Strategy Through Board Games: Learning With the Game of Pandemic

The Pandemic board game has been popular for years, but it gained a whole new level of relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the game is a cooperative game where players work together to stop the spread of a deadly virus, it also teaches valuable lessons about business strategy.  The guest speaker for our session was the energetic and insightful Nivedha Venkatesh. She is a Product Support Manager at Postman, but she’s also an expert in using board games to teach valuable lessons about strategy. It’s no wonder she was the perfect fit for the job – with over 10 years of experience managing customers for startups and companies, Nivedha knows a thing or two about strategy. When she’s not working, you can find her playing board games – and Pandemic is one of her favourites. So let’s take a page out of Nivedha’s book and see what the Pandemic can teach us about running a successful business!

In the Pandemic, players must work together to stop the spread of the virus. Each player has a unique role and different abilities, and players must work together to use those abilities effectively. This highlights the importance of collaboration in business strategy. Companies need to work together with their partners, suppliers, and customers to achieve their goals. Collaboration can lead to new ideas, greater efficiency, and better decision-making.

A pandemic is a game of uncertainty, where players must be prepared for unexpected events. The game has multiple ways to lose, and players must be ready to adapt their strategy if things don’t go as planned. This highlights the need for contingency planning in business strategy. Companies must be prepared for unexpected events, such as economic downturns, natural disasters, or pandemics. By having contingency plans in place, companies can mitigate the impact of these events and continue to operate.

During the pandemic, each player has a unique role and different abilities. Some players are better at treating the virus, while others are better at preventing its spread. This highlights the value of specialization in business strategy. Companies need to focus on their core competencies and specialize in areas where they excel. By doing so, they can differentiate themselves from their competitors and provide greater value to their customers. However, there’s always a catch.

“The lesson of overusing our strengths is particularly important in the business environment as well where it may be tempting to over-specialise in a particular field and ignore the others. Especially in a startup environment, it is essential to be flexible and provide attention to all domains even if there is a strong focus on a particular one. The situation of over-using often arises when one player becomes more powerful than the others and takes the lead in the game. In fact, the speaker asked us who should take the lead in decision-making. Given that this is a collaborative game, the emergence of a ‘leader’ who makes all the decisions becomes the antithesis of collaboration. Convincing and communicating your strategy with other players is the way to go ahead while balancing everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Pandemic is a game of adaptation, where players must be ready to change their strategy as the game evolves. The virus can spread rapidly, and players must be prepared to adjust their plans if things don’t go as expected. This highlights the importance of adaptability in business strategy. Companies must be willing to adapt to changing market conditions, customer preferences, and technological advancements. By doing so, they can stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive. One key point that Niveditha emphasizes is the importance of risk capacity in planning. While many people focus solely on risk mitigation, she argues that planning should also allow for aspirational objectives. However, this perspective is not always straightforward in practice. For example, during one of the games I played in class, an Epidemic card was drawn early on that threatened to cause an outbreak. In this situation, the group had to pivot from aspirational objectives to a risk-mitigating mindset, using an event card to plan three steps in advance and prevent multiple outbreaks.

This incident highlights the need for flexibility in strategy, particularly in a game as uncertain as the Pandemic. While risk capacity can be part of a larger game plan, players also need to be open to moments that require risk mitigation. This is where Nivedha’s ideas on communicating the action plan at every step come in. In a dynamic game like Pandemic, players need to constantly evaluate their strategy and communicate effectively with each other. This highlights the power of communication in business strategy. Companies must communicate effectively with their employees, partners, and customers to ensure everyone is on the same page. By doing so, they can improve decision-making, increase efficiency, and build stronger relationships.

However, there is also a risk of overemphasizing risk mitigation to the point where players become stuck in a rut. Venkatesh suggests that realistic goal-setting should be followed instead of striving for perfection. Too much emphasis on perfection can lead to precarious situations where survival is threatened. By embracing both risk capacity and risk mitigation and staying flexible with strategy, players can improve their chances of success in the game – and in the business world.

In conclusion, the Pandemic the board game teaches valuable lessons about business strategy. From the importance of collaboration to the need for contingency planning, there are many parallels between the game and the world of business. By applying these lessons, companies can improve their strategy and achieve greater success in the long run.

Written by Adavaita Singh (advaita.singh@alumni.ashoka.edu.in)
“Strategy Through Board Games” is a 2 credit course, first offered in Spring Semester 2023, that engaged students with the nuances and complexities of the real world by rooting them in more familiar and approachable methods of learning – board games! Board games are a great way to learn through interactive and engaging activities. They offer a fun and relaxed learning environment that promotes active participation and helps students retain information better.