50 years of development
In 1975, my dad, Philip Sykes, an in-house lawyer, believed that people develop commercial judgement more effectively through experience than instruction.
That philosophy led to the creation of Bissim, a commercially realistic business simulation that has been continuously refined through fifty years of development and thousands of participant experiences.
I joined my dad in 1993 and have continued to develop Bissim for organisations across sectors and around the world. While each programme explores the issues most relevant to the organisation, the underlying environment continues to evolve. The constants remain commercial realism, dramatic tension, emotional engagement and relevance.
What people say
"Harvey delivered exactly what we had agreed with professionalism and confidence; I would not hesitate to work with him again and hope that we have the opportunity to do so." AAH Pharmaceuticals
"The simulation has really added value to our business. It challenged and stimulated colleagues' thinking, strengthened teamwork and enhanced their understanding of the challenges faced by our customers." Lloyds Bank
"As a Marketeer by trade, I didn't expect to enjoy a finance-heavy module, but the business simulation completely changed that... Out of all the modules so far, the learnings have been applied most to my day-to-day role." MBA Graduate, Warwick Business School
Professional Judgement
Addleshaw Goddard
Run with AG, for their clients. A tailored version of Bissim helped in-house lawyers experience business from the perspective of their commercial colleagues and explore the tensions between business aims and compliance with the law.
UKAR
A bespoke residential property simulation enabled lenders to experience the commercial world from their borrowers' perspective, improving the quality of lending decisions.
Financial & Commercial Acumen
Lyreco
Programmes co-facilitated with the Finance Director helped sales teams understand how their decisions and behaviour affected financial performance.
UBS
Graduate trainees used Bissim to explore commercial and financial acumen while developing presentation skills and team behaviour.
Aston University
Different versions of Bissim have been used with undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA students to practise & apply accounting principles.
Leadership
AAH Pharmaceuticals
Bissim provided a realistic environment in which the management team and senior leaders explored strategy, decision making and behaviour under commercial pressure.
Unilever
A tailored version of Bissim helped Finance Directors explore business partnering, decision making, behaviour and organisational change.
Assessment
Rolls-Royce
Bissim formed the core of assessment centres, providing a realistic environment in which behaviours could be observed against the organisation's competency framework.
McKinsey
Bissim was used with potential new hires as part of an assessment process. Observers could see how candidates behaved in a pressured commercial environment. It also gave participants insights into the world of McKinsey and their clients and what it might look & feel like to give advice.