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IMPROVING DECISION MAKING IN PRODUCT MODULARIZATION BY GAME-BASED MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Magnus Persson ,
Juliana Hsuan  and
Poul Kvysgaard Hansen
Magnus Persson*
Affiliation:
Chalmers University of Technology;
Juliana Hsuan
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Business School;
Poul Kvysgaard Hansen
Affiliation:
Aalborg University
*
Persson, Magnus, Chalmers University of Technology, Technology Management and Economics, Sweden, magper@chalmers.se

Abstract

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To deal with the complexity caused by a constantly increasing need for product customization many companies have adopted a product modularization strategy. Product modularization has the potential to give benefits both in the design of products, in manufacturing as well as in the supply chain. But, it poses great challenges in its implementation, which includes complex decision-making that will affect the whole value-chain. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a game-based approach can be used for academic education, and management training, with the aim of improving decision-making in product modularization. This by visualizing, and practice, the complex interplay between product, manufacturing and supply chain architecture. The paper describes the development of the LEGO Exploratorium game set up, based on the LEGO minifigures, and how it has been used for both teaching engineering students and in company workshop. Using this game set up will increase companies' possibilities to develop modularized products that are designed for both efficient manufacturing and supply chain management.

Keywords

product modularizationDecision makinggame-based trainingComplexityOrganisation of product development
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 1837 - 1846
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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