This exercise illustrates the importance of having a clear collective aim for any group, and how poorly a team or organization functions when individuals (or teams within the whole) have different aims within it and how this can diminish customer service. The parameters of the exercise can easily be changed according to group numbers. For large groups create pairs or threes to work together. Issue the group a box of toy building blocks, such as Leggos, with various different bricks (color, length, features, etc). The group task is to build a wall of certain dimensions (you as the facilitator state height and width according to time and group numbers). Issue each group member (or pair or threesome) an envelope with their own 'hidden agenda', which they must keep secret and try to achieve. The hidden agendas can be anything that conflicts with other hidden agendas, which will create conflict while the main task of building the wall is under way. Check that each hidden agenda is possible, albeit at the expense of other agendas. Here are some examples of hidden agendas to issue. It's easy to think of others when you have all the bricks in front of you.
- ensure there are three red bricks on each row
- ensure no red brick touches a yellow one
- ensure a blue brick touches a yellow brick on each row
- ensure every row contains two yellow bricks
- ensure there is a vertical line of touching white bricks, one block wide, from top to bottom
- ensure no row contains more than three different colored bricks
- ensure one row contains only single blocks (no doubles or trebles etc)
- ensure every row contains at least one double-block brick
(Adapted from a suggestion by Ruth Fradenburg) |