The Collaboration Journey II - Complex Version

Tables of 3 to 6 players plan and execute a journey forward, making a series of collaborative decisions that influence each other's results as well as overall outcomes. It's fun, fast and engaging and ties to teams working together.

This Complex Version differs from the Simple Version in that it adds the additional movement of "wagon pushers" to each round of play, adding a level of complexity to the understanding of the task as well as to actual player interactions. Chance is not part of play as it is in the Simple Version where dice are used. The metaphor of diversity can be debriefed, if that is part of your desired session outcomes. This is not a game on diversity but on strategic planning and collaboration.

The game evolved from our series of Square Wheels® illustrations that depict how organizations and individuals really work together to impact productivity and performance. The session starts with a brief overview using our main illustration to set the stage for continuous improvement on the collaborative journey forward. This exercise can be readily integrated with a Square Wheels developmental workshop to kick off or end a half-day session. PMC offers a number of these different frameworks.

The Collaboration Journey works nicely to focus players on issues surrounding team motivation, collaboration and planning. Each tabletop plays independently yet results from tabletops can be easily compared in a larger session; there is no practical upper limit as to the number of tables playing simultaneously. This scenario can be compared to The Search for The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine and Seven Seas Quest that focus on inter-table collaboration.

Debriefing can target themes of shared goals, communications, planning, teamwork, collaboration and competition, depending on your initial set-up.

The goal is simple: Move your Wagons along the game board to the Customer as quickly as possible. Each round, players look toward reaching the end through their joint efforts. As they progress, players improve the wagons with new Round Wheels while using the benefits of diversity to impact results. Points are obtained by reaching the goal and completing the journey in a speedy manner. Speed comes from having a solid strategic plan for collaborating and moving the wagons through the constraints.

The game structure allows collaboration and planning to optimize results. A degree of motivational competition between players is also beneficial. Since the first team to arrive gets more points than the other teams and because the route is more difficult towards the end (allowing only 2 teams to pass through the constraints), some "my wagon first" behavior may also occur, which tends to suboptimize results.

The "accidental adversaries archetype" suggests that, at the first occurrence of competitiveness, reciprocity from the other players will often occur and the group will become more competitive. This competition sub-optimizes results. One can clearly see this as the game rolls forward and intensity increases. As a result, the best of positive collaborative intentions can be influenced by individual desires and competition to get the best score.

Your debriefing can focus on interpersonal interactions and communications, thinking styles, themes of collaboration and shared goals, tendencies to compete and succeed and a variety of other themes. You may interrupt play to intercede in the competition and coach the players, which can generate reflection and improved results. Play will produce a discussion of choice and choices for performance improvement, planning and teamwork. This is a powerful, interactive, 60-90 minute structured team building simulation with a very flexible debriefing framework that can be linked to a variety of learning issues.

This exercise has a one-time cost of USD $149, complete with PowerPoint Square Wheels® cartoons for introduction and debriefing.

The package contains a flexible debriefing program including worksheets / handouts and includes all the game materials that can be printed from pdf files.

Everything you need for play can be printed from the pdf and .doc files on the cd.

Note that we offer optional pre-printed Collaboration Journey Tabletop Sets at $30 per set that contain all the materials needed for 3 to 6 people per table. Included are: instructions, game pieces and a game board (17"x30"). All materials are laminated and reusable. This saves you money as well as time. (Kinko's quoted us $10 per sq. ft. for printing game boards, plus costs for lamination, which would make the game board alone $40.)

You can play this exercise with any number of tabletops simultaneously; there is no upper limit to the number of players and you can choose to use groups of 3 to 6 people playing on each game board. Facilitation is easy and play is challenging.

We also have an internet owner's user group for sharing ideas.