games rules handbook

7/26/2019 Games Rules Handbook

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THE COMPLETE SECRETS AND

STRATEGIESLEADER'S GUIDE

by

Burdick and Burnstein, copyright @ [email protected]

(6177!"#!00$


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INTRODUCTION

Secrets and Strategies, formerly "On the Same Plane", is both an easy-to-learnframework for successful group problem solving and a very enoyable game for teachingplayers how to use the framework in their professional and everyday lives! "he #omplete$Secrets and Strategies% &eader's (uide" was written for any leader, teacher, trainer,manager, fund-raiser or dinner host who might be interested in playing Secrets andStrategies, the game! his guide includes) *!an overview of the game and the problem-

solving framework it teaches+ !a step-by-step description of how to set up and run thegame+ ! suggestions for different ways to use the game, such as team building, fund-raising and brainstorming retreats+ and .! a booklet of strategies for how to play the gamethat can be given to players!

AN OVERVIEW OF

SECRETS AND STRATEGIES/irst, Secrets and Strategies is a framework for solving real group problems

more creatively and more effectively! he framework is easy for you to teach, easy foryour players to learn and easy to use in a wide variety of situations in which two or morepeople need each other's help to satisfy their own interests!

Second, Secrets and Strategies is a scoreable, competitive game by which theframework is taught and learned! Players play the game to solve different #hallengesthat test their ability to use the framework in different situations! 0n other words, you usethe game to teach this problem solving to others!

he game uses the metaphor of a plane of players flying around the world in si1tyminutes attempting to reach a unanimous agreement about how to solve the problem theyshare before they land 2or crash3! he players are asked to fly around the world in sevendistinct legs that represent the seven strategies of the framework! he time to play thegame can easily be adusted to accommodate your schedule! 4e will describe how you canmake these adustments later! his section assumes your players are taking the si1ty-minute flight! 5ere is how this trip looks!


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6uring the flight the players in role are presented with a #hallenge that they allhave an interest in solving! he game can address an unlimited number of multiparty#hallenges, e!g! planning a wedding, avoiding a strike, escaping an earth7uake orcleaning up a to1ic waste site! 4e currently have over forty #hallenges! 8ach#hallenge includes different roles for players to play in the challenging situation! /orinstance, "Surviving a Plane #rash" portrays the players as the only survivors of a planecrash in a remote part of central 9laska who have to negotiate a survival plan to whichthey can all agree! he players each get the common "#hallenge" card and a private"Secrets" card which describes their role and gives them confidential information abouttheir interests, their standards of fairness, their knowledge of the situation and theiralternatives! 0n "Surviving a Plane #rash", the roles include the co-pilot, a nurse, a doctor,a teacher, a fisher, a contractor, a homemaker, a sales person, a flight attendant and asoldier! 8ach player earn Points toward winning the game when the unanimously-approved final agreement includes terms they value according to their "Secrets" card!

Secrets and Strategies capitali:es on the classic tension created by trying to

advance individual and group goals at the same time! he goal of the group in the gameis to unanimously agree to the most valuable overall solution to the #hallenge beforethey land! he goal of each individual player is to persuade the others to agree to the mostvaluable solution for their role! 9ny agreement is worth something to each player, butsome agreements are more valuable than others! he player's goal is to get the mostvaluable agreement for him or herself and for the group! %he key to playing the ga&esuccess'ully is 'iguring out ho to 'ul'ill both goals at the sa&e ti&e, an essentialskill 'or li)ing in any de&ocratic organization or society.

he si1ty-minute version of the game re7uires the players to solve the #hallengeby working cooperatively together during the seven legs of their round-the-world flight!

5ere are the seven legs or problem solving strategies!

1. "*ntroductions+ (1 &inute each$On the first leg called "0ntroductions", eachplayer has one &inuteto strategically introduce him or herself to the other players whilethe plane flies to 8urope!

2. "-roup lanning+ (/ &inutes$6uring the second leg called "(roupPlanning" the plane flies for 'i)e &inutesto 9sia, where the players list the "issues" theywant to address during the game and decide on the ground rules that will govern the waythey will work together while in the air!

!. "lue haring+ (10 &inutes$ 6uring the third leg called "#lue Sharing", theplane flies to 9ustralia where for ten &inutesthe players strategically e1change theconfidential information on their Secrets cards, carefully weighing what to disclose,what to withhold and what to ask the others!

. "3atching 4p+ (/ &inutes$6uring the fourth leg called ";atching


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/. "Brainstor&ing+ (10 &inutes$ 6uring the fifth leg called "=rainstorming",the plane climbs higher while flying to 9ntarctica for ten &inutesas the players findcreative options they might be able to use to improve the value of their solution to the#hallenge!

6. "Bargaining+ (10 &inutes$6uring the si1th leg called "=argaining", theplane begins its long descent toward the /inish &ine flying over South 9merica for ten&inutes! Proposals for solutions to the #hallenge are e1changed in search of the mostvaluable overall outcome that meets the needs of all the players ade7uately and eachindividual player as well as possible!

7."5inalizing+ (10 &inutes$6uring the final ten &inuteleg of the flight called"/inali:ing", the plane passes over >orth 9merica in preparation for landing! he playersscramble to fasten their seat belts and to make sure the terms of the final agreement areclear, acceptable to everyone and as valuable as they can be before landing!

coring and ebrie'ing9fter the game is over, if a unanimous agreement wasreached before time ran out, the players add up their individual Points by comparing theterms of the agreement with the Points on their Secrets cards! he 4inner is the playerwho earned the most Points from the terms of the final agreement! he game is designedto reward players for getting more than their "bottom lines"! 0f they agree to a solutionthat does not meet at least their "bottom line", they can't win! hey earn Points for what isactually included in the final solution to the #hallenge, and not necessarily for how wellthey performed during the game! 5owever, their performance should make a significantdifference to the outcome if they played the game skillfully!

A STEP-BY-STEP DESCRIPTION FORSETTING UP AND RUNNING THE GAME

% 1 elect the 8hallenge9 :ou ;ant to lay.

here are many Secrets and Strategies #hallenges! he current list is in the9ppendi1! 8ach #hallenge has a "#hallenge" card like the one from ">ot 0n ;y=ackyard" in /igure * that describes the common problem the players face and thedifferent roles which the players can play! 8ach player gets his or her own confidential"Secrets" card like the one from "/inding =uried reasure" in /igure which describeswho the player is and what he or she cares about during the game!


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5igure 1

NOT IN MY BACKYARDby

Burdick and Burstein, copyright 1##7 [email protected]

%he hallenge?ou are all members of a Select #ommittee of interested parties asked by

the @oning=oard to respond to a re7uest by (eneral Services #orp! 2(S#3 for permissionto operate a transfer station for the transportation of solid waste to the site of the oldAogers unk yard near =all S7uare ust off of =roadway! he solution you are seeking isthe best response to this proposal which best meets the interests of the all the parties mostaffected! 9 transfer station is a place where rubbish is brought by truck to be compactedand transferred to larger trucks and then transported to solid waste sites, in this case in thewestern part of the state! his site has been unused for five years! 0t had been the locationof the Aogers 9uto Bunk ?ard for over fifty years, and a target of environmentalists whosuspect many years of ha:ardous waste disposal of antifree:e, motor oil, gasoline, usedtires and other petroleum products! 0t borders a working class residential neighborhood inSomerville composed mostly of multi-family houses, 9mtrak train tracks, and a light

industrial park of small, relatively clean, manufacturing firms occupying three oldermanufacturing plants! ?our ob as a group is to decide whether or not (S# should get thevariance that would permit it to use this site as a transfer station! 0f the answer is aconditional "yes", you must then decide two issues)

%he layers he Players for this game include the President of the Somerville #hamberof #ommerce, the President of (S#, the President of the =all S7uare Aesidents'9ssociation, the Somerville #hief of Public Safety, the #hair of the Somerville =oard of


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5ealth, the ;ayor of Somerville, the #ommissioner of the State 6epartment of8nvironmental Protection, and the President of Somerville rash #ompany, 2S#3!

%he *ssues *! 5ow much money will be spent on the siteC

! 4hat limits will be placed on the operation of the siteC

%he


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:our Botto& =ine?ou will only vote "yes" for a final agreement which isapproved by the 5ilton 5ead 6evelopers and SOS and allows the President to take somepublic credit for brokering the final deal!

:our oints?ou will earn the following Points from the terms of the finalagreement)

*! 100 pointsfor every E*,FFF,FFF up to E.,FFF,FFF the other parties will agreeto let you pay to support the long term proect+

! 1000 pointsif the other parties will agree that the President of the o 3any -roups ;ill lay %he 8hallenge9


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he game uses mediators to assist the other players in working together during theseven legs! here are two ways this is done! /irst, you or the players can select a eam&eader who does not get a Secrets card, but instead gets a "eam &eader's Plan" 2See/igure !3 and who remains a non-partisan guide throughout the playing of the game! heeam &eader is like a mediator in a multiparty negotiation whose ob it is to help theplayers come up with the best overall solution to the #hallenge in si1ty-minutes!

/or first time players, the eam &eader's role is often critical to the group'ssuccess! he eam &eader in effect teaches the other players how to play the game well asit is being played! ime allowing, you may ask the eam &eaders to learn the rules of thegame ahead of time to enhance their ability to help teach the other players how to play! 0fyou have the time, you should coach the eam &eaders about the critical strategies to helptheir groups! he "eam &eader's Plan" is a useful guide for what eam &eaders shoulddo during the game! Once you have seen the game played at least one time, you willbecome more comfortable helping them play their role! ;e reco&&end picking yournatural leaders to be the %ea& =eaders the 'irst ti&e you play the ga&e. =ater ereco&&end sharing this responsibility a&ong all your players.


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5igure !

THE TEAM LEADER'S PLAN

:ou are responsible 'or your groupCs success. ;hile each o' the players has

con'idential instructions to do the best he or she can 'or their role, your Dob is to helpthe hole group ork ell to reach the best solution to the co&&on 8hallenge9 tohich they can all agree. >ere is ho you 'ul'ill your responsibility.

E


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ti&e. %here is al&ost ne)er enough ti&e to share all the clues.


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is done using the game's G "=oarding Passes" 2See /igure I!3 which can be randomlydistributed until all G Passes are dealt! ?ou may also decide to pick who gets which=oarding Pass! he use of the =oarding Passes can create some very amusingstrategic problems for certain players and e1cellent debriefing opportunities for you! /orinstance, there is a =oarding Pass for "Security"! Security is responsible for keepingthe team spirit and general trust level up! 5owever, some roles are designed to bedivisive! 0n "Stopping the /ighting" the role of -=all is the least sympathetic to anagreement! -=all is instructed to be hostile! 9 player with the role of -=all who alsogets the Security =oarding Pass will find himself in a real dilemma! 6oes he work forthe group or for himselfC 4hile this dilemma isn't always realistic, it is often very funnyand raises everyone's awareness of the tension between individual success and groupsuccess! ;e reco&&end ha)ing the 8Boarding asses9 distributed rando&ly untile)ery 8Boarding ass9 is gone.0f you have fewer than G players, some players will getmore than one Pass!


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% ecide >o 3uch %i&e :ou ;ant %o pend laying %he -a&e.

:ou should 'eel co&'ortable adDusting the ti&ing 'or setting up, playing anddebrie'ing the ga&e to 'it your needs. here are many ways in which the game can beplayed, depending on your time and interests!

he basic game takes si1ty-minutes to play from the beginning of 0ntroductionsto the end of /inali:ing! 0n addition, you will need time for e1plaining and distributingmaterials before the game begins, and time for scoring and debriefing the game after it isover! ;e ha)e 'ound that a total o' three hours is the ideal a&ount o' ti&e 'orsetting up, playing and debrie'ing the ga&e 'or the 'irst playing o' it, particularlyhen players ha)e not had ti&e to read the &aterials in ad)ance. 5owever, wereali:e that you may not have three hours! 0f you are a teacher, we know that you mayhave to fit the game into forty to fifty minute class periods! 4e have some suggestions forthose of you who may have less fle1ibility for when or how long to run the game!

Some teachers have used the following se7uence! hey will use a portion of one

class to describe the structure and rules of the game and to distribute the materials! heywill use all of a second class to play and score the game! hey will use a third class,usually very soon after the game is played, to debrief it and to have players e1changefeedback!


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/inali:ing Part of * class6ebriefing Part of * class

8ach of these strategic sessions can be debriefed by you at the end of each periodwithout disclosing confidential information! ?ou would be helping your playersunderstand what competent performance of each strategy included while it was still freshin their minds!

/or training conferences in which players are living in close pro1imity to eachother, e!g! in the same hotel or college campus, you could have multiple groups playingthe same #hallenge outside of the official conference hours! he groups would becompeting against each other for the best solution to the #hallenge! hey would all getthe same deadline by which they would have to finish the #hallenge! ?ou could havethem report their group's results during a designated period later in the conference! hegroups would share their results and then you would lead the debriefing sessionidentifying why some groups were more successful than others!

;e strongly encourage taking ad)antage o' healthy co&petitions a&onggroups. %his added le)el o' co&pleity heightens the interest and the creati)etension beteen indi)idual success and group success and orks as an ecellenttea& building tool.

% / istribute 1 +hallenge+ ard+, 1 +ecrets+ ard oe)er, e reco&&end, i' you ha)e the ti&e, gi)ing out the +ecrets+ card, the+hallenge+ card and a blank +layerCs lan+ in ad)ance , so players have time tothoroughly familiari:e themselves with the materials and prepare their strategy! heyprepare by reading the "#hallenge" and "Secrets" cards and filling in the blanks on the"Player's Plan"! 2See /igure .!3 ?ou may also want to distribute copies of "he Aules ofthe (ame" and "ricks of the rade for Playing Secrets and Strategies" found in the9ppendi1, if you think your players are likely to read and use them! he "ricks"describes helpful strategies for each leg of the game!

5igure /

THE PLAYER'S PLAN


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=


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7. 5*N


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4e have seen teachers of younger players play the role of the eam &eaders whenthe game was played for the first time! 0n these situations the teachers had certain pointsthey wanted to emphasi:e about the problem! =y being the eam &eaders, they couldcontrol the agenda to discuss what they wanted discussed! 4e created a #hallengecalled "Scaping a Scapegoater" for the seventh grade of the Pierce School in =rookline,;assachusetts! hey were studying the Salem, ;assachusetts witch trials in history andreading 9rthur ;iller's "he #rucible" in 8nglish! he teachers wanted the students tomake the connection between calling your enemies "witches" and the kind of scapegoatingpeople do to each other all the time! =y playing the eam &eaders roles, the teachers wereable to frame the problem more clearly for the students and to direct the discussion to theissues they cared most about when the students went off on other tangents! his is a goode1ample of how the game can teach historical, literary and ethical content as well groupproblem solving theory, values and skills!

% 7 %ake Notes uring the -a&e 'or the ebrie'ing ession.

One of the most important educational features of the game is the ease with which

it permits the players and their coaches to criti7ue their performance afterwards! =ecausethe problem-solving framework is e1plicitly structured, it is easy to figure out when agroup worked well together and when it ran into trouble! 0ndividuals can more easilyassess when a strategy worked and when it failed!

he framework allows players to discuss what standards are appropriate forevaluating each strategic leg of the game and to compare their performance to thosestandards! 0t also allows them to test the ade7uacy of these standards for themselves! /orinstance, what is a good "0ntroduction"C he simple, one minute introduction each playeris permitted to make allows them to consider many different approaches to the negotiationitself! 4ill they present themselves as eager to agree, or skeptical, or angry, or resistantC

6o they have a vision for the final agreement that they want to promote nowC Severalyears ago, a group of high school students at ufts


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BEart. * ill be your%ea& =eader 'or this hallenge.;hy donCt e Dust go around

in a circle and ha)e e)eryone


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introduce the&sel)es. 2 ould use &ore eplanation. he

'orgot to setdeadline.

>i. 3y na&e is arol and * a&the copilot. * a& co&&itted

to seeing that e)eryone sur)i)es. /, 6ince * a& the o''icer in chargeo' this plane, * ill take o)erthe running o' this &eeting. 2, " he is bargaining already.

%oo early.

> =etM Dust introduce oursel)es'irst be'ore e get into the details

o' our sur)i)al plan. 2 -ood. he is trying tocontrol the agenda.

B >i. 3y na&e is John Burns. * a&the >o&e&aker. * ill be honestith you.


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>ello. 3y na&e is r. chanher. *a& an epert on handling stress /5and can be )ery help'ul to e)eryone as e try to sur)i)e. * &ustalso tell you that &y i'e died

in the crash. o * onCt be goinganyhere until e are rescued. ", /.................

% ". =ead the coring and ebrie'ing ession.

here are many ways to conduct the debriefing of the game! ?ou should feel free

to do what you have time for! 4e will describe some of your choices in this Step!

a. -roup el'ritiue %he hort 5or&

he game's rules call for a Scoring and 6ebriefing phase after the game is over!he simplest way to do this is to have the players compute their individual scores and thenshare three pieces of information with the rest of the group) *! their score+ ! their"=ottom &ine"+ and ! what they claim to have scored Points for! 2See /igures H and G!3he Secrets cards tell the players what terms in the final agreement they are entitled toclaim Points for, but often some scoring udgment is re7uired! /or instance, in "(etting6ivorced" the teenage child of the divorcing couple wants his parents to commit to atleast two months of good faith "marriage counseling"! >either parent is really interestedin "marriage counseling", but they are willing to attend "family counseling"! he 7uestionis then whether this kind of "family counseling" can fairly be claimed as "marriagecounseling" by the teenager! 0t is up to the players to decide! he eam &eader is the finalarbiter if a decision cannot be reached!

he very process of trying to evaluate the Point value of the final agreement turnsout to be a valuable form of group self-criti7ue! hey 7uickly see the need for greaterclarity regarding the terms of their agreement! ?ou don't have to say anything for them to


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get this lesson from playing the game! Aevealing everyone's "bottom lines" after the gameis e1tremely useful feedback, because players can see what mistakes they made and whatvalue they left on the table! hey see that the game is a real negotiation! he rules helpthem see what they did and did not do effectively without any teacher intervention!

5igure 7

THESCORING FORMPoints are earned by having certain valuable ters included in the !nal agreeent"

THE NAME OF THE GAME

THE PLAYERS: ############# ############# #############

############# ############# #############

############# ############# #############

THE BASIC ISSUES:

$"

%"

&"

'"

THE CREATIVE IDEAS:


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$"

%"

&"

'"

("

)"

*"

Fig! #

THESCORING FORMP$i%& (! (!%) *+ ,(i%g .!&(i% (/(*/ &!0 i%./)) i% &, 1%(/(g!0%&2

STOPPING THE FIGHTING THE NAME OF THE GAME

+,es+ PointsTHE PLAYERS: T, P!i%. 3333 33333

4/i 3333 33333T-B(// 3333 33333H()5 C(6/& 3333 33333F!2 L(!!+ 3333 33333C&i-O 3333 33333

R$0$ 3333 33333T$&(/

THE BASIC ISSUES:

72 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( 6*/i. 1g,&! g& 9i/)3333333


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2 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( M&2 T(g 1g,&! g& 9i/)3333333

;2 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( C(6/& 1g,&! g& 9i/)3333333

THE CREATIVE IDEAS INCLUDED IN THE FINAL AGREEMENT:

72

2

;2

2

b. -roup el'critiue %he =onger 5or&

9fter the group has scored its Points and each player has shared his or her Pointsand =ottom &ines, the group can use the following "(roup #hecklist" to collectivelycriti7ue the process it used to solve this problem!

%> -E?4C >F=*%

*! 6id the group stay focused on its purpose or did it get distracted from itsgoalsC 4hat happenedC

! 6id the group succeed in forming a genuine partnership or did it stay in acompetitive mode to the endC 6id this make a difference to the outcomeC

! 6id the group use a well-thought out agenda to make its decisions or was itsprocess random and hapha:ardC 4hat happenedC

I! 6id the group e1change accurate and complete information about each party'smost important interests, factual assumptions, standards of fairness and best alternativesprior to making its decision or did it make its decisions based on incomplete andinaccurate informationC


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.! 4as the group able to do some 7uality brainstorming to improve the solution tothe problemC 0f not, why notC 0f so, why were you able to do thisC

J! 6id the group bargain issue by issue or with packages of well-defended optionsthat were improved with further brainstormingC

H! 5ow well did the group manage the tension between creating and claiming the"value" it had created for its members, particularly as the deadline approachedC

c. *ndi)idual el'critiue

?ou can ask each player now or later, orally or in writing, to evaluate his or herperformance during the game! 9 simple checklist for such a self-criti7ue follows!

*! 4hat was your goal for this gameC 5ow much satisfaction of your interestswere you seekingC

! 6escribe briefly the agenda that was actually used during this negotiation! 0nother words, what really happened and in what orderC

! 6escribe briefly what your planned agenda was for this negotiation and howwell you think the players followed it, if at allC

I! 0f you were surprised or bothered by anything that happened in thisnegotiation, please describe what it was!

.! 6id you leave any value on the table at the end of the game that you could

have gotten if you had conducted this negotiation differentlyC

J! 0f you feel you left value on the table, which of the following reasons bestdescribes why you did soC

a! 0 didn%t try harder enough to get a better result for my role!b! 0 wasn%t skilled enough to get a better result for my role!c! 0 thought it would be unfair to claim more than 0 claimed for my role!d! 0 has satisfied with how much 0 got even if it wasn%t everything 0 could get!

H! 0f you had this negotiation to do over again, what would you do differentlyC5ow might you have prepared better for itC

d. =eader=ed -roup ritiue

0t is easy to discuss the playing of one si1ty-minute #hallenge indefinitely! hee1perience tends to provoke so many 7uestions by the players that you need to negotiatethe agenda for the group criti7ue! 6epending on how much time you have and your goalsfor the e1ercise, we recommend starting with some very open-ended, player-driven7uestions and then only later sharing your views of the effectiveness of their play! ;e


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strongly reco&&end conducting the critiue as a 8lue earching9 process &orethan a 8lue haring9 or 8Bargaining9 process by hich you are telling the playersho they should ha)e conducted the&sel)es! his doesn't mean you shouldn't shareyour suggestions for more effective strategies! 0t ust means that your advice should betempered by openness to minimi:e your players' defensiveness toward your views! 4eshall illustrate how this might look!

Beginnings

+4e have M time to discuss what you ust did! 0 would like to find out what youthought of the game and then 0 will ask you some specific 7uestions about the strategiesdifferent players actually used during the game! 9ny 7uestions before we beginC (


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6id you feel confident going into this game as a result of the preparation you didC4hyC

he theory is that good preparation increases your self-confidence in the playing ofthe game and improves your performance of every stage of the game! 6o you agree ordisagree with this theoryC 4hyC

-oal uestions

4hat was your goal for this gameC

5ow would you evaluate the deal you actually gotC

6id your goal change during the gameC 5owC 4hyC

6id you lose focus of your own goals during the gameC 4hat happenedC 4hateffect did this have on your playing of the gameC

6id you think the group lost its focus on its goals during the gameC 4hathappenedC 4hat effect did this have on the outcomeC

6id you get refocused at some pointC 5owC 4henC

0n general, after playing this game, how important do you think staying focusedon your goals is for your successC 4hyC 4hat about for the groupC

4hat are the best strategies for staying focused on your and the group's goalsC

5ow important was the eam &eader in keeping the group focused on its purposeC

6id a leader other than the eam &eader emerge who was particularly good atkeeping the group focused on its taskC

he theory is that the more focused you and the group are on your purpose, themore effectively everyone performs! 6o you agree or disagree with this theoryC

*ntroduction uestions

5ow did you introduce yourselvesC 4hy did you do it that wayC 4as yourintroduction effective or ineffective given your overall strategy for this gameC

6id you see any other 0ntroductions that you felt were particularly effective orineffectiveC Please describe and e1plain!

0f you were going to introduce yourself again in this game, how would you do itC4hyC


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he theory is that some roles need to present a general vision of an ideal solutionat the very beginning of the game that anchors the subse7uent discussion withoutpolari:ing people into opposing camps! his is a leadership theory! 4hat do you thinkabout such a strategyC

he theory says the best strategy in general is to stay firm on your interests butfle1ible on the means for satisfying your interests! 6o you agree or disagree with thisstrategyC 5ow might it get used during the 0ntroductionC


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he theory says that you are almost always better off reducing the defensiveness ofthe other players toward you personally, regardless of your goal! 6o you agree ordisagree with this theoryC 4hyC

4hat role do you think trust plays in group problem-solvingC 4hyC

he theory says that the collective trust level of the group is a good indicator ofthe group's effectiveness as a problem-solving team! 6o you agree or disagree with thistheoryC 4hyC

4hat role did the eam &eader play in influencing the working relationship of yourgroupC 4hat did she doC

he theory says that it often takes very skillful and courageous leadership tochange a working relationship that has gone badC 4hat do you think about thisC 4hatdoes an effective leader do to change a bad working relationshipC

lue haring uestions

5ow accurate and complete was the sharing of important, confidential informationamong the players before they had to make a decision to solve the #hallengeC

#ould the information sharing have been betterC 5owC 4hy do you say thisC

4hat information in general do you think is the most important to share with thegroup before it has to make a decisionC

6id you get the information you planned to get when you prepared for this gameC

6escribe what happened!

0f you were going to prepare for clue searching and sharing for this game again,would you do anything differentlyC 4hatC 4hyC

5ow was the information sharing among the group organi:edC 4as it donesystematically or hapha:ardlyC 4hyC 6id this make a difference to the outcomeC

#ould the information sharing have been done betterC 5owC

5ow does an individual decide as a practical matter when to share some potentiallyimportant piece of confidential information and when to withhold itC

4hat are the risks of disclosing informationC 5ow could it make you morevulnerableC

4hat are the risks to the individual of withholding somethingC 4hat are the risksto the groupC


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4hat are the ethical rules surrounding disclosing information in a game like thisoneC 4hyC 0s it ON to misrepresent something you disclose to the other playersC 4hyC

5ow do you get another player to answer a 7uestion he doesn't want to answerC

4hat is the best way to disclose information you chose to reveal to the otherplayersC 5ow important is timingC 6etailC 9uthorityC

0s it better to ask 7uestions before answering 7uestions or the reverseC 6oes itreally matterC

he theory says that it is generally better to understand the other players' interests,values, factual view of the situation and alternatives before we reveal anything to them orstart proposing solutions to the "problem"! 6o you agree or disagree with this theoryC4hyC

6o you think it is realistic to e1pect people to give you confidential information

during a game like this oneC 4hyC

3atching 4p uestions

6id your group make a good list of important things they sharedC 4hy or whynotC

5ow important do you think this strategy isC 4hyC

4hat are the most useful "matches" in generalC

6o you think this is a realistic step to take in real negotiationsC 4hy or why notC

5ow important do you think the eam &eader is in insuring effective ;atching


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5ow realistic do you think it is to be able to have a good brainstorming session ina game like this oneC 4hyC

9re there realistic things you could have done if this were a real negotiation toimprove the likelihood a productive brainstorming session occurredC

5ow important is mutual trust to an effective brainstorming sessionC 4hyC

4as it hard not to evaluate the ideas when they were proposedC 4hyC

4hat can you do to improve the group trust level before you begin brainstormingC

5ow important is the role of the eam &eader in running an effective brainstormingsessionC 4hyC

4hat can you do when people are clearly bargaining in the name of brainstormingC

9re there other procedures for running an effective brainstorming session inaddition to a "no udging" ground ruleC

4here do you think genuinely innovative ideas come from in generalC #an peopletrain themselves to become better at finding innovative solutions to common problems, oris this ust something we do or don't doC

Bargaining uestions

5ow was the bargaining actually conducted during your gameC

4hen did the first bargaining startC 6uring 0ntroductionsC #lue SharingC=rainstormingC

4as bargaining issue by issue or in packagesC 5ow did this happenC

6id the way bargaining was handled make a difference to the outcomeC

6id anyone propose a =est /irst OfferC 5ow well did it workC

6id it become the anchor for subse7uent discussionC 4hy or why notC

4ere there competing =est /irst Offer packagesC 5ow did that workC 5ow werethey ustifiedC

6id bargaining begin too soon or too lateC 4hy do you say thisC

4as the first offer too "high" or too "low"C 4hat does that meanC 5ow did thathappenC 4hat effect did it have on the outcomeC

5ow were concessions from the first offer madeC 5ow were they ustifiedC


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4hat is the best way to make a concession in this situationC

5ow does brainstorming work during, rather than before, bargainingC

4hat role did deadlines play in bargaining in this gameC 9re deadlines helpful orharmfulC 4hyC

6id anyone consciously counsel the other players on the advantages of their offerover the best alternatives of the other playersC 5ow did that workC

5inalizing uestions

6id the group pace itself well or did it run out of time to solve this problemC 4hathappenedC

5ow important was the eam &eader during /inali:ingC

4hat procedures did the group use to build consensus and try to reach anagreementC 6id you use voting procedures or did consensus ust emerge spontaneouslyC

5ow important were the ;atching


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THE VALUE OF THE FRAMEWORKAND THE GAME

;> -


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*F! 0t teaches problem framing skills!

**! 0t teaches consensus building skills by re7uiring a unanimous vote!

*! 0t teaches the usefulness of obective criteria, standards of fairness andcommon ground in ;atching


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! 0t teaches the value-ladened nature of "facts"!

! 0t teaches democratic decision making at the grass roots level!

I! 0t teaches how to reconcile the tension between individual interests and theinterests of the group or society as a whole!

>?; %> -


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game! he e1plicit structure of the game makes it easier to compare your performance ofthis or any task with that of the other players!

6. *t teaches coalition building skills.

he 0ntroductions leg gives the players a 7uick opportunity to identify who mightbe their allies during the game! 8ach of the later legs re-enforces or 7ualifies their firstimpression as players search for support for their Points in the final agreement!

7. *t teaches agenda setting and controlling skills.

he structure of the game gives players an easy to remember agenda for realnegotiations! he eam &eader continually reminds them during the game of the need tostay on task and on schedule! echni7ues for getting back on track on constantly beingtested by all the players! (roup Planning formally asks them to state their plan, theirground rules and the issues they want to address! 6uring 6ebriefing it gives them achance to criti7ue the ade7uacy of their plan and the enforcement of their rules!

". *t teaches in'or&ation gathering, sharing and bargaining skills and ethics.

#lue Sharing re7uires the players to be very efficient when collecting informationfrom the other players and when disclosing what they want to share! 0t gives them achance to compare information bargaining strategies used by different players! &aterduring 6ebriefing it lets them evaluate the clarity, effectiveness and honesty of theinformation sharing that occurred!

#. *t teaches proble& 'ra&ing skills.

he game structures the players' efforts so that they have to start =rainstormingand then =argaining usually with not enough time to do perfect information sharing andproblem framing! 6uring 6ebriefing the missing clues are often identified and the need formore thorough preparation is driven home!

10. *t teaches consensus building skills.

=ecause the game re7uires a unanimous vote to approve any deal before anyone iseligible to win, players 7uickly figure out the need to turn a competitive situation into amore cooperative one! =y the time they get to ;atching


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12. *t teaches brainstor&ing skills.

he =rainstorming leg e1plicitly gives the players permission to brainstormskillfully without fear of criticism or evaluation! 9 skillful eam &eader will protect eachmember of the group relying on the rules of the game for the authority to control theagenda! Once players see how a good brainstorming session can add real value to the finalagreement, they will never be as satisfied problem solving without it!

1!. *t teaches bargaining skills and ho to &ake a good 'irst o''er.

he =argaining leg discourages players from beginning bargaining too early andteaches them the importance of an e1cellent, well-defended first offer! hey don't havetime for mistakes! hey are able to easily compare the pros and cons of issue by issuebargaining with package bargaining with options derived from brainstorming!

1. *t teaches trading skills and concession strategies.

6uring =argaining and /inali:ing, e1plicitly trading options to improve Point totalsis essential! =ecause the trading process is so obvious, the structure of the game makes iteasier for the players to evaluate the most effective trading and concession strategies!

1/. *t teaches ho to co&bine brainstor&ing ith bargaining.

6uring =argaining and /inali:ing the players have to build different ways toimprove the proposal so everyone can agree! #ombining brainstorming with bargaining isthe most obvious way for players to do this! 9 proposal is made and then the players tryto improve it by brainstorming about a specific aspect of the multiple option package!

16. *t teaches counseling skills.

6uring =argaining and /inali:ing players try to e1plain to the others why the offeron the table meets their needs better than their best alternative! his is counseling verymuch the way you would do it with your own clients or teammates!

17. *t teaches interest and )alues clari'ication and prioritizing skills.

he Points and Secrets cards often have contradictory messages about what theplayer wants most! =argaining and /inali:ing re7uire that these values and interests beclarified, reconciled and then prioriti:ed to reach a final deal!

1". *t teaches 'inalizing skills.

he deadlines of the game force the players to be efficient during the /inali:ing legin order to get the most Points!

1#. *t teaches the di''erence a&ong +issues+, +interests+ and +positions+.


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(roup Planning re7uires the players to list their "issues" without bargaining tooearly! #lue Sharing and =rainstorming re7uire the players to describe their interests butnot their bargaining positions! =argaining lets them advocate a particular position! hestrategic subtleties among these three categories of information sharing can be tested andthen criti7ued during 6ebriefing!

20 *t teaches inter)ieing and uestioning skills.

#lue Sharing gives players practice asking good, open-ended and follow-up7uestions! he 6ebriefing session gives them immediate feedback about how well theyperformed their probing and challenging strategies!

21. *t teaches arguing skills.

=argaining and /inali:ing give the players lots of opportunities to defend theirsettlement proposals using their standards of fairness, their mutual interests, the "facts"

and the players' alternatives!

22. *t teaches creati)ity and &utual gain&aking skills.

=rainstorming and =argaining give the players practice adding value to the finalagreement through current and future mutual gain!

2!. *t teaches 'eedback skills.

he Scoring and 6ebriefing session provides well-structured information aboutwhere players could have performed better during each of the seven legs of the (ame!hey get to see what they left on the table, what assumptions they made incorrectly, whatsources of constructive and obstructive power they failed to e1ploit and what the othersfound to be influential! hey also get to see how powerful this form of feedback can be forenhancing learning!

2. *t teaches relationship building skills.

he players 7uickly learn the importance of the working relationship and thegeneral level of trust that is necessary for each of the legs to work most effectively! he6ebriefing session gives them a well-structured opportunity to point out where the trustlevel went up or down and what impact it had on the effectiveness of the group!

2/. *t teaches con)ening skills.

Some of the games illustrate the difficulty of getting some roles to negotiate ingood faith! hese games give players practice and confidence e1perimenting withstrategies for engaging the "difficult" role!


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26. *t teaches i&ple&entation skills.

Some of the games illustrate what happens when the previous agreement was notclear or was not accepted wholehearted by certain stakeholders! 0n these games, the#hallenge is figuring out how to redo a deal that is more durable!

27. *t teaches con'lict resolution skills.

hese are all conflict resolution skills! "#onflict" is the perception of irreconcilableinterests! hat perception may be wrong! he game presents apparently competinginterests and challenges the players to reconcile them!

2". *t teaches ti&e &anage&ent skills.

he fast pace of the game forces players to see the need to perform each taskade7uately rather than spending all their time on one task at the e1pense of the others!

2#. *t teaches the &ultidi&ensional nature o' proble&s.

Players get a chance to see e1perientially the many different ways to look at thesame problem depending on the role the player is playing!

!0. *t teaches the relati)ity o' )alues.

Players get to see the many different standards of fairness that stakeholders canhave about the outcome of the same problem!

!2. *t teaches the )alueladed nature o' +'acts+.

Players get to see in role how the same facts are shaped by the values of thestakeholders!

!!. *t teaches the tension beteen indi)idual and group interests.

he Points for individual and mutual gain help the players see very 7uickly thetension between individual and group interests and how they might be reconciled inpractical ways!

; -


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"group problems", we have an unlimited marketof people who could benefit from learningthe System and playing the (ame! 0n real life "group problem-solving" goes by differentnames) management, client counseling, legislative decision making, policy making,political leadership, litigation, urban planning, environmental planning, parenting, grouptherapy, family therapy, organi:ational development, school administration, churchadministration, non-profit administration, military administration, anti-povertyprogramming, literacy programming, and social problem management of every kind!

1.


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>egotiators could play a game with their own clients before the real negotiation to helpidentify problems and work out the agenda! 4e did something like this for the8nvironment Protection 9gency with "Aetaking &ost (round"! 4e created a"brownfields" reclamation game for community and agency representatives who played itand then discussed how it would work in the real world! 9 "role reversal" ground rulewhich prevents players from playing themselves in the game helps everyone see the otherperspectives more clearly!

. Nonpro'it =eadership %raining

0 teach a "&eadership >egotiation" course at ufts


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One of the most promising school-related applications of the game involves its usefor structuring a student's substantive learning of a subect! 0n an environmental literacycourse for high school students at ufts


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4itch rials! he #hallenge was literally to figure out how to tell a witch from a witch! 0tencouraged students to think about the problem of scapegoating in their own school aswell as to integrate their reading of 9rthur ;iller's "he #rucible" with their historicalstudies of early colonial 9merican life! Over si1ty students playing the (amesimultaneously in eight teacher-led groups were remarkably successful in addressing theseproblems creatively and effectively! 9ll eight groups reached a unanimous agreement, yetno two solutions were the same!

0n Bune, a group of not-for-profit managers met at the ;anagement and#ommunity 6evelopment 0nstitute at ufts


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he game is a wonderful way to present comple1 ethical and moral issues! /orinstance, every Secrets card includes the player's "Standard of /airness" for the outcomeof that version of the game! 0n "Surviving a Plane #rash", some players are committed toeveryone's survival, while other players are more concerned with their own survival!8very player's Standard of /airness is presented in as favorable a light as possible in orderto s7uarely present the hard, moral dilemmas raised by the apparent conflict of interests!

Aeligious teachers, particularly of Sunday school classes and middle and highschool youth groups, are often eager 2if not desperate3 to find engaging e1ercises for theirstudents that are fun and relevant to their religious and educational goals! =ecause the(ame can be centered on any historical or =iblically significant event that involvedmultiple decision makers, like ;oses' decision to escape from 8gypt, we can design gamesfor different age groups with different goals! ?ou can also use the (ame to teach moraldecision making using any issue that has four or more sides to it i!e! how do you provesomeone is "evil" in "Scaping a Scapegoater"!

10. < %on 3eeting


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1!. usto&ized -a&es

0f we had a staff who could produce new versions 7uickly, we can produce mostnew #hallenges in two days, depending on how much factual research and client-collaboration is re7uired! #lients would fill out an order form specifying the problem theywant to solve and the roles they want to play!


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SECRETS AND STRATEGIES

8%> E4= ?5 %> -


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5olloing lue haring, the %ea& =eader leads a discussion to con'ir& the etent to hichthe players share the sa&e interests, standards o' 'airness and 'acts, i. e. their co&&on ground, onhich they can design the best solutions to the 8hallenge9. %he players ha)e / &inutes to co&pletethis leg o' the ga&e. %he %ea& =eader keeps track o' the ti&e and lets e)eryone kno hen it isti&e to &o)e on.

BRAINSTORM: (10 3inutes$

%he %ea& =eader leads a brainstor&ing session, 'ree o' Dudg&ental e)aluations o' theideas produced, to generate a list o' creati)e ideas that &ight later be re'ined into options 'or the bestsolutions to the hallenge. %he %ea& =eader keeps track o' the ti&e and lets e)eryone kno hen itis ti&e to &o)e on.

BARGAIN: (10 3inutes$

?nce the playersC clues and creati)e ideas ha)e been shared, the process o' pinning donthe 'inal ter&s o' the solution begins under the direction o' the %ea& =eader, ho ill help theplayers try to reach a )aluable agree&ent to hich they can all agree. %he %ea& =eader keeps tracko' the ti&e and lets e)eryone kno hen it is ti&e to &o)e on.

FINALI@E: (10 3inutes$

uring the last 10 &inutes o' the ga&e the %ea& =eader care'ully clari'ies the etent o'agree&ent and tries to &o)e the players toard a )aluable solution to hich they can all agree. *'ti&e allos, the %ea& =eader tries to see i' the deal can be i&pro)ed ithout hurting anyone orsending the group back into disagree&ent. %he %ea& =eader keeps track o' the ti&e and letse)eryone kno hen it is ti&e to stop.

SCORE (%) DEBRIEF

%he ga&e ends hen one o' three things happens 1. the players all agree that they cannotreach an agree&ent to hich they ill all agreeH 2. ti&e runs out ithout an agree&entH or !. theplayers all agree to the ter&s o' a solution to the co&&on 8hallenge9. ;hen no agree&ent isreached by the deadline, e)eryone loses. ;hen an agree&ent is reached prior to the deadline tohich e)eryone agrees, e)eryone ins. %he ;inner o' the ga&e is the player (or players$ ho hasreco)ered the &ost )alue 'ro& the agree&ent as )alued by the oints on the playersC +ecrets+cards.

%he %ea& =eader leads a clockise re)ie o' the ga&e asking each player to state 1. hisor her scoreH 2. his or her botto& lineH and !. hat he or she got that earned oints. %he indi)idualplayer ith the &ost oints is the ;inner o' the ga&e. ;hen &ore than one group plays the sa&ega&e at the sa&e ti&e, the group that earns the &ost total oints (the su& o' each roleCs oints$ isthe %ea& ;inner.


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THE COMPLETE THE SAMEPLANE

LEADER'S GUIDEby

Burdick and Burnstein, copyright @ [email protected]

(6177!"#!00$


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INTRODUCTION

"he Same Plane" is both an easy-to-learn framework for successful groupproblem solving and a very enoyable game for teaching players how to use the frameworkin their professional and everyday lives! "he #omplete $he Same Plane% &eader's(uide" was written for any leader, teacher, trainer, manager, fund-raiser or dinner hostwho might be interested in playing he Same Plane the game! his guide includes) *!anoverview of the game and the problem-solving framework it teaches+ !a step-by-stepdescription of how to set up and run the game+ ! suggestions for different ways to use thegame, such as team building, fund-raising and brainstorming retreats+ and .! a booklet ofstrategies for how to play the game that can be given to players!


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AN OVERVIEW OF THE SAME PLANE

/irst, he Same Plane is a framework for solving real group problems more

creatively and more effectively! he framework is easy for you to teach, easy for yourplayers to learn and easy to use in a wide variety of situations in which two or morepeople need each other's help to satisfy their own interests!

Second, he Same Plane is a scoreable, competitive game by which theframework is taught and learned! Players play the game to solve different #hallengesthat test their ability to use the framework in different situations! 0n other words, you usethe game to teach this problem solving to others!

he game uses the metaphor of a plane of players flying around the world in si1tyminutes attempting to reach a unanimous agreement about how to solve the problem theyshare before they land 2or crash3! he players are asked to fly around the world in seven

distinct legs that represent the seven strategies of the framework! he time to play thegame can easily be adusted to accommodate your schedule! 4e will describe how you canmake these adustments later! his section assumes your players are taking the si1ty-minute flight! 5ere is how this trip looks!

6uring the flight the players in role are presented with a #hallenge that they allhave an interest in solving! he game can address an unlimited number of multiparty#hallenges, e!g! planning a wedding, avoiding a strike, escaping an earth7uake orcleaning up a to1ic waste site! 4e currently have over forty #hallenges! 8ach#hallenge includes different roles for players to play in the challenging situation! /orinstance, "Surviving a Plane #rash" portrays the players as the only survivors of a plane

crash in a remote part of central 9laska who have to negotiate a survival plan to whichthey can all agree! he players each get the common "#hallenge" card and a private"Secrets" card which describes their role and gives them confidential information abouttheir interests, their standards of fairness, their knowledge of the situation and theiralternatives! 0n "Surviving a Plane #rash", the roles include the co-pilot, a nurse, a doctor,a teacher, a fisher, a contractor, a homemaker, a sales person, a flight attendant and asoldier! 8ach player earn Points toward winning the game when the unanimously-approved final agreement includes terms they value according to their "Secrets" card!

he Same Plane capitali:es on the classic tension created by trying to advanceindividual and group goals at the same time! he goal of the group in the game is to

unanimously agree to the most valuable overall solution to the #hallenge before theyland! he goal of each individual player is to persuade the others to agree to the mostvaluable solution for their role! 9ny agreement is worth something to each player, butsome agreements are more valuable than others! he player's goal is to get the mostvaluable agreement for him or herself and for the group! %he key to playing the ga&esuccess'ully is 'iguring out ho to 'ul'ill both goals at the sa&e ti&e, an essentialskill 'or li)ing in any de&ocratic organization or society.


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he si1ty-minute version of the game re7uires the players to solve the #hallengeby working cooperatively together during the seven legs of their round-the-world flight!5ere are the seven legs or problem solving strategies!

1. "*ntroductions+ (1 &inute each$On the first leg called "0ntroductions", eachplayer has one &inuteto strategically introduce him or herself to the other players whilethe plane flies to 8urope!

2. "-roup lanning+ (/ &inutes$6uring the second leg called "(roupPlanning" the plane flies for 'i)e &inutesto 9sia, where the players list the "issues" theywant to address during the game and decide on the ground rules that will govern the waythey will work together while in the air!

!. "lue haring+ (10 &inutes$ 6uring the third leg called "#lue Sharing", theplane flies to 9ustralia where for ten &inutesthe players strategically e1change theconfidential information on their Secrets cards, carefully weighing what to disclose,what to withhold and what to ask the others!

. "3atching 4p+ (/ &inutes$6uring the fourth leg called ";atching orth 9merica in preparation for landing! he playersscramble to fasten their seat belts and to make sure the terms of the final agreement areclear, acceptable to everyone and as valuable as they can be before landing!

coring and ebrie'ing9fter the game is over, if a unanimous agreement wasreached before time ran out, the players add up their individual Points by comparing theterms of the agreement with the Points on their Secrets cards! he 4inner is the playerwho earned the most Points from the terms of the final agreement! he game is designedto reward players for getting more than their "bottom lines"! 0f they agree to a solutionthat does not meet at least their "bottom line", they can't win! hey earn Points for what isactually included in the final solution to the #hallenge, and not necessarily for how wellthey performed during the game! 5owever, their performance should make a significantdifference to the outcome if they played the game skillfully!


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A STEP-BY-STEP DESCRIPTION FORSETTING UP AND RUNNING THE GAME

% 1 elect the 8hallenge9 :ou ;ant to lay.

here are many he Same Plane #hallenges! 8ach #hallenge has a"#hallenge" card like the one from ">ot 0n ;y =ackyard" in /igure * that describes thecommon problem the players face and the different roles which the players can play! 8achplayer gets his or her own confidential "Secrets" card like the one from "/inding =uriedreasure" in /igure which describes who the player is and what he or she cares aboutduring the game!

5igure 1

NOT IN MY BACKYARDby

Burdick and Burstein, copyright 1##7

[email protected]


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%he hallenge?ou are all members of a Select #ommittee of interested parties asked bythe @oning=oard to respond to a re7uest by (eneral Services #orp! 2(S#3 for permissionto operate a transfer station for the transportation of solid waste to the site of the oldAogers unk yard near =all S7uare ust off of =roadway! he solution you are seeking isthe best response to this proposal which best meets the interests of the all the parties mostaffected! 9 transfer station is a place where rubbish is brought by truck to be compactedand transferred to larger trucks and then transported to solid waste sites, in this case in thewestern part of the state! his site has been unused for five years! 0t had been the locationof the Aogers 9uto Bunk ?ard for over fifty years, and a target of environmentalists whosuspect many years of ha:ardous waste disposal of antifree:e, motor oil, gasoline, usedtires and other petroleum products! 0t borders a working class residential neighborhood inSomerville composed mostly of multi-family houses, 9mtrak train tracks, and a lightindustrial park of small, relatively clean, manufacturing firms occupying three oldermanufacturing plants! ?our ob as a group is to decide whether or not (S# should get thevariance that would permit it to use this site as a transfer station! 0f the answer is aconditional "yes", you must then decide two issues)

%he layers he Players for this game include the President of the Somerville #hamberof #ommerce, the President of (S#, the President of the =all S7uare Aesidents'9ssociation, the Somerville #hief of Public Safety, the #hair of the Somerville =oard of5ealth, the ;ayor of Somerville, the #ommissioner of the State 6epartment of8nvironmental Protection, and the President of Somerville rash #ompany, 2S#3!

%he *ssues *! 5ow much money will be spent on the siteC

! 4hat limits will be placed on the operation of the siteC

%he


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:our *nterests?ou are interested in supporting any development proect thatenhances the President's political ambitions, which means he must be able to take creditfor the outcome!

:our tandards o' 5airness?ou will do whatever is legal to get what you want!

:our 5acts ?our agency is responsible for protecting the coastal waters of the


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played the game in less than desirable space many times! 4e have seen it work well withfour groups of si1th graders sitting around tables in the same classroom without blackboards! he eam &eaders helped keep the noise level down and took notes that theyshared with their own groups!

he ideal si:e for brainstorming is supposed to be H people! 4e have seen groupsas large as ** work well together and as small as I! 4e have seen as many as I groups ofJ players each in a traditional classroom play the game successfully! 8ach group sataround a table on which they could write down ideas and take notes!

8ach #hallenge is designed so that some roles are less crucial to the play thanothers in the event fewer than the ideal complement of players is available! 4e haveindicated the most dispensable roles in the description of the #hallenges found in9ppendi1. ?ou can also assign more than one player to important roles!

% ! elect %he %ea& =eaders ;ho ;ill =ead ach -roup ?' layers%hrough the e)en =egs ?' %he -a&e.

he game uses mediators to assist the other players in working together during theseven legs! here are two ways this is done! /irst, you or the players can select a eam&eader who does not get a Secrets card, but instead gets a "eam &eader's Plan" 2See/igure !3 and who remains a non-partisan guide throughout the playing of the game! heeam &eader is like a mediator in a multiparty negotiation whose ob it is to help theplayers come up with the best overall solution to the #hallenge in si1ty-minutes!

/or first time players, the eam &eader's role is often critical to the group'ssuccess! he eam &eader in effect teaches the other players how to play the game well asit is being played! ime allowing, you may ask the eam &eaders to learn the rules of the

game ahead of time to enhance their ability to help teach the other players how to play! 0fyou have the time, you should coach the eam &eaders about the critical strategies to helptheir groups! he "eam &eader's Plan" is a useful guide for what eam &eaders shoulddo during the game! Once you have seen the game played at least one time, you willbecome more comfortable helping them play their role! ;e reco&&end picking yournatural leaders to be the %ea& =eaders the 'irst ti&e you play the ga&e. =ater ereco&&end sharing this responsibility a&ong all your players.


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5igure !

THE TEAM LEADER'S PLAN

:ou are responsible 'or your groupCs success. ;hile each o' the players hascon'idential instructions to do the best he or she can 'or their role, your Dob is to help

the hole group ork ell to reach the best solution to the co&&on 8hallenge9 tohich they can all agree. >ere is ho you 'ul'ill your responsibility.

E


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playing in the ga&e and about hat they ant regarding sol)ing the 8hallenge9.Feep track o' ti&e and keep the& &o)ing on schedule.


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out. Be sure to keep track o' ti&e. %hey &ust ha)e a unani&ous agree&ent be'orethe deadline 'or anyone to in.

". ?E*N-


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5igure

"BOARDING PASSES"

THE GREETER:ou are responsible 'or 1. beginning the 8*ntroductions9 leg o' the ga&e by introducing yoursel'

'irstH 2. in)iting the others to introduce the&sel)es 'or one &inute each in hate)er order you choseH !. and

su&&arizing hat the players appear to ha)e in co&&on hen e)eryone else is 'inished.

SECURITY:ou are responsible 'or atching the trust le)el o' the players throughout the ga&e and stopping the

action, i' necessary, to ask the players to ork in a &ore cooperati)e &anner ith each other.

THE CO-PILOT:ou are responsible 'or 1. leading the group through 8 -roup lanning9 leg o' the ga&eH

2. getting the players to list all the issues they think &ust be addressed be'ore an agree&ent canbe reachedH !. ha)ing players set additional ground rules 'or the ga&eH and . keeping track o' the ti&e to

insure that the players are on schedule 'or the rest o' the ga&e. 4se a black board i' you ha)e one.

THE DETECTIVE:ou are responsible 'or 1. leading the group through the 8lue haring9 leg o' the ga&eH2. getting the players to list all the i&portant interests they ha)e that &ust be satis'ied by the solution

and all the i&portant, hidden 'acts 'ro& the playersC 8ecrets9 cards. 4se a black board i' you ha)e one.

THE MATCH MAKER:ou are responsible 'or 1. leading the group through the 83atching 4p9 leg o' the ga&e

2. getting the players to list all the co&&on ground they share including their shared standardso' 'airness, co&&on interests and co&&on 'acts. 4se a black board i' you ha)e one.


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THE INVENTOR:ou are responsible 'or 1. leading the group through the 8Brainstor&ing9 leg o' the ga&eH and

2. getting the players to generate a list o' creati)e ideas that they &ay be able to use to sol)e the 8hallenge9.

?NC% =% %>3 E*%**G %> BEo 3uch %i&e :ou ;ant %o pend laying %he -a&e.

:ou should 'eel co&'ortable adDusting the ti&ing 'or setting up, playing anddebrie'ing the ga&e to 'it your needs. here are many ways in which the game can beplayed, depending on your time and interests!

he basic game takes si1ty-minutes to play from the beginning of 0ntroductionsto the end of /inali:ing! 0n addition, you will need time for e1plaining and distributingmaterials before the game begins, and time for scoring and debriefing the game after it isover! ;e ha)e 'ound that a total o' three hours is the ideal a&ount o' ti&e 'or

setting up, playing and debrie'ing the ga&e 'or the 'irst playing o' it, particularlyhen players ha)e not had ti&e to read the &aterials in ad)ance. 5owever, wereali:e that you may not have three hours! 0f you are a teacher, we know that you mayhave to fit the game into forty to fifty minute class periods! 4e have some suggestions forthose of you who may have less fle1ibility for when or how long to run the game!

Some teachers have used the following se7uence! hey will use a portion of oneclass to describe the structure and rules of the game and to distribute the materials! heywill use all of a second class to play and score the game! hey will use a third class,usually very soon after the game is played, to debrief it and to have players e1changefeedback!


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Scoring *F minutes%otal /0 &inutes

Some games can and probably should be played over a much longer period! /orinstance, "&ords of the 0slands" is an opportunity to design a society's constitution! 0tcould take a whole semester to play, some of which would be conducted in class, andsome, outside of class! ?ou could se7uence the H legs in a variety of ways! 9n e1amplemight be to use portions of classes over a number of days or weeks! Students might beencouraged to negotiate in smaller coalitions between and outside of class and to conductfull group meetings during part of a class as follows)

0ntroductions * minute per player (roup Planning Part of * class#lue Sharing Part of * or more classes;atching


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&ight be playing in real li'e. 6on't assign players the role they really play! (ive players achance to see and feel how the other parties might view the situation!

he game has been designed to re7uire minimal preparation for first time players!>oe)er, e reco&&end, i' you ha)e the ti&e, gi)ing out the +ecrets+ card, the

+hallenge+ card and a blank +layerCs lan+ in ad)ance , so players have time tothoroughly familiari:e themselves with the materials and prepare their strategy! heyprepare by reading the "#hallenge" and "Secrets" cards and filling in the blanks on the"Player's Plan"! 2See /igure .!3 ?ou may also want to distribute copies of "he Aules ofthe (ame" and "ricks of the rade for Playing Secrets and Strategies" found in the9ppendi1, if you think your players are likely to read and use them! he "ricks"describes helpful strategies for each leg of the game!

5igure /

THE PLAYER'S PLAN =


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6. B


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% 6 ?bser)e and 5acilitate the laying o' the -a&e.

0n general, we recommend that you be fairly passive during the playing of thegame, observing the groups from a distance and interecting advice only if a groupre7uests it or if they appear to be stuck! 8ach leg of the game re7uires certain tasks beperformed ade7uately! Once you are clear what each leg entails in the overall problem-solving framework, you will become comfortable knowing when to intervene and when toust watch the players try to solve their own problems!

4e have seen teachers of younger players play the role of the eam &eaders whenthe game was played for the first time! 0n these situations the teachers had certain pointsthey wanted to emphasi:e about the problem! =y being the eam &eaders, they couldcontrol the agenda to discuss what they wanted discussed! 4e created a #hallengecalled "Scaping a Scapegoater" for the seventh grade of the Pierce School in =rookline,;assachusetts! hey were studying the Salem, ;assachusetts witch trials in history andreading 9rthur ;iller's "he #rucible" in 8nglish! he teachers wanted the students tomake the connection between calling your enemies "witches" and the kind of scapegoatingpeople do to each other all the time! =y playing the eam &eaders roles, the teachers wereable to frame the problem more clearly for the students and to direct the discussion to theissues they cared most about when the students went off on other tangents! his is a good

e1ample of how the game can teach historical, literary and ethical content as well groupproblem solving theory, values and skills!

% 7 %ake Notes uring the -a&e 'or the ebrie'ing ession.

One of the most important educational features of the game is the ease with whichit permits the players and their coaches to criti7ue their performance afterwards! =ecausethe problem-solving framework is e1plicitly structured, it is easy to figure out when agroup worked well together and when it ran into trouble! 0ndividuals can more easilyassess when a strategy worked and when it failed!

he framework allows players to discuss what standards are appropriate forevaluating each strategic leg of the game and to compare their performance to thosestandards! 0t also allows them to test the ade7uacy of these standards for themselves! /orinstance, what is a good "0ntroduction"C he simple, one minute introduction each playeris permitted to make allows them to consider many different approaches to the negotiationitself! 4ill they present themselves as eager to agree, or skeptical, or angry, or resistantC6o they have a vision for the final agreement that they want to promote nowC Severalyears ago, a group of high school students at ufts


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beforehand! Bust before the game began, one student blurted out, "0 don't get it! 4hat arewe supposed to doC" 4e ust responded, "0ntroduce your role the best way you can!"=ecause of where she was seated in the group, she didn't have to introduce herself untileveryone else had done so! he first player ust said ";y name is Bessie! 0'm the #o-Pilot"! he second player said, ";y name is &inda! 0%m a nurse and 0 want everyone tosurvive!" "he third player said, "5iK ;y name is Shari! 0 am the /isher! 0 have a plan forhow we can all survive if you ust go south with me!" 9t this point the girl who said shedidn%t get it, e1claimed "0've got itK, and she did! =y the time the group got to her twominutes later, she had already worked out an entire strategy for persuading the otherplayers to follow her survival plan, a plan that moved them toward consensus andma1imi:ed her individual Points!

4hile the game encourages the players to perform certain tasks during the sevenlegs, it does not re7uire them to do so! hey are free to ignore the rules if they chose todo so! here is no penalty for failing to follow the directions, e1cept perhaps failing to geta satisfactory agreement! 4e theori:e that groups will do much better if they follow theseven legs in the order prescribed! 5owever, players after their first playing of the game

might be encouraged to test this theory for themselves! ?ou can conduct the followinge1periment! 5ave one group follow the rules strictly and have another group workwithout reference to any particular agenda or strategy! hen see which group did betterand why! he game works very well as an "9ction Science" e1periment that lets playerstest their own ideas about group problem solving effectiveness!

4e recommend that during the game, you take detailed notes to record significantmoves that occurred! 2Lideotaping groups playing the game lets players see how they areperceived by others!3 One way to organi:e your note taking is illustrated in /igure J! ?oudraw a line down the middle of each page of a tablet of paper! On the left side of the pageyou record who said what! On the right side of the line, you put a number that

corresponds to the following code to help you focus, categori:e and evaluate whathappened during the game! >e1t to the code, you can write comments about what waseffective or ineffective regarding that move! he code refers to the *F effective strategiesof the problem solving framework the game teaches! he *F strategies correspond to theH legs of the game as follows!

*N%E?4%*?N

1 tay 'ocused on your goals.

-E?4 =


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+4EK*K*N- < =o&e&akerH =a''erty L5isherH %urner L oldierH chanher L octorH 3ala&bre L i. 3y na&e is John Burns. * a&the >o&e&aker. * ill be honestith you.


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* think e should send so&eone and Bargainingto contact the )illage and call 'or alreadyhelp

% -ood a'ternoon. 3y na&e is Fathy

%urner. * a& a &arine sargeant,highly trained to sur)i)e a disaster

like this one. * ha)e a nu&ber o'ideas that e could use to sur)i)eand get rescued. /5

> -reat. ;hen e get to Brainstor&ing, e ill ant to hear all your

ideas. ! %. =. co&ple&entsand encourages, stays

upbeat

>ello. 3y na&e is r. chanher. *a& an epert on handling stress /5and can be )ery help'ul to e)eryone as e try to sur)i)e. * &ust

also tell you that &y i'e diedin the crash. o * onCt be going

anyhere until e are rescued. ", /.................

% ". =ead the coring and ebrie'ing ession.

here are many ways to conduct the debriefing of the game! ?ou should feel freeto do what you have time for! 4e will describe some of your choices in this Step!

a. -roup el'ritiue %he hort 5or&


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he game's rules call for a Scoring and 6ebriefing phase after the game is over!he simplest way to do this is to have the players compute their individual scores and thenshare three pieces of information with the rest of the group) *! their score+ ! their"=ottom &ine"+ and ! what they claim to have scored Points for! 2See /igures H and G!3he Secrets cards tell the players what terms in the final agreement they are entitled toclaim Points for, but often some scoring udgment is re7uired! /or instance, in "(etting6ivorced" the teenage child of the divorcing couple wants his parents to commit to atleast two months of good faith "marriage counseling"! >either parent is really interestedin "marriage counseling", but they are willing to attend "family counseling"! he 7uestionis then whether this kind of "family counseling" can fairly be claimed as "marriagecounseling" by the teenager! 0t is up to the players to decide! he eam &eader is the finalarbiter if a decision cannot be reached!

he very process of trying to evaluate the Point value of the final agreement turnsout to be a valuable form of group self-criti7ue! hey 7uickly see the need for greaterclarity regarding the terms of their agreement! ?ou don't have to say anything for them to

get this lesson from playing the game! Aevealing everyone's "bottom lines" after the gameis e1tremely useful feedback, because players can see what mistakes they made and whatvalue they left on the table! hey see that the game is a real negotiation! he rules helpthem see what they did and did not do effectively without any teacher intervention!

5igure 7

THESCORING FORMPoints are earned by having certain valuable ters included in the !nal agreeent"



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THE PLAYERS: ############# ############# #############

############# ############# #############

############# ############# #############

THE BASIC ISSUES:

$"

%"

&"

'"

THE CREATIVE IDEAS:

$"

%"

&"

'"

("

)"

*"

Fig! #

THESCORING FORM P$i%& (! (!%) *+ ,(i%g .!&(i% (/(*/ &!0 i%./)) i% &, 1%(/(g!0%&2

STOPPING THE FIGHTING


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+,es+ PointsTHE PLAYERS: T, P!i%. 3333 33333

4/i 3333 33333

T-B(// 3333 33333H()5 C(6/& 3333 33333F!2 L(!!+ 3333 33333C&i-O 3333 33333R$0$ 3333 33333T$&(/

THE BASIC ISSUES:

72 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( 6*/i. 1g,&! g& 9i/)3333333

2 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( M&2 T(g 1g,&! g& 9i/)3333333;2 T, %0*! $8 +(! ( C(6/& 1g,&! g& 9i/)

3333333

THE CREATIVE IDEAS INCLUDED IN THE FINAL AGREEMENT:

72

2

;2

2

b. -roup el'critiue %he =onger 5or&

9fter the group has scored its Points and each player has shared his or her Pointsand =ottom &ines, the group can use the following "(roup #hecklist" to collectivelycriti7ue the process it used to solve this problem!


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%> -E?4C >F=*%

*! 6id the group stay focused on its purpose or did it get distracted from itsgoalsC 4hat happenedC

! 6id the group succeed in forming a genuine partnership or did it stay in acompetitive mode to the endC 6id this make a difference to the outcomeC

! 6id the group use a well-thought out agenda to make its decisions or was itsprocess random and hapha:ardC 4hat happenedC

I! 6id the group e1change accurate and complete information about each party'smost important interests, factual assumptions, standards of fairness and best alternativesprior to making its decision or did it make its decisions based on incomplete andinaccurate informationC

.! 4as the group able to do some 7uality brainstorming to improve the solution tothe problemC 0f not, why notC 0f so, why were you able to do thisC

J! 6id the group bargain issue by issue or with packages of well-defended optionsthat were improved with further brainstormingC

H! 5ow well did the group manage the tension between creating and claiming the"value" it had created for its members, particularly as the deadline approachedC

c. *ndi)idual el'critiue

?ou can ask each player now or later, orally or in writing, to evaluate his or herperformance during the game! 9 simple checklist for such a self-criti7ue follows!

*! 4hat was your goal for this gameC 5ow much satisfaction of your interestswere you seekingC

! 6escribe briefly the agenda that was actually used during this negotiation! 0nother words, what really happened and in what orderC

! 6escribe briefly what your planned agenda was for this negotiation and howwell you think the players followed it, if at allC

.! 0f you were surprised or bothered by anything that happened in thisnegotiation, please describe what it was!

.! 6id you leave any value on the table at the end of the game that you couldhave gotten if you had conducted this negotiation differentlyC

H! 0f you feel you left value on the table, which of the following reasons bestdescribes why you did soC


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e! 0 didn%t try harder enough to get a better result for my role!f! 0 wasn%t skilled enough to get a better result for my role!g! 0 thought it would be unfair to claim more than 0 claimed for my role!h! 0 has satisfied with how much 0 got even if it wasn%t everything 0 could get!

H! 0f you had this negotiation to do over again, what would you do differentlyC5ow might you have prepared better for itC

d. =eader=ed -roup ritiue

0t is easy to discuss the playing of one si1ty-minute #hallenge indefinitely! hee1perience tends to provoke so many 7uestions by the players that you need to negotiatethe agenda for the group criti7ue! 6epending on how much time you have and your goalsfor the e1ercise, we recommend starting with some very open-ended, player-driven7uestions and then only later sharing your views of the effectiveness of their play! ;estrongly reco&&end conducting the critiue as a 8lue earching9 process &ore

than a 8lue haring9 or 8Bargaining9 process by hich you are telling the playersho they should ha)e conducted the&sel)es! his doesn't mean you shouldn't shareyour suggestions for more effective strategies! 0t ust means that your advice should betempered by openness to minimi:e your players' defensiveness toward your views! 4eshall illustrate how this might look!

Beginnings

+4e have M time to discuss what you ust did! 0 would like to find out what youthought of the game and then 0 will ask you some specific 7uestions about the strategiesdifferent players actually used during the game! 9ny 7uestions before we beginC (


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4hat could a player do in this kind of negotiation to increase his powerC

4ho had the power in this gameC 4hy do you say thatC

reparation uestions

4hat did you do to prepare for this gameC 6id that turn out to be enoughC

6id you actually use your preparation during the gameC 5owC

0f you were going to play this game again, would you do anything else to preparefor it than you didC

4as your preparation practical enough to be useful for you during the gameC 4hyor why notC 4hat would you do differently ne1t timeC

6id you feel confident going into this game as a result of the preparation you didC4hyC

he theory is that good preparation increases your self-confidence in the playing ofthe game and improves your performance of every stage of the game! 6o you agree ordisagree with this theoryC 4hyC

-oal uestions

4hat was your goal for this gameC

5ow would you evaluate the deal you actually gotC

6id your goal change during the gameC 5owC 4hyC

6id you lose focus of your own goals during the gameC 4hat happenedC 4hateffect did this have on your playing of the gameC

6id you think the group lost its focus on its goals during the gameC 4hathappenedC 4hat effect did this have on the outcomeC

6id you get refocused at some pointC 5owC 4henC

0n general, after playing this game, how important do you think staying focusedon your goals is for your successC 4hyC 4hat about for the groupC

4hat are the best strategies for staying focused on your and the group's goalsC

5ow important was the eam &eader in keeping the group focused on its purposeC


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6id a leader other than the eam &eader emerge who was particularly good atkeeping the group focused on its taskC

he theory is that the more focused you and the group are on your purpose, themore effectively everyone performs! 6o you agree or disagree with this theoryC

*ntroduction uestions

5ow did you introduce yourselvesC 4hy did you do it that wayC 4as yourintroduction effective or ineffective given your overall strategy for this gameC

6id you see any other 0ntroductions that you felt were particularly effective orineffectiveC Please describe and e1plain!

0f you were going to introduce yourself again in this game, how would you do itC4hyC

he theory is that some roles need to present a general vision of an ideal solutionat the very beginning of the game that anchors the subse7uent discussion withoutpolari:ing people into opposing camps! his is a leadership theory! 4hat do you thinkabout such a strategyC

he theory says the best strategy in general is to stay firm on your interests butfle1ible on the means for satisfying your interests! 6o you agree or disagree with thisstrategyC 5ow might it get used during the 0ntroductionC


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set and control the group's agenda in order to get things done effectively! 4hat do youthink of this theoryC

;orking Eelationship uestions

5ow would you describe the prevailing relationship of the players during thegame) as a messy competition, a polite competition, a genuine partnership or somethingelseC

6id you like the way the players worked togetherC 4hy or why notC

0f you didn't like the way the players worked together, was there anything youcould have done to change the relationshipC 4hatC 4hy didn't you do that during thegameC

4as gender a factor in this gameC AaceC 9geC 4hy do you say thisC

he theory says that you are almost always better off reducing the defensiveness ofthe other players toward you personally, regardless of your goal! 6o you agree ordisagree with this theoryC 4hyC

4hat role do you think trust plays in group problem-solvingC 4hyC

he theory says that the collective trust level of the group is a good indicator ofthe group's effectiveness as a problem-solving team! 6o you agree or disagree with thistheoryC 4hyC

4hat role did the eam &eader play in influencing

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