5 Responses

1. Prisoners Dilemma
   Christina
   I wonder if you mean the game sometimes called ‘X,Y’ based on Prisoners Dilemma.
   In this game each team (where there are 4 teams) gets to vote either X or Y in a series of rounds. The object is to score as many points as possible. If all vote X, then each team gets 4 points. If all vote Y, no team gets any points. If there is a mixture of votes, those that voted X get nothing and those that voted Y get 5 points.
   I usually go for about 8 rounds with a break after round 3 and round 6 for 1 representative from each team to meet with other representatives to discuss and negotiate tactics.
   If there is high trust and cross-team cooperation, then they can score as much as 128 points between them. If some teams vote out of self interest they can get a higher individual team score at the cost of others, but also risk getting nothing.
   It is generally good fun but needs good de-briefing to ensure any residual ill-feelings are discharged as well as learning points extracted.
   The whole exercise lasts about 30 mins and can cover competition, cooperation, trust, team and inter-team working, and negotiating.
   Graham

2. Red dot Blue dot
   Similar to Graham’s contribution is the Red dot Blue dot game run over 10 rounds, but only for two teams. We did develop and run a team game along the lines that you indicate to illustrate internal competition vs cooperation. Once ran it with 10 teams of 8. That was very revealing. I was shocked how easily teams would scuttle their own company objectives to beat their perceived rivals in another department. If you would like a synopsis let me know and I will dig it out.

   Regards.

   Peter

3. Win as much as you can
   Christina,
   I have often used ‘Win As Much As You Can’ and consistently found it good fun and very informative. The ‘key’ to people really ‘getting it’ is in the skills of the person debriefing and facilitation of the ensuing debate.

   If you email me, I will send you all the information you need.

   And if you want to talk it through, feel free to call me – contact details on my http://www.mallows.co.uk

   Michael Mallows

   Managing Inside Out – On Purpose

4. Winsome? Loose sum?
   Graham O’Connell mentions the Prisoner’s Dilemma, which is, indeed, a variation of the game. In fact, the first time I played it, as a player, it was based on baseball(!).

   It would probably be easy to give it a theme related to the participants’ real working world (although why any one would make such a suggestion I can’t think!)

   Also, time and inclination permitting, it might be interesting for four prisoners to play individually, observed by silent colleagues who take brief notes. After eight, nine or ten rounds, the observors begin a new game – before any discussion of the first game!
   What, if anything, did the obervors learn? What did their notes say? Did they apply their learning? Did they intend to, start out doing so, persevere despite other people’s chicanery?
   If there were enough people, the second game could be played with four teams, with or without the first players.

   And so on…

5. Team Games
   Michael Laver has produced a book called Playing Politics -seven games that bring out the politician in all of us.It’s all in here,lying,cheating,bluffing -team to team- person to person- changing coalitions etc.Most basic requirements are playing cards and monopoly money. ISBN 0 14 02 2228 6. Cost you about a tenner in Waterstones

   Really powerful and fun with lots of learning points and insights

   Good luck!

   William