Set in Herefordshire, UK, this single-episode crisis simulation places participants in the role of Interim Head of Integration at Verdant Crest Organics, a heritage organic grower recently acquired by multinational Novis Global Foods. At 05:45 AM—thirty minutes before the morning shift—veteran Head of Farm Operations Tomas Lindholm tenders his immediate resignation and halts 40 harvesters in the canteen, refusing to run corporate-mandated automated harvesting rigs across frost-touched fields.
Participants face a dual operational bind: Novis VP Gillian Sterling demands Lindholm be suspended and automated tractors deployed immediately, while Chief Agronomist Dr. Soraia Ramos presents field data showing that 1.2°C ground frost makes mechanical cutting catastrophic, causing a 38% cull rate that will forfeit Marksbury's 12-metric-ton order (£140,000 value) and trigger a £45,000 logistics penalty. Learners must enter an AI-driven negotiation with Lindholm outside the packhouse, validate technical realities without ceding sweeping corporate policy exemptions, and establish a bounded operational compromise to start manual picking at 07:15 AM.
This simulation challenges learners to separate hard technical and logistical constraints from subjective stakeholder friction, withstand corporate pressure to enforce standard operating models blindly, and negotiate executable operational boundaries under extreme time constraints.
Facilitators should use this case to explore post-merger integration friction, operational crisis judgment, and the difference between short-term tactical concessions and long-term governance reviews.
Learning objectives
- Highlight how to distinguish objective technical constraints (e.g., 1.2°C ground frost causing cell rupture) from organizational friction and interpersonal defensiveness.
- Explore the risks of "cultural colonization" during post-merger integration, where parent company standard operating procedures clash with critical local operational realities.
- Examine how leaders establish bounded operational agreements during crises without conceding permanent, unverified policy exemptions under duress.
- Discuss how to handle simultaneous top-down executive pressure and bottom-up operational resistance.
About the authors
LiveCase Studio produces experiential decision simulations that immerse learners in realistic organizational crises. Their cases combine rigorous pedagogical design, roleplay intelligence, and applied operational dilemmas.
LiveCase Studio
LiveCase Studio designs immersive, high-stakes interactive leadership and operational crisis simulations for management education and executive development.
Who is this for?
Operations leaders, post-merger integration managers, supply chain professionals, and executive students navigating high-stakes crisis negotiations, stakeholder misalignment, or operational change.