What are some of the life lessons from the racing game Asphalt? Can we use some of the learnings and apply them to our management practice? Here we compile a list of nine management lessons from Asphalt. Read on for an interesting take away from a popular game.
1. Practice makes a person perfect
At times we don’t focus on the most obvious things. The old adage that practiced makes a person perfect is less often followed. One thing that is common between playing a game like Asphalt and management: practice. In fact, for certain types of professions like law and medicine, we specifically use the word practice. Management is also a practice.
A manager with years of experience also brings immense practice to the table. When we go through hundreds or thousands of iterations of analyzing situations, we are essentially practicing management. Decision making is something that improves over time. Here key takeaway from asphalt is that we have to practice quite actively. Additionally, we should also ensure that we increase the number of iterations that we can from a particular job. We need to proactively look for opportunities where we can contribute to the firm.
2. Team spirit pays
The Asphalt game is designed in such a way that if your team members also win a particular daily event, you get extra points for that. Although there is no point system in our day-to-day management, teamwork still pays dividends. This is one of the key management lessons from Asphalt.
Firstly, team spirit and enhances the overall motivation for the team. A team that is motivated performs much better than a non-motivated one. Secondly, team spirit also means that the workload is evenly distributed. This increases efficiency. Finally, a team that works together is better poised to handle problems.
3. Keep your friends close, but enemies closer
It is a manager’s job to take into account not just the internal aspects of the firm, but also the external aspects. We can undertake analysis like PESTLE analysis to understand what is going on outside the firm. Additionally, we can also do analysis like SWOT analysis. It takes into account both internal as well as external aspects.
Also, this game teaches us that we can learn by closely observing the competitors. In some of the races in Asphalt, you can observe how the person ahead of you performed. You can develop your strategies by emulating the best parts and adding your own bits. This would provide you with a massive competitive advantage. Let us take the case of the development of the Android phone. While the first Android phone was being developed, the iPhone came out in January 2007. Google instantly decided that they had to rethink their entire product development strategy. It took them two years to launch a product that could be a competitor to the iPhone. Moreover, it took them more than five years to come up with a competing product. However, a lot of the product development that happened in Android can be attributed to the learnings from the original iPhone.
4. You will never have all the resources
One of the basic laws of economics states that there is always a scarcity of resources. In the game of asphalt two, we see that we have to compete with whatever we have got. You will rarely have cars that are perfect. However, it is the real test of a racer that the racer is able to win races when. The car is worse than the requirement.
Let’s draw a similar analogy in management. We often work with less than ideal resources. However, this should not deter a good manager. In fact, some of the greatest projects in the world were done in some of the most challenging situations.
5. Accumulate assets & learnings
As you progress in the game of asphalt, you would have practiced the same tracks hundreds of times. This gives you a learning process. We can leverage this learning in becoming a better and better performer. High performance in races is dependent on past learning. There is no substitute for that. Similarly, organizations that invest in research and development, build intellectual capabilities. These capabilities never go waste.
Winning a race in Asphalt is highly dependent on the car’s ranking. The rankings depend on the blueprints and cards you collect. If you have accumulated more cards, you will have a higher ranking car. Consequently, you will have higher chances of winning a race. In the same vein, firms also require assets to create value. Some companies consistently show greater growth than their competitors. Most of these companies learn the art of accumulating useful assets. Successful companies like Microsoft and Facebook acquire many startups. These startups help them build organizational capabilities.
6. Try and try until you succeed
Some of the races in Asphalt or tricky. We need to practice the same race tens of times to win it. In fact, in some of the Grand Prix races, you may have to practice it even more. Moreover, every single pass of the practice will help you shave off some milliseconds from your racing time.
In the same vein manager also needs to practice a lot. Although we have already covered the value of the practice. Let us have a re-look into that. Here we look at the value of trying again and again to get the result. What does this mean for an organization? Let us take the case of a fashion brand. You cannot get success overnight. However, if you try to create new designs, you will eventually succeed.
7. Be judicious in your spending
We have talked about the scarcity of resources. Now let’s talk about the excess of resources. Excess of resources is as bad as scarcity. It is because it makes us bad at spending. When you have less money, you are forced to think hard. You spend a lot of cognitive capacity into extracting the best out of every penny that comes out of your pocket.
Many large corporations have fallen into the trap of spending money on wrong acquisitions. Moreover, strategy literature suggests that firms should be very careful about M&A. Microsoft decided to buy Nokia in the year 2013. Microsoft spent around 7.9 million dollars for this acquisition. However, this acquisition turned out. The company lost most of its money. Moreover, it also lost an opportunity to get into the lucrative mobile market. On the other hand, Google spent around 50 million dollars to buy the Android mobile OS. I guess, you already know, how this deal turned out.
8. Each small detail matters to stay at the top
Video games are very similar to management games. In order to remain competitive in asphalt, you need to keep trying. Similarly, in management, in order to remain competitive, you need to keep striving towards perfection.
A firm that gets complacent will also start getting a lower market share. One way to ensure ultimate success is to look for the details. In the game of asphalt, you have to shave off microseconds at every nook and corner. Moreover, this is paramount to compete in the multiplayer races and Grand Prix. In the same vein, businesses, need to ensure feverish zeal to perfect their products. A product made with the utmost care draws deep loyalty. Car manufacturers like Bugatti and Koenigsegg leave no stone unturned in creating a master supercar.
9. Enjoy the journey don’t wait for the destination
Sometimes, we get too lost in the process of competing and participating. This can have a detrimental impact on our performance. Additionally, it will adversely impact our wellbeing. Too much racing will lead to addiction, and it will also lead to a drop in performance. It will also have an adverse impact on lifestyle. A similar analogy can be drawn for our work. Managers are often overworked when they chase impossible and never-ending deadlines.
It is rightly said that the journey is more important than the destination. We should follow this advice even in management. Firstly, there are very ill-defined destinations in the long run. We could be chasing things on and on and still be dissatisfied. Secondly, when we take a break and we enjoy the little small moments in life, it refreshes us. It ensures we are happy and give our best.