 All teams
start out with the same $ amount of sufficient
but not excessive resources (fuel, supplies,
batteries, spare tires, etc.) from which to mount
a gold-mining expedition into the Superstition
Mountains. Each team is given a map of the
territory with a selection of routes they may
choose to get to the mine and back.
All
participants have specific roles (leader, trader,
collaborator, analyst, planner, or supply expert)
with critical tasks assigned to each.
As
'Expedition Leaders', we as facilitators help the
teams be successful and maximize their total
return on investment (ROI). There are no 'tricks'
in this simulation. We do not mislead teams.
Expedition leaders will always tell the truth to
the best of their knowledge and in the best
interest of each team.
To do well
doesn't require any special education level, just
a willingness to plan, to share information, and
to allow fellow team members to do their jobs.
A reality
of Lost Dutchman (and most organizations) is that
"Nobody Ever Asks The Expedition Leader for
Advice." Teams generally do not ask for
assistance or help, only for clarification of the
rules and permission to do things. They often
prefer to behave competitively towards each other
and even towards the Expedition Leader.
So while we
as 'Expedition Leaders' could easily impose
advice, best practices, history, or other
resources, if asked, we allow teams to make those
decisions on their own. Here, as in the
workplace, teams only rarely ask for assistance.
In the debriefing, we discuss the realities and
benefits of getting leadership more involved as
coaches and guides.
During the
journey, there are ways for teams to obtain
additional critical information to dramatically
increase gold mining. Hoarding this information
serves only to reduce the potential ROI of the
entire system. Final results will demonstrate
that the teams that didn't collaborate not only
kept others from doing well but sabotaged
themselves. Optimal results come from good
planning, collaboration between teams, and
functional interaction between team members.
In the
debriefing, we discuss some of the structural
factors involved in motivating adult performance.
These factors include time limits, clear goals,
sufficient resources, leadership support, clear
roles, peer support, measured results and a
number of other themes to promote discussions
about potential workplace changes that would
increase motivation, teamwork and results.
"What
does Mining Gold mean in our organization"
is one of the many interesting debriefing
questions that kicks off discussion. Participants
see the impacts of unnecessary competitiveness
and what happens when people don't even bother to
assume collaboration is possible!
Lost Dutchman is an
excellent front-end experience for any strategic
planning, goal-setting, or teambuilding program,
especially with teams that cut across functional
areas such as marketing, accounting, human
resources, production, engineering, and research
and development.
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