Credit: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash Organizations are preparing a generation raised on digital technology and interactive games to lead in a world of complexity. Yet many still train managers through presentations and scripted workshops. This is a costly mistake. If we want leaders who can navigate conflict, uncertainty, and human behavior, we must stop telling them how to lead.
We must give them opportunities to practise it. I have spent decades exploring how emotional intelligence works in real situations. I believe leadership development is failing to keep pace with the people it needs to develop. Emerging managers are accustomed to exploring possibilities and testing decisions.
They are used to learning from failure and adapting when circumstances change. Yet traditional training too often delivers predetermined answers. It measures success by attendance or course completion. Real workplaces demand something far more challenging.
Immersive learning, not gamification This is not about adding points, badges, or competitions to existing courses. Gamification adds game-like rewards to an activity. Immersive learning goes further. It uses interactive scenarios, role-play, meaningful objectives, and decisions with consequences to develop practical skills.
A corporate target becomes a quest. A key performance indicator becomes a challenge. It requires people to allocate resources, collaborate, assess incomplete information, and change direction when their first attempt fails. Consider a character whose special power is generating fire.
Used carefully, it can solve a problem. Used recklessly, it destroys everything around it, including the people the character needs. Leadership strengths work the same way. Confidence becomes arrogance when unchecked.
Analytical thinking becomes paralysis when taken too far. Empathy becomes avoidance when it prevents difficult conversations. Immersive scenarios allow people to discover these consequences before their behavior damages a real team. Why it matters now The need is becoming more urgent as AI transforms work.
Harvard Business Impact’s 2026 Global Leadership Study found that 53% of respondents expected leaders to make greater use of AI in strategic decision-making this year. As these tools become more influential, leaders must become better at exercising judgment, understanding people, and taking responsibility for decisions. AI can analyze data and recommend actions. It cannot replace the human responsibility to understand how those actions affect others.
The research behind it This approach has an academic foundation. A 2026 study published in the International Journal of Serious Games examined a live role-play simulation designed for school leaders. Feedback from 72 principals and vice principals highlighted opportunities to explore evidence-informed decisions through complex scenarios, feedback, and reflection. The findings support taking immersive learning seriously as a tool for leadership development.
Researchers studying role-playing also use the term “bleed”. It describes how emotions, attitudes, and aspects of identity can spill over between a character and the person playing it. A 2024 paper published in the International Journal of Role-Playing offers a useful perspective on workplace learning. It explored how these experiences can influence a player’s sense of self.
Practicing assertiveness in a simulated conversation, for example, may help someone feel more prepared to speak up in a difficult meeting. Whether that confidence carries into the workplace depends on the individual and the learning environment. It also depends on opportunities to apply and reflect on the experience. What leaders should do Organizations that ignore this opportunity risk producing managers who can recite leadership principles but struggle when relationships become difficult.
As AI takes on more routine work, these workplaces could become increasingly automated, impersonal, and disconnected from the people they serve. Organizations that embrace immersive development can create opportunities for teams to practise adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Teams can also learn to value different personalities and cultural perspectives. I am in my late 60s.
I believe experienced leaders have a responsibility to listen to younger managers rather than dismiss how they learn. If you lead an organization, stop treating immersive development as an optional experiment. Replace one conventional training session with a realistic simulation. Give participants conflicting priorities, limited information, and a difficult conversation to navigate.
Let them try, fail, reflect, and try again. Then assess whether their behavior changes at work. We do not need to abandon established leadership principles. We need to stop teaching them in ways that leave people unprepared to use them.
The future is human. As AI advances, our success will depend on empathy, emotional awareness, sound judgment, and meaningful interaction. The organizations that thrive will be those that teach people not simply to perform like machines, but to lead like humans. Get the TNW newsletter ✕ Close Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
