Toy Tycoon

Hasbro’s innovative leadership training program uses a board game to teach high-potential employees the intricacies of executive decision-making and strategic thinking.
In a unique approach to leadership development, Hasbro, the renowned toy and entertainment company, has created a board game called Toy Tycoon to train its rising managers, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the company’s business foundations and the challenges of executive decision-making. The game is part of a larger program that includes a two-day intensive led by top executives, where participants learn core business concepts through real-world case studies. Toy Tycoon itself is a strategy board game where teams take on the role of co-CEOs, managing Hasbro brands and competing in an evolving marketplace, making tough decisions about hiring, product launches, and manufacturing, with each round representing a year in the company’s life. This approach reflects the vision of Hasbro’s CEO, Chris Cocks, who believes that the role of a CEO is similar to a grand strategy game, requiring the ability to navigate complex situations and make informed decisions. By leveraging gameplay as a tool for strategic thinking, Hasbro joins other industry leaders like Microsoft and Meta in recognizing the value of interactive and immersive learning experiences for leadership development. The effectiveness of Toy Tycoon is evident in the feedback from participants, who report gaining a broader perspective on what it takes to run a business, demonstrating the potential of innovative training methods to shape the next generation of corporate leaders.