Can business games and simulations support the soft skills training of project managers?

The paper aims to verify how teaching methodologies based on serious games and simulations can support the training of soft skills of project managers. Specifically, with the help of the main managerial literature, the limits and advantages of these techniques in the acquisition of PM's soft skills are identified. The methodological approach adopted was characterized by a literature review through the use of the Scopus database to detect some topics consistent with the objective of the research. An analysis of the first descriptive results shows that in 2005 there was a proliferation rate of publications equal to n=232 articles. In addition, it emerges that many methods based on simulations and business games allow project managers to acquire specific soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork and the development of decision-making and problem solving. This work can try to reduce the gap existing in the literature regarding the study of business games and simulations as a pedagogical approach through the experiential learning of Kolb (1984). In addition, the training of soft skills of project managers can allow HR managers to plan courses characterized by simulations and games that include the development of hard and soft skills in a unified way.