The role of simulation in social entrepreneurship pedagogy

Given its infancy, the fi eld of social entrepreneurship education is still developing. To begin to educate students about social entrepreneurship, several pedagogical approaches have been suggested (see Brock et al., 2008). However, one important approach that has been overlooked is the use of a simulation. One possible reason for this neglect is that the relative infancy of the fi eld suggests that simulations specifi c to the domain may not yet have been developed. While this might be the case, it may be possible to draw upon simulations used in other fi elds to specifi cally address some of the most salient issues in the field of social entrepreneurship. One such simulation is Star- Power which has been used in a number of fi elds including management for more than three decades.

The purpose of Star- Power as a pedagogical tool is to combine the increased interest, involvement and enthusiasm of simulations, rooted in realism and face validity, with the broader experiential learning  environment (Keys and Wolfe, 1990; Kinnear and Klammer, 1987; McGrath, 1982) in which social entrepreneurship is embedded. According to the director’s instructions, Star- Power is:

A game in which a low- mobility, three tiered society is built through the distribution of wealth
in the form of chips. Once established, the group with the most wealth is given the power to
make the rules of the game. Almost without exception, they make rules which secure and
enhance their position of power. The other two groups generally consider these rules to be
unfair and often label them dictatorial, fascist or racist. Sometimes, there is an open revolt
against the top group, other times the other two groups give up and drop out. When the frustration
and confl ict reaches a certain level, the director ends the game. The experience is then
analyzed and discussed. (Shirts, 1993: 3)

The Star- Power simulation: an overview

In the simulation, students blindly select diff erent colored chips out of a bag that contains a random assortment of diff erent colored chips. The chips each have diff erent point values attached to the color of the chip. The creation of the three tiers occurs as students engage in two rounds of trading chips with other members of the class period based on pre- specifi ed rules. After the fi rst round of trading, the students are divided into three groups based upon the total point value of their fi ve most valuable chips. Each group is then provided buttons which are worn during the balance of the game.2 At the end of each trading session, each group is given three bonus chips which are allocated to individuals within their group based upon a vote from the members.

Then, points are totaled again and adjustments between tiers are made if necessary. Then, students draw chips again but this time the bags of chips provided to each of the three groups are biased with the highest group drawing from a bag containing the majority of higher value chips. After this biased drawing, a second round of trading occurs followed by a second round of awarding of bonus chips. Following this second round of trading, the group of students with the highest scores is given the power to make rules for all subsequent rounds of trading.

To increase the eff ectiveness of the Star- Power simulation, it is important to provide an opportunity for students to refl ect upon their experiences and to share these experiences with the entire class. Following the in class simulation (which can be completed in approximately 75 minutes), the students are given an assignment to write a refl ection paper for the next class session that addresses two questions:

1. How did you feel during the Star- Power simulation?
2. Why did we use this simulation in a social entrepreneurship course?

When the students return for the next class session, the entire discussion is focused around these two questions. The fi rst question addresses issues related to the emotional aspects of the diff erent groups and how these emotions motivated action. By allowing students to hear the experiences from each of the groups, they gain a broader sense of how the emotions may have differed based upon the group in which the student was located and how these emotions impacted individual action and group decision- making. The second question is used to link the learning experience of the simulation with important constructs in social entrepreneurship.
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