Teams from Bacon & Woodrow's offices are recovering from an excess of fresh air, fun and tribal revelry. They've spent the weekend in Castleton competing in a tribal extravaganza with teams from offices across the country, Germany and Holland as well as some unsuspecting clients. In all, 180 took part and the event was designed and organised by Bristol based consultancy, Interaction Development & Learning Consultancy Ltd.
Leading actuarial consulting firm, Bacon & Woodrow staged the event as part of their change strategy promoting better working relationships, multidisciplinary working and innovation. Each team or 'tribe' competes for basic resources and progresses to the evolution of an interdependent community that trades, works and has fun together. The underlying message is clearly to promote collaborative rather than competitive team working.
Friday began with orienteering. Participants were handed a map and a very cryptic cornish pasty which it turned out contained 6 small lettered stones as a clue. Actors were positioned around the village and each team had to find ten characters, find out their names and gather "basic resources" from the area. One character bearing a sign saying, "Hungry, Homeless and Mute" was actually offered a barn for the night by a local farmer!
Saturday was spent half in the moors learning all sorts of "tribal skills" ranging from lasooing, whip cracking and juggling to abseiling for food (chocolate eggs) and totem-pole building. Then it was back to base camp to play tribal drums, face paint with natural pigments and a whole host of circus skills. By the afternoon each team was dressed in their own tribal costume and made their way to the great Peak Cavern for a candlelit drumming followed by a procession through the village back for feastings, cabaret and partying.
Sunday morning was designed with hang overs in mind and began with a hike up into the hills, followed by a trading exercise which, many enthused was the most enjoyable part of the weekend. All things active ended with an "Olympiad" which involved an elaborate cart race, crawling through tunnels constructed from bales of straw and all sorts of obstacles to climb over, through and under.
Exercises demanded a mix of creativity, mental agility and physical ability and prizes were given to the best team in each category. The elaborate and complex scoring system devised by one of the actuaries, received an award in itself.
"The benefit to Bacon & Woodrow of the Challenge is immeasurable, the weekend gave everyone an opportunity to do something different and to meet and compete with colleagues from all over the country. I'm sure the team spirit it's helped to create will have huge benefits for many months to come." Paula Cook, Personnel Director for Bacon & Woodrow.
Contact Interaction Development & Learning Consultancy Ltd: 0117 924 8030
email:nicky@interaction.demon.co.uk
Nicky Ferry