Reaction

Description

This game is designed to allow participants to experience and reflect on what it's like when two cultures merge.

Learning objectives

  • Be mindful of the difficulty and awkwardness of changing cultures, changing teams and so that they can act accordingly.
  • Explicit, visual policies - such as a team charter with ways of working really ease cultural change.

Materials

  • Large Dice, of two colours - 1 of each colour per table
  • Tokens or chips - 20 per player
  • Beakers / Cups to hold the cups - 1 per player

Preparation

  • Print copies of the handouts - one per table
  • You need 3 - 4 tables depending on the amount of people. Tables should be separated enough so that the team can sit and move around them.
  • Place one of each dice on each table
  • Place all of the chips in a bowl, or suitable accessible container along side the cups

Resources

Welcome

As participants arrive, ask them to take a cup and 20 chips and to take a seat around one of the tables.

FAMILIARISE

INSTRUCTIONS

  • We’re going to play a simple game.
  • One of you will be the dice roller
  • When the dice land, everyone else must perform an appropriate action. The slowest to react and perform the action must give some chips to the dice roller.
  • The number of chips due is defined by the number on the die
  • The person to the left of the dice roller, is now the dice roller.
  • If you are out of chips, you are out of the game until it’s your turn to be the dice roller.

HANDOUT

  • Give each table their specific instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In 8 or 9 minutes I will take back the instructions
  • You have until then learn the actions and practice the game before we play it for real. Go!

TIMEBOX

  • 10 mins

ROUND ONE

FACILITATION

  • Take the instructions back so that no one can see them anymore

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Ok reset your chips to 20 each
  • One last rule: from this point onwards, you may no longer talk!
  • You have 10 mins.
  • Go

TIMEBOX

  • 10 mins

ROUND TWO

INSTRUCTIONS

  • O.K. Winners, move to the next table, clock wise
  • Let’s play another round

TIMEBOX

  • 10 mins

ROUND THREE

INSTRUCTIONS

  • O.K. Winners, move to the next table, clock wise
  • Let’s play another round

TIMEBOX

  • 10 mins

VIDEO

REFLECTION

  • Who were the winners from round 1?
    • What was it like to join a new table in round 2?
    • How welcome did you feel?
    • In round 2, what was it like when a new player joined your tables?
    • How did you feel about that person?
  • Who were the winners from round 2?
    • Did you approach changing teams in round 3 differently?
    • When someone joined your table in round 3, did you do anything differently?
    • What could you have done differently?

DEBRIEF

  • Merging cultures is hard, requiring focused and dedicated effort
  • People will naturally assume that elements of their previous culture are true for one that they are joining
  • Some cultural rules will be common, whereas others will be completely different
  • Culture, and the rule systems supporting it are often entirely implicit to those within the culture
  • When we make elements of culture explicit and visual, the effort required to join is radically reduced