Learning Smart Behaviors Through Digital Simulations: Combining Individual-, Firm- and System-Level Complexity

Modern days are characterized by increasingly complex challenges, faced by highly interconnected actors, organisations and systems. Now more than ever, understanding and learning complex reasoning is a crucial skill to navigate complex scenarios. At the same time, complex reasoning also includes the capability to update competencies and skills if, when and how the situation requires, through double loop feedback and learning. We argue that advanced flight simulation technology can provide the ideal space where the capabilities and cognitive frames underpinning complex reasoning can be stimulated, consolidated and nurtured. We describe the case of FLYINGANEXPERIENCE lab technology, adopted in business educational curricula. We show how, by providing a psychologically safe environment, this technology allows to educate complex reasoning, by creating an inductive, constructivist learning process founded on goal-based scenarios. As learners need to execute tasks to fly the plane without any prescription about their behaviors and roles, complexity is appreciated while it emerges at multiple levels—individuals, team, and macro-system. We contribute to the literature on gamification and simulations, by highlighting how virtual reality can not only be widely employed in human resource management and training, but can also be crucial in stimulating complex reasoning and in gathering behavioural data—both quantitative and qualitative—with central scientific implications for both policy and practice.