A hands-on, station-based simulation where students practice the five fundamental functions of business management: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Leading, and Controlling. Students navigate interactive workplace challenges, respond to real-time management updates, and document strategic decisions in their Management Passport.
Before Rotating: Log your rationale and reset cards neatly into two separate piles.
Station Sign • #2
3
Management Function Station
Staffing: Galaxy Café Hiring
Core Action Recruit & Train
Definition
STAFFING = Recruiting, interviewing, evaluating, hiring, and training the human talent required to perform organizational work effectively.
Workplace Mission Briefing
The brand-new Galaxy Café grand opening is in two weeks. You have received 8 qualified applicant resumes, but your operating budget only permits 3 total hires!
Shift Leader Reliability & Composure
Barista Speed & Recipe Detail
Cashier Hospitality & Math Accuracy
Operating Protocol
1
Evaluate All 8 Applicants: Weigh their experience against their availability, red flags, and strengths.
2
Select 3 Hires: Appoint 1 Shift Leader, 1 Barista, and 1 Cashier. There is no single correct answer; your choice must be defensible!
3
Training Challenge: Draw 1 Training Card. Select 1 hire and identify 2 essential training priorities before their first shift.
Individual Choice: Your Passport entry may differ from your group's consensus if you disagree!
Station Sign • #3
4
Management Function Station
Leading: Tower Build Challenge
Core Action Guide & Inspire
Definition
LEADING = Guiding, motivating, directing, and communicating with team members to channel their efforts toward accomplishing organizational goals.
Workplace Mission Briefing
Your engineering crew has 5 minutes to construct the tallest freestanding tower possible using only provided building materials. The tower must remain upright unassisted for at least 5 seconds!
Time Limit 5 Minutes
Stability Test 5 Sec Free-Stand
Leadership Card STRICT SECRET
Operating Protocol
1
Appoint 1 Manager: The manager secretly draws ONE Leadership Style Card (Autocratic, Democratic, or Laissez-Faire) and reads it in complete silence.
2
Execute 5-Min Build: The manager must lead strictly in character. Team members note how decisions are made and how it feels to work under this style.
3
Hands Off & Style Guess: Conduct 5-second stability check. The team must guess the manager's style BEFORE the card is revealed!
Reset Station: Dismantle the tower completely and return all materials to the bin!
Station Sign • #4
5
Management Function Station
Controlling: Quality Factory
Core Action Measure • Compare • Correct
Definition
CONTROLLING = Monitoring ongoing performance, comparing actual results against clear standards, and implementing corrective actions to fix deviations.
Workplace Mission Briefing
Starlight Book Company has placed a massive custom bookmark order. They only pay for bookmarks that meet ALL 6 quality standards. Defective bookmarks are rejected with $0 revenue!
Round 1 Production 3 Minutes
Quality Standards 6 Strict Specs
Round 2 Production 2 Min with Fix
Operating Protocol
1
Round 1 Run (3 Min): Produce bookmarks as fast as you can according to the Product Spec Card.
2
Quality Inspection: Audit each bookmark. Separate into ACCEPTED (✓) vs. REJECTED (✗). Count and log in Passport.
3
Select Corrective Action & Run Round 2 (2 Min): Pick 1 managerial fix (Inspectors, Templates, Specialists, Retraining) and re-test!
Station Cleanup: Recycle paper scraps and reset the workstation for the next company!
Station Sign • #5
Local sponsor gave +$100! Your new budget is $600. Invest strategically.
Directive: Optimize $600 allocation
Station Kit • Station 1 Printable Cards Card Sheet 1 of 4
Station 2 Cards
Organizing: Pizza Kitchen Employees & Roles
Cut along dashed borders
7 Employee Profile Cards
Maya Customer Pro
Excellent with customers
Cash register trained
Works well under pressure
Limited kitchen prep skills
Jordan Fast Cook
2 years pizza kitchen exp
Works fast & precisely
Food safety certified
Dislikes customer contact
Alex Veteran
3 years at restaurant
Can perform every station
Strong problem solver
Natural mentor & coach
Chris New Hire
Started last week
Friendly & dependable
Superb sanitation habits
Still learning kitchen steps
Sam Kitchen Pro
Experienced pizza maker
Calm during huge rushes
Fast dough & sauce prep
Never touched cash register
Taylor People Pro
Warm, energetic greeter
Great verbal communicator
Accurate note-taking
Zero culinary experience
Devin Quick Learner / Tech
Picks up software & POS systems instantly
Enthusiastic and adaptable
Occasionally requires clear task directions during peak chaos
7 Job Cards (Match 1 Employee per Card)
1. Shift Leader
Coordinates flow, troubleshoots errors, supports team members.
2. Cash Register
Processes payments swiftly and balances cash drawer.
3. Order Taker
Greets guests, clarifies order customizations, answers menu questions.
4. Pizza Station
Stretches dough, adds sauce, cheeses, and toppings rapidly.
Center Text: Exactly the words READ MORE written neatly in center.
Upper Right: Exactly ONE star () drawn in upper-right corner.
Bottom: Exactly THREE horizontal parallel lines (===) across bottom.
Lower Left: Exactly ONE circle (O) drawn in lower-left corner.
Edges: Clean cuts with no jagged or ripped edges.
Visual Quality Standard Guide
★
READ MORE
●
Visual standard for inspector comparison
Station 5: Corrective Action Menu (Select 1 for Round 2)
A. Specialists: Assign 1 cutter, 1 writer, 1 symbol artist.
B. Inspector: 1 dedicated auditor verifies specs before stacking.
C. Slow Pace: Deliberately halve speed to prioritize accuracy.
D. Template: Build 1 physical cardboard guide to trace shapes.
E. Retraining: Review 6 specs as a group before cutting starts.
F. Custom Fix: Invent a custom managerial workflow tweak.
Station Kit • Stations 4 & 5 Printable Cards Card Sheet 4 of 4
Management Update Adaptation:
Station 2: Organizing (Pizza Rush Team Alignment) Arrange Function
Optimal Initial Placement:
• Shift Leader: Alex (3 yrs, cross-trained leader)
• Cash Register: Maya (register-trained, fast)
• Order Taker: Taylor (high charisma, accurate)
• Pizza Station: Sam (expert pizza maker)
• Oven Station: Jordan (certified, fast cook)
• Fulfillment: Devin (quick learner, tech)
• Cleaning: Chris (clean freak, new hire) Crisis Logic: If Maya is out, move Taylor/Devin to register and have Alex assist front counter.
Station 3: Staffing (Galaxy Café Hiring & Training) Choose & Train Function
Defensible Hiring Trios: Students must justify how their 3 hires cover all shift demands and balance weaknesses.
• Example Trio A:Alex N. (Shift Leader - proven leadership) + Jordan M. (Barista - elite speed/craft) + Sam W. (Cashier - perfect cash drawer accuracy).
• Training Challenge: For Jordan M. (tardiness issue) → Train on punctuality policy & opening alarm protocols. For Maya J. → Train on espresso machine operation and POS shortcuts.
Station 4: Leading
Autocratic: High speed, clear direction, but lowers worker creative input. Democratic: High morale & creative ideas, but can suffer from time delays. Laissez-Faire: Complete autonomy, but risks confusion and lack of coordination.
Station 5: Controlling
Quality Formula: Measure results → Compare to 6 specs → Correct errors.
Round 2 must show measurable reduction in defective rejects through an assigned operational fix (e.g., Template or Quality Inspector).
Management in Motion • Evaluation Guide Page 2 of 3
Question Scenario:"A manager notices customer wait times average 8 minutes instead of the company target of 3 minutes. The manager analyzes sales data and assigns an additional cashier to rush hours."
Correct Function: CONTROLLING (Check & Fix)
Full Credit Explanation Rationale: The manager is comparing ongoing actual performance (8 minutes) against an established organizational benchmark/standard (3 minutes), identifying a negative deviation, and executing a corrective action (reallocating an extra cashier during peak hours) to bring operations back into alignment with standard.
Partial credit note: If a student selects "Organizing" or "Staffing" due to moving a cashier, award partial credit only if they recognize that the root trigger was performance measurement and error correction.
10-Minute Synthesis Debrief Script
Q1: Why can't a business succeed by only doing "Planning" and "Leading"?
Expected Takeaway: Without organizing and staffing, there is no structure or people to do the work. Without controlling, you'll never know if you made a profit or produced defective goods.
Q2: When the crisis card hit in Station 2 (Organizing), why couldn't you just work harder?
Expected Takeaway: Working harder without reorganizing tasks causes bottlenecks. Management is about adjusting systems, not just frantic effort.
Support & Scaffolding
Provide sentence stems in the passport for Station 1 and 3. Allow Station 5 students to use a pre-cut cardboard template in Round 1 if fine motor speed is a barrier.
Honors / Advanced Extension
Have students calculate the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) at Station 5 by calculating wasted raw material expenses per rejected bookmark.
Management in Motion • Exit Ticket & Debrief Page 3 of 3
