The context
A service company with 46 employees generates revenue of 3 million euros. Led by an experienced agency director, it relies on a production team managed by a creative artistic director and committed team leaders.
The company operates in a competitive sector where technical and creative skills constitute a decisive advantage. Recent growth generates new organizational challenges that the management team must anticipate to maintain performance.
The challenge
How to effectively develop your team's skills while managing the unexpected? The company faces a succession of HR crises typical of growing structures: unanticipated departures, strategic training needs and work overload.
Each event reveals flaws in skills forecasting management. Students must understand that these seemingly distinct situations are interconnected and require a comprehensive human resources management approach.
The stakes
The main challenge lies in balancing immediate performance with long-term investment. The decisions made will directly impact team motivation, deliverable quality and the company's innovation capacity.
The simulation also reveals the importance of HR planning in SMEs. Without anticipatory strategy, the company suffers events instead of controlling them, creating a vicious cycle of permanent crisis management that harms competitiveness.
Skills developed
Skills audit
diagnosing team strengths and weaknesses
HR planning
anticipating training and recruitment needs
Crisis management
effectively responding to departures and overload
Recruitment techniques
structuring interviews with the STAR method
Budget management
optimizing training investments
Learning progression
Round 1
Facing a surprise resignation, conduct a complete skills audit and analyze the team's critical needs
Round 2
Arbitrate costly training requests by developing a strategic plan aligned with business objectives
Round 3
Resolve chronic overload through targeted recruitment planning and process reorganization
Round 4
Quickly recruit missing skills by structuring interviews according to the STAR method
Target audience
This business simulation is designed for Master's students in management, human resources or business administration. It's perfectly suited for future managers who will work in SMEs where versatility and responsiveness are essential.
The medium difficulty level allows addressing advanced HR concepts while remaining accessible. Students develop a systemic vision of skills management, a key competency for their future managerial career.
Key takeaways
Strategic workforce planning prevents permanent crisis management
Investing in training generates higher ROI than suffered turnover
A structured recruitment method significantly improves hiring quality
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