops its own perspective and typically forms a limited understanding of the efforts and concerns of other parts of the organization. After a mid-session off-site meeting, in which all members begin to understand the issues from various perspectives, the teams learn to share resources and work towards a common goal. The dynamics generated in this simulation provide a basis for a group to learn about - and understand - organizational learning and empowered responses in a hierarchy.

The four-hour program is held outdoors for groups ranging from 12 to 200 participants at all levels of an organization.

Learning Objectives

Share best practices across an entire organization
Understand the importance of collaboration and communication across the organization
Demonstrate the need for coordinating the roles of corporate leadership, mid-level management and work teams
Demonstrate the complexity of leadership and teams in hierarchical organizations