“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
Carl Jung
Setup Time: 10 minutes
Materials
Activity: 20 – 45 minutes
Debrief: 30 minutes (minimum)
Group Size: 4 – 10 participants per set of Toobeez
Space: 20 x 20 (minimum room size)
Open space – no chairs, tables, etc.
Hang a large sheet, tarp, or curtain in the middle of the room. On each side, measure out the length of one long Toobeez plus one short Toobeez from the divider and mark the floor with a line of visible tape. Divide the Toobeez in half. Each team will have half a set. situated with their Toobeez). Begin.
Drawbridge
NOTE: Since one piece is withheld as the connecting piece, divide the Toobeez into two identical piles of 25 pieces of Toobeez. You will have one piece leftover which is not used in this activity.
Clearly outline the instructions and answer any questions before the activity begins. Once the time allotted begins, your role as facilitator is to observe until the time is up.
Facilitator Script
In this activity, you will be divided into two teams and situated on either side of this divider. (Divide the room and keep teams separate for the remainder of instructions and activity.) Each team will be given the same number of Toobeez. Each team is to build half a bridge on their side of the divider. In order for the activity to be successfully completed, teams must be able to complete the bridge with only one additional Toobeez tube upon removing the divider. Following are some specific guidelines:
Any questions on the material covered? (Answer any questions and get teams situated with their Toobeez on separate sides of the divider). You will have approximately 30 minutes to complete this activity. Begin.
During the activity, listen and look for the following: How people work together, manage the project, and communicate. The questions below, based on the primary Learning Intentions, are provided to guide your observations.
LI: Teamwork and Cooperation
In this activity, people will have different ideas of what their “team” is – whether it is the group they are in, a subgroup within that, or all of the people on both sides of the divider. The only way to successfully complete this activity is to work together and communicate effectively with the other team. During the activity, observe:
LI: Project Management (PM)
This activity provides two opportunities for people to assume project management responsibilities, a) managing the team on your side of the divider, and b) managing the overall project and coordination with the other team. During the activity, observe:
During the activity, listen and look for the following: How people work together, manage the project, and communicate. The questions below, based on the primary Learning Intentions, are provided to guide your observations.
LI: Teamwork and Cooperation
In this activity, people will have different ideas of what their “team” is – whether it is the group they are in, a subgroup within that, or all of the people on both sides of the divider. The only way to successfully complete this activity is to work together and communicate effectively with the other team. During the activity, observe:
LI: Project Management (PM)
This activity provides two opportunities for people to assume project management responsibilities, a) managing the team on your side of the divider, and b) managing the overall project and coordination with the other team. During the activity, observe:
During the activity, listen and look for the following: How people work together, manage the project, and communicate. The questions below, based on the primary Learning Intentions, are provided to guide your observations.
LI: Teamwork and Cooperation
In this activity, people will have different ideas of what their “team” is – whether it is the group they are in, a subgroup within that, or all of the people on both sides of the divider. The only way to successfully complete this activity is to work together and communicate effectively with the other team. During the activity, observe:
LI: Project Management (PM)
This activity provides two opportunities for people to assume project management responsibilities, a) managing the team on your side of the divider, and b) managing the overall project and coordination with the other team. During the activity, observe:
After 30 minutes, regardless of where the team is, conclude the exercise.
Facilitator Script
You may choose to wait until there is a possible solution to test instead of going by time.
Variations are optional and will highlight additional skill sets.
1. Highlighting: Communication
In addition to the instructions above, this exercise must be done in complete silence. Only nonverbal communication will be permitted.
2. Highlighting: Creative Thinking
In addition to the instructions above, each participant will be given two Toobeez (instead of one) for which to be responsible. Again, all pieces must be used and everyone must be touching both of his/her Toobeez at all times. You may not connect your two pieces to each other.
NOTE: If you have more than 26 people, you will need an additional set of Toobeez to execute this variation.
The debrief should be an interactive discussion. Lead it by offering a series of questions and soliciting responses from the participants. To begin, ask questions about the activity itself and continue with specifics related to the skills you want to address or highlight. You may stick to one area of focus or choose to cover many topics. Suggested questions are offered below to guide you as you facilitate this debrief.
The debrief is organized with an Opening and Closing and then by Learning Intention, and it may be used in a variety of ways. You may use just the Opening and Closing for a basic debrief or add the Learning Intention-specific debriefs in between. To include the Learning Intention specifics in your debrief, either pick one or two questions from each area in order to touch on many topics or work in depth on one or more areas of learning and go through all of the questions for that topic(s). Look through the questions, TIPs, FCs, and Transitions prior to the training session in order to choose which ones you will cover (see “How to Use this Book”).
The intention of this activity is to develop teamwork, cooperation, and project management skills. It requires extensive coordination among participants, and everyone must play an active role.
This activity offers many lessons, so let the participants share with you what they learned and their comments as to the purpose of the activity.
This activity is a platform for new actions. There are many situations in which we are interdependent with others. Cooperation, teamwork, and effective project management skills are necessary to work together successfully, regardless of the restrictions put on each of us..
Concluding Questions
Action Plans
Teamwork and cooperation includes how people interact with each other, the roles people take in group settings, and how people perceive situations – as competitive or collaborative.
Teamwork
Cooperation
When Using Variation #1
When Using Variation #2
Summary Script
When people work together in an empowering way – one in which everyone is listened to and respected as a contributing member of the team – results are impacted. We often interpret situations as us versus them, or our side and their side, when all parties would benefit by working together. As we expand our interpretation of “our team”, we also expand the possibilities for success and achievement. By putting this expanded notion of cooperation and teamwork into action, what do you think the results will be in your organization?
Everyone working on a project uses “project management” skills. Sometimes people are in official PM roles. Other times, people are part of the project team. Regardless, learning to manage a project and your piece of it effectively impacts everyone and forwards your personal and collective results.
LI: Project Management (PM)
Project Management is both a set of skills and professional mannerisms that anyone in any role in a project can assume. When people take responsibility for the outcome of a project, clearly communicate steps and outcomes, keep track of the status, and empower others to continue working and meet commitments, they are managing the project regardless of their official role or title. Successful organizations cultivate project management in everyone while also supporting and empowering those in official project management roles. How would your organization be impacted if everyone took on project management while also accepting that only certain people have that official role?
Transition to People Development:
“Now that we have an idea of what project management is and how it affects results, we’re going to look more in depth at the people side of things. Specifically, we’re going to look at how we impact the performance and growth of others by focusing on their development.”
Communication impacts how people work together and the results they create. Use the following questions to begin a discussion on the role communication played in this activity, especially if teams used Variation #2.
The fundamental tool for successful people development, including for ourselves, is feedback. Excellent managers carefully observe people and communicate clearly. Outstanding employees are those
that look for and listen to feedback on their own as well.
When Using Variation #2
