An important aspect of the Markstrat Challenge is that you will be part of a team. It is helpful to establish a good working relationship with your teammates and to organize your work with them. Here are a number of questions to take into consideration:
•Will you work non-stop on your Markstrat exercise for 3 hours from start to finish or will you spread your work over several days?
•Will all team members meet when they make decisions or are you geographically dispersed?
•Will all team members be involved in all decisions or will you assign responsibilities (R&D, Production, Finance, etc.) to team members, each making decisions on his or her own?
Regarding the last point, try to avoid letting each member concentrate solely on his/her area of professional expertise. Initially, we strongly recommend that each team member be involved in all discussions in order for everyone to have the same understanding of the business situation. As the simulation evolves, your team will develop a common understanding of the strategic issues. In parallel, the management of the organization will become increasingly complex. At some point, the members of the team can begin focusing on a specific area of responsibility.
By following this process, not only will you maximize your internal resources, but also ensure that everyone benefits equally from the Markstrat experience.