Farmers Challenge

Description

This is a team puzzle that introduces a few constraints to emphasise the need to cooperate, to collaborate and most importantly to listen. It can be used to assess a team's dynamic, to identify current or potential leaders and to simply build culture within a team.

Materials

  • Board or Flipchart and pens
  • Post it notes
  • Timer
  • TV or Projector or handout of the solution

Preparation

  • Print and cut out the game cards

Resources

Safety

Stress
This game is highly valuable and educational, but to achieve this it creates an environment of stress, frustration and conflict. Be sure that is it safe for your team to experience these emotions and take the to follow this game with a team building exercise.

HOW TO PLAY

SETUP

Get everyone into circle
Hand out all of the game cards as evenly as possible

RULES

You must hold on to your own cards. No sharing them or putting them down.
You may not use pens, paper or electronic devices to help you

GOAL

Solve the puzzle as quickly as possible.

FACILITATION

Set the scene: “Expressed in the 30 cards that I’ve given you, is a puzzle. The objective of this game is to solve that puzzle.”
Read out the rules
Begin the game and the timer

15 mins in

  • By this point the team should have worked out that there are 5 of each element (farmer, house, location, fruit, animal and vehicle).
  • They should also have worked out that having 5 people play the roles of each farmer, and standing in the their relative locations it useful
  • Give clues if necessary

30 mins in

  • If the team has yet to solve the puzzle remove both rules from the game
  • They are now able to use the board, pens etc to help

45 mins in

  • Warn the team that there is only 5 mins remaining.

50 mins

  • stop the game, reveal the solution and ask everyone to have a seat.

Celebrate either way

REFLECTION

How the game make you feel? Why?
What could you have done to make the game easier?
What antipatterns did you notice?
Did any of you disengage? Why?
Was anyone leading? How did it go?

TAKEAWAYS

Visualization is powerful

CARDS

Card 1 Card 1 Card 2 Card 2
Card 3 Card 3 Card 4 Card 4
Card 5 Card 5 Card 6 Card 6
Card 7 Card 7 Card 8 Card 8
Card 9 Card 9 Card 10 Card 10
Card 11 Card 11 Card 12 Card 12
Card 13 Card 13 Card 14 Card 14
Card 15 Card 15 Card 16 Card 16
Card 17 Card 17 Card 18 Card 18
Card 19 Card 19 Card 20 Card 20
Card 21 Card 21 Card 22 Card 22
Card 23 Card 23 Card 24 Card 24
Card 25 Card 25 Card 26 Card 26
Card 27 Card 27 Card 28 Card 28
Card 29 Card 29 Card 30 Card 30