Business Simulation Training Software To Be Demonstrated At UTD Forum March 18

RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 26, 2004) — Business simulation training software — designed to create immediate shifts toward greater interdepartmental synergy in an organization — will be demonstrated March 18 at a Professional Development Forum at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) School of Management.

UTD is the first university in the United States selected to use the program Synergy , which was developed in Europe.   The software, which incorporates a board game, is designed to take groups of 12 to 16 participants through a two-day workshop designed to create new understanding and skills that enable diverse groups to work together to achieve common goals.

David Spivey, who manages UTD’s professional development programs in the area of leadership, said the software helps participants quickly connect abstract theory with real-world solutions.  

“The term ‘game playing’ might suggest a trivial connotation, but with Synergy — which is founded on behavioral science — the participants become incredibly engaged in the learning process.   The ‘game’ is simply a mechanism that leads participants to a breakthrough in understanding and abilities in a very short time,” Spivey explained.

Spivey and John Fowler, director of new initiatives in executive education at UTD’s School of Management, will give the March 18 software demonstration. The two also are available to conduct Synergy workshops at companies.   The workshops consist of a series of two-day sessions for managers and executives that combine game-playing, organizational development and management theory, interactive skills development and sophisticated business simulations.   The workshops can be conducted on-site for a company or at UTD’s Executive Education Center.

Registration for the March 18 Professional Development Forum, to be held in the Executive Dining Room of the School of Management Building, will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will include tours of the school’s new facilities.   A breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., followed by the presentation by Spivey and Fowler from 8:30 to 10 a.m.    The fee to attend the forum is $15 if paid before March 5, or $20 if paid at the door.   To register or to obtain parking information, please visit http://som.utdallas.edu/profdev

or call 972-883-4697.   For location information, please see http://www.utdallas.edu/campusmap.html.

The UTD School of Management presents the Professional Development Forum each March, June, September and December in the school’s Executive Dining Room.   The forum series promotes training and development as an integral, bottom-line function in organizations and presents current trends and issues in employee training and professional development.

About The UTD School of Management

The University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Management ranked sixth worldwide in research productivity in operations management and management information systems between 1996 and 2002 in a study published by ORMS Today , a publication of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS).   The School of Management is the largest of UTD’s seven schools, with an enrollment that has increased 92 per cent over the last seven years to more than 4,300 students.   The school’s new, 204,000-square-foot building — featuring classrooms with state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, wireless connectivity, video-conferencing facilities, a computer lab, faculty offices, meeting rooms and an executive education center — opened in summer 2003.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls about 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.