Why do smart teams keep making decisions that break the whole system?

In this session, Oliver Garasel (Transensis Consulting) takes you inside the legendary Beer Distribution Game—a deceptively simple simulation that reveals how well-intended local decisions can create chaos at scale.

What starts as a straightforward supply-chain exercise quickly turns into a powerful lesson in systems thinking, decision-making under uncertainty, and organizational dynamics. Participants play the game live and experience, in real time, how small demand changes explode into massive swings upstream—the famous bullwhip effect.

You’ll see why:

• “Just ordering a bit more to be safe” often makes things worse
• Data alone doesn’t prevent bad decisions under pressure
• Lack of visibility and delayed feedback distort reality
• Local optimization almost always hurts global performance

What you’ll learn by watching:

• How complex systems behave—even when nothing “random” is happening
• Why supply chains, organizations, and product development systems are so fragile
• How delays, feedback loops, and incentives shape behavior
• What the bullwhip effect really is—and why it shows up everywhere
• How this applies far beyond logistics: to Agile transformations, scaling, and leadership decisions

The session wraps up with a deep dive into the results, real-world parallels (including COVID-era supply shocks), and how the game can be used in companies, leadership teams, and training environments. There’s even a look at data-driven and AI-based approaches to playing—and understanding—the system better.

If you care about systems thinking, agility, organizational design, or making better decisions in complex environments, this is a must-watch.

⚠️ Warning: once you’ve seen this, you’ll never look at “simple” process problems the same way again.