Every management training teaches you to co-operate, agree a joint approach, stick to the agreements, and above all, communicate with one another. Everyone knows this and think they act on it on a regular basis. Serious gaming taught me to know the real me…
Around six years ago I started work at InContext where they develop business games and simulations. That same afternoon a business game was being played with a customer but they were one player short. Now I could show them what I was made of…
The challenge seemed simple enough. Four teams had to complete their own puzzle. The teams were only allowed to confer at a special ‘exchange’ and consultation point. That was the only place you could exchange puzzle pieces. The challenge was to complete the puzzle as quickly as possible.
Driven by ambition and a bit of rivalrousness – I thought
In my own team I set about completing the puzzle. But, whatever I tried, I couldn’t do it. Surely I could do a simple puzzle?
Of course – with hindsight – I didn’t have all the pieces I needed to complete my team’s puzzle. That was what the consultation and exchange point was meant for. Everyone had their own ideas about how to improve the exchange process, people shouting and snatching pieces of puzzle out of one another’s hands. We all wanted to get the puzzle done as quickly as possible. I had a couple of pieces wrenched from my hands. Hey, why should you get something from me? What do I get back from you?