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Teambuilding Icebreaker:
"Thumb Wrestling"
Here's a quick jolt that explores the pros and cons of cooperation vs. competition.
1) "Collaborative Thumb Wrestling"
Set Up: Chairs and a table for every two participants.
Process: Divide people into pairs and explain that they are now to engage in the common children's game of thumb wrestling. Sitting face to face, each person puts their right elbows on the tabletop, thumbs up, with the other four fingers gripping their partner's corresponding fingers in a firm clasp. The goal of the game is for each pair to see how many "pins" it can get, with a "pin" defined as one person trapping the other person's thumb with their own thumb. Elbows must always stay on the table. The game proceeds for a period of two minutes, with each person paying attention to how many pins are achieved.
Discussion Questions: How many total pins did you each of you get, individually and as a pair? Did any one person succeed at achieving more than 10 pins? 50 pins? 100 pins? What was the most effective strategy for this activity? How did you feel about your partner before, during, and after the activity? What might you have done to increase your pin count?
The Point: We live in a reflexively competitive culture. When confronted with a pair game like this, most of us assume that we're involved in a competition, with only one winner and only one loser. Operating with this mindset - with each "competitor" trying to out-wrestle their "opponent" - participants can expect to accomplish no more than 1-5 pins during the 2-minute session. Inevitably, however, a pair emerges with an alternative approach; rather than trying to accumulate pins through struggle and competition, they work together and take turns allowing themselves to be pinned without resistance. Such duos often achieve 100 - 150 pins, per person,during the 2-minute session!
Clearly, by viewing their mates as potential partners rather than enemies, collaborative pairs can reach far greater individual and pair scores than they would in a competitive situation. Of course, some might perceive this kind of cooperative approach - stripped of the person-to-person struggle - as less exciting, less fun. The point of this activity is neither to advocate competition nor cooperation. Rather, it is to explore the potential efficiency and personal bonding that comes through collaboration and weigh it against the energy and adrenaline rush attendant on competition. What do you think is more important?
Dr. Clue is the premier designer of corporate teambuilding treasure hunts, nationwide.
We start with the cool, historical neighborhood of your choice, near your office or conference
locale. We then scout the area to find its fascinating, hidden treasures; we write fun and
challenging puzzle-based clues to lead you to each mystery location; and we bring it all
alive as a half-day, interactive, "living board game" with an emphasis on teambuilding in
business. To read about our hunt packages, click here.
To see a list of our current treasure hunt locations, click here.
Feature Article:
Multiparadigmatic Creative Teams
By Adam Shames
Sometime in the 1990s when the term "paradigm" was in vogue, a pun-loving
friend and I enjoyed saying "That's so multiparadigmatic" whenever something
creative or especially clever came out of our mouths. First of all, it was
a fun word to learn to say and repeat (do pronounce the "dig"), particularly
when delivered with a little sarcasm. Secondly, the word actually succeeded
in capturing something essential about creativity-namely, that creativity is
all about the ability to access multiple ways of seeing or understanding the
world.
Creativity can be defined as the generation of ideas that are both novel and
useful, unusual and yet appropriate. The term "innovation," so often used in
today's competitive business environment, usually refers to the successful
implementation of those creative ideas. Any organization wishing to improve
its products, services or processes undoubtedly needs to find innovative
solutions to its business challenges-solutions that are both new and effective.
So what might help us in putting together teams that can unleash creative ideas?
Harvard Business School creativity researcher Teresa Amabile observes that
people produce more creative work, in part, "if they know how to take new
perspectives on problems and question basic assumptions, [and] if they have
a high tolerance for ambiguity." Einstein once referred to creativity as
"combinatorial play."
So allow me to suggest a way to foster creativity: Put together teams that
can learn to be multiparadigmatic.
How might we do that? Multiple intelligence theory, widely accepted in the world
of education, is one place to start. Harvard researcher Howard Gardner, a great
paradigm-shifter himself, studied both prodigies and people with brain damage to
build his theory that intelligence cannot be measured as a single entity. He
delineated at least eight autonomous intelligences that all healthy people possess,
but not necessarily in equal strengths. The intelligences are: mathematical-logical,
verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily-kinesthetic,
musical and naturalist. The combination of interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences
make up the emotional intelligence leadership concept popularized so widely during the
last decade.
Whether as an individual or as a team, the integration of multiple intelligences clearly
plays a key role in generating new ideas, inventions and sudden insights. Creative
breakthroughs-such as the development of Velcro, the latest software program or marketing
campaign, improvements in services that reduce costs but add customers-all require a
flexibility among intelligences, a movement from logical to spatial, from words to moods,
from the natural world to the man-made. Consider: Why is it that creative ideas are most
often reported in the shower or while driving a car? Could it have something to do with
engaging our bodily-kinesthetic and visual intelligences at the same time?
Powerful creative teams are those composed of individuals who have complementary skills
and intelligences. Leaders should first assess their current teams to determine whether
they have a good distribution of multiple intelligence strengths. Training that requires
the use of multiple intelligences-such as treasure hunts or other teambuilding activities-is
a great way to discover individual intelligences, address clashes that arise when different
perspectives and personalities join forces, and build creative synergy. With the right tools
and some practice, you can expect teams to create a little multiparadigmagic. (Ooh,
sorry. That ending is for those high in verbal-linguistic intelligence who'll appreciate
the wordplay.)
------------
Adam Shames, M.A., creativity and team consultant, is founder and principal of the
Kreativity Network (www.kreativity.net), based in Chicago.
------------
-Amabile, T.M., Hadley, C.N., and Kramer, S.J. (2002). "Creativity under the gun." Harvard Business Review, August 2002, 52-61.
-Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
-Gardner, Howard (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York, Basic Books, 1983.
Puzzle
Answer to Last Month's Puzzle
The trick to last month's puzzle, known as a "Riddle Me Ree" was discovering the correct letter common to the paired words in each line of the poem. For example, the first line read: "My first is in power but not in might." Examining power and might, you notice that power has an "R" where might does not. "R" is the first letter of the secret answer.
Proceeding down the poem in this manner, you should have spelled out the following message:
"Relax and Play"
Congratulations to our top five puzzle solvers:
- Sandi Johnson
- Gary Montague
- Brian Rangell
- Roseanne Mitchell
- Kristy Aldrich
(Can you crack the top five next month?!!)
This Month's Puzzle Challenge
"T for 2"
"Mary, this tomato is so plum and juicy and delicious. May I have one?"
"It would be men of me not to offer you one."
"Yeah, it would certainly be a mean tick, considering how delicious they look."
"Oh, sop! You know I'd never withhold from you."
"My crop this year is positively pun! Oh, thanks for the coffee, dear."
"My pleasure. Would you like a soon with that?
"Yes, please. And perhaps you can pen up a box of sugar."
"Certainly, certainly. Ah, doesn't this just hit the sot?"
"Well, you are a ear!"
"It's always such a hot having you over."
"You don't find my little jokes a bit sale?"
"No, no, of course not. Ream with that sugar?
"Yes, please. Oh, shot! It's 3:00 already. I've gotta run!
"Well, you'll certainly have to come over ore often."
Gathering what you can from the conversation above, go to the location indicated and type in "teambuilding," then hit Enter. Next, click on the second entry you find. And finally, in the body text of the page, solve the puzzle as follows:
(1, 1, 3) (1, 17, 1) (2, 8, 4) (2, 11, 1) (2, 15, 1) (2, 18, 5) (2, 25, 2) (3, 1, 8) (3, 7, 3)
(3, 27, 8) (3, 29, 1) (3, 39, 3) (3, 45, 2) (3, 47, 6) (3, 54, 8)
(Answer next month.)
What does a typical treasure hunt clue look like? Click here to follow along with one.
