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NetWork - Interel, Inc.

1. 63 Debriefing Observation Interpretation Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure Chapter 5 pages 22 24 Here are suggested questions for debriefing E How did the members of Team A learn and practice the NetWork activity How did Team B learn and practice the NetWork activity E What was your reaction to the way your team was organized E At the end of the first 15 minutes your team was given a 1 minute performance test How did your scores turn out What was your reaction to the score E What was your reaction to being reorganized into a cross functional team E What happened when you began functioning as a cross functional team E During the reorganization did you move to another location or stay at your original location E How did you interact with the members of the other group during the cross functional team formation E During the cross functional teamwork members of which team had more influence and authority E What happened to the leader of Team B when cross functional teams were created E What was your score at the final 1 minute performance test Was it better or worse than the previous score State the following general principles and ask the participants if they agree or disagree Encourage them to provide supporting data from the NetWork activity and from their workplace experiences E The formation of cross functional teams initially results in confusion and reduced p
2. the team members the leader of the winning team received a cash prize If we conducted the same activity again how would you behave differently knowing what you know now What would you do differently if you were the leader for the game Based on the insights you gained from this activity how might you behave differently in your workplace Too few participants You can conduct this activity with as few as six participants two leaders each with teams of two members Too many participants You can comfortably conduct this activity with up to 18 participants two leaders each with teams of eight members If you have more participants you can have teams of more than eight members Warn the leaders 57 Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach that they have more members than can participate in a round of the NetWork darts The leaders have to decide what to do with the extra people They can ask some team members to sit out during different rounds of the tournament Not enough time Reduce the time allowed for different activities Limit the leaders to 5 minutes of preliminary instructions Play just one round of 1 minute Not enough time for debriefing This activity has three debriefing sessions E The leaders debrief the team after the tournament E The partners debrief each other E The facilitator conducts a general debriefing If you are pressed for time eliminate the first debriefing session What if
3. type of learning outcomes the characteristics of the participants and the culture of the organization However the basic structure for all debriefing sessions should include these five phases observation interpretation application speculation and correlation Here are brief descriptions of these phases 17 Observation What Happened Interpretation Why Did it Happen Correlation What Are the Parallels Speculation What lf Application How Can We Apply What We Learned The purpose of this phase is to review the NetWork activity and to share different perceptions Begin this phase with an open ended question such as What interesting things happened during the NetWork activity Follow this with a review of decisions actions and consequences during each step of the activity Encourage the participants to identify similarities and differences among their experiences The purpose of this phase is to make sense out of the earlier observations To do this encourage the participants to come up with some general principles that link their behaviors and outcomes in the activity Ask the participants to discuss each principle by offering evidence from the NetWork activity and from their workplace experiences that supports or rejects the principle The purpose of this phase is to relate the NetWork activity to workplace situations Begin this phase with an open ended question How does your experience in
4. apparatus has a felt marker with several cords attached to it These cords pass through loops in a metal framework and end in eight rings Members of your team should stand around the apparatus and each member should hold one or two rings A target is attached to the base of your NetWork apparatus Your goal is to mark different locations on the target making as many marks within a minute as possible Your score equals the number of marks you made in a minute The target has three concentric circles called tracks numbered 5 10 and 20 The tracks are divided into four sectors labelled A B C and D Locations on the target are specified by the sector letter followed by the track number For example B 10 is the location with an asterisk in the diagram 68 Sequence of Locations Scoring Organization of the Team In this activity you should mark the locations on the target in the following sequence A 5 B 5 C 5 D 5 A 10 B 10 C 10 D 10 A 20 B 20 C 20 D 20 Once you have completed the cycle repeat the procedure by beginning with A 5 For each correct mark the team earns a number of points equal to the number of the sector For example for marking C 5 the team earns 5 points for marking A 20 20 points For making marks in an incorrect location or on a line the team loses 10 points All members of the team have the same status and responsibilities They all participate in the NetWork activity unless there
5. are more than eight members In this case different members take turns working on the NetWork apparatus Here are some guidelines for your teamwork E During your initial learning and practice periods work with the cap on the felt marker E Create a supportive and accepting climate in your team E While learning and practicing the procedure encourage everyone to share their thoughts and ideas E Keep a continuous conversation going giving suggestions and feedback E Encourage experimentation and accept errors as a useful learning activity E Having fun at the activity is as important as scoring points E Be creative and come up with ingenious strategies E Keep on learning experimenting and having fun 69 Instructions for Team B The Target The NetWork apparatus has a felt marker with several cords attached to it These cords pass through loops in a metal framework and end in eight rings Members of your team should stand around the apparatus and each member should hold one or two rings A target is attached to the base of your NetWork apparatus Your goal is to mark different locations on the target making as many marks within a minute as possible Your score equals the number of marks you made in a minute The target has three concentric circles called tracks numbered 5 10 and 20 The tracks are divided into four sectors labelled A B C and D Locations on the target are specified by the sector letter fo
6. combine their skills and knowledge to plan act evaluate strategize and achieve the goal Very often they flounder in their task because of their incompetencies and dysfunctional behaviors E The activity ends when the team achieves the goal or the time expires E The facilitator debriefs the participants to increase their awareness of inappropriate behaviors and consequences E The participants do action planning to apply their new awareness to future activities 13 The challenge arena approach provides a powerful tool However it is likely to have several limitations E The challenge arena approach holds up a mirror to the participants If the participants have communication problems in their workplace they will likely have the same problems in the challenge activity While it may be useful to entrap the participants into dysfunctional behaviors and to increase their awareness this approach could demoralize them E The challenge arena approach focuses on the results rather than the learning process The participants are so engrossed in reaching the goal that they tend to ignore important learning points E In most challenge activities learning discussions are postponed to the end The participants do not have an immediate opportunity to apply what they learned E It is difficult to set the challenge at the optimum level Very often the participants fail to reach their goal and the activity ends on a down note In
7. cycle team members should immediately repeat the cycle starting again from A 5 They continue this procedure for 2 minutes The coach will prepare direct encourage motivate and do the other things coaches usually do The referee will keep time and score Tell the coach to spend 2 minutes giving preliminary instructions to the team members Ask the referee to set the timer for 2 minutes and start it At the end of 2 minutes ask the coach to assign team members to different positions around the NetWork apparatus Ask the team members to turn away from the target so that they cannot see it Reassure them that their coach will take care of them by giving them appropriate directions Ask the referee to verify that the capped marker is above the center of the target Ask the referee to set the timer for 2 minutes say start and start the timer The team members touch different locations in the correct sequence following their coach s directions The referee verifies each touch and keeps track of how many touches were made The coach stands on the sidelines and continuously coaches the team members using any suitable approach The coach may make suggestions shout encouragement reprimand team members or applaud their efforts 31 Continuation Conclusion When the timer goes off the referee stops the activity He or she calculates the score for the team awarding 5 points for each time an outer location was touched 10
8. in his or her container 32 Debriefing Observation Interpretation Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure see Chapter 5 pages 22 24 Here are suggested questions for debriefing E What was your reaction to not being able to see what you were doing E What interesting things happened when you were a team member What were the differences among the coaches What did the coaches do that was helpful and effective What did the coaches do that was frustrating and useless What interesting things happened when you were the referee What did you think of the coach s style What interesting things happened when you were the coach E When it was your turn to coach did you borrow any strategies from the other coaches State the following general principles and ask the participants if they agree or disagree Encourage the participants to provide supporting data from the NetWork activity and from their workplace experiences E Your experiences as a team member shape your coaching behaviors E Later coaches do a more effective job than earlier ones because they can borrow other people s strategies E Team scores keep increasing as team members gain more experience with the NetWork apparatus E Coaching has no significant impact on the team s behavior E Coaches motivate the team members even if they don t contribute in any other fashion E Most coaches behave in a similar fashion E
9. in your personal teamwork behaviors Too few participants Participate in the activity as a team member Too many participants Divide the participants into two or more groups and use a separate NetWork apparatus with each eroup If you have only one apparatus ask different groups to 48 Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach take turns to conduct hands on experiments at the NetWork apparatus Not enough time Reduce the time allotted for different activities For example give 5 minutes for exploring the apparatus and 5 minutes for generating the checklist Eliminate the distribution of the handout After the team develops its handout proceed directly to the debriefing session Too much time Allow more time for each phase of the game Ask the participants to arrange the items on their checklist in order of priority Later ask the participants to arrange the items in order of generalizability No time for debriefing As a follow up activity ask the participants to reflect on how each item in the checklist of key success factors applies to teamwork in their workplace While the participants explore the NetWork apparatus help them in these ways E Answer all their questions E Refer them to the relevant sections of the handout E Demonstrate the use of the NetWork apparatus E Explain the use of different targets E Encourage them to get as much hands on practice as possible E Encourage them to keep track of t
10. page 5 9 Attach Target 3 Select two participants to be leaders These leaders have some homework activities At least one hour but preferably a couple of days before the scheduled tournament explain to the leaders that they will be asked to prepare their teams to play NetWork Darts against each other Give each leader a copy of the Playing NetWork Darts handout The leaders will not actually play the dart game but they will train motivate and coach their teams The leaders should familiarize themselves with the NetWork apparatus and the rules of the darts game Ask the leaders play a practice round of the darts game by pretending to be the two members of the same team Tell the leaders that during the tournament they will have 10 minutes to explain the darts game to the teams assigned to them Explain the details of the tournament One team will be chosen at random to go first This team will play for a 1 minute round Then the other team will play its 1 minute round The teams will continue to play alternatively for three rounds each At the scheduled tournament time assemble all participants and randomly divide them into two teams It does not matter if one team has an extra player Send the teams to their leaders for preliminary instructions and briefing Set the timer for 10 minutes and start it At the end of 10 minutes inform the teams that the briefing period is over Ask both teams to come to the NetWork table Tos
11. participants to provide supporting data from the network activity and from their workplace experiences E The same organization may have different policies E When co workers behave differently from what you expect you assume that they have misunderstood or forgotten the procedure E When co workers behave differently from what you expect you assume that they are incompetent E Members of a team may use different procedures You cannot believe everything you read Lack of communication aggravates problems due to inconsistent goals E In confusing situations people look for external guidance In confusing situations people tend to blame the others rather than checking their assumptions 40 Correlation Speculation Application E Ina conflict some people give up rather than trying to persuade the others E Once co workers have made a compromise between conflicting procedures it becomes easier for them to make additional compromises Encourage the participants to offer and discuss additional principles similar to these E Does your experience in this activity remind you of similar experiences in your workplace E Have you been in a situation where your co workers behaved differently from what you expected How did you react E How are the handouts in this activity similar to your company s policy manual E You were not permitted to talk in this activity What are similar situations in your workplace
12. receives 45 points Finally the innermost circle called the bullseye is worth 50 points With target 3 the team marks as many locations as possible within a time limit Only one legal mark can be made in each sector Once a sector is marked irrespective of whether it is marked in a single double or triple location neither team can make another mark in that sector The secret of effective briefing is to keep it brief Avoid unnecessary explanations Don t give any instructions to the participants until they need them 12 4 Guiding the NetWork Learning Process Challenge Arenas and Practice Fields The Challenge Arena Approach The final six chapters of this manual contain specific instructions for conducting six different NetWork activities This chapter explores two general approaches In this approach teams of participants are given a challenge and supplied with appropriate resources Team members attempt to overcome various obstacles and meet the challenge At the end of the activity they are debriefed to ensure appropriate learning Here are some details of this approach E Participants are organized into one or more teams A real or imaginary situation is explained to them They are given a goal tools and a time limit E The clear goal and the challenging obstacles bring the team members together A combination of peer support and peer pressure galvanizes the teams into action E The participants
13. the facilitator stops the action He or she acts as a coach and helps the participants analyze their behaviors and consequences devise efficient strategies and immediately apply them In the coaching role the facilitator may use the following tactics ask Socratic questions to focus the attention of the participants on their inappropriate behaviors surface the participants mental models and hidden assumptions point out the differences between the participants theories and their practice E encourage the participants to align their walk with their talk E propose that the participants think outside the box and challenge any self imposed constraints help the participants recall appropriate principles and procedures that can be applied to the situation work with the participants to devise strategies for overcoming the obstacles 15 Your Choice E demonstrate appropriate problem solving strategies E return the participants to the activity so that they can apply their new strategies immediately You can conduct the six NetWork activities described in this manual in either of the two approaches Your choice between the challenge arena or the practice field depends on your objective your preference and your participants We have provided flexible instructions for the six activities to enable you to conduct them at the most appropriate level in the continuum between the challenge arena and the practice field Feel fre
14. the NetWork activity remind you of similar experiences in your workplace Follow up with questions that attempt to relate the steps rules constraints and components of the NetWork activity to their analogues in the workplace Continue with questions that relate the principles discussed in the preceding phase to the participants workplace experiences The purpose of this phase is to go beyond the limited data from a single NetWork activity to different conditions Begin this phase with a series of what if questions such as What if we had a tighter time limit Encourage the participants to speculate on possible outcomes Ask the participants to come up with their own what if scenarios and discuss them The purpose of this phase is to encourage the participants to develop effective strategies for future use This is the key question for this phase How would you apply the insights gained from the NetWork activity to solving problems in your workplace 18 Debriefing Questions Each NetWork activity described in the second part of this manual includes a series of debriefing questions organized around the five phases described above Feel free to ignore or modify any of the questions and to add new ones to suit your specific needs The five phase debriefing sequence is a field tested structure During your actual debriefing session however spontaneous comments from the participants may direct the discussion along ce
15. to use in your NetWork activity How does this target relate to the topic you want to explore How long does the NetWork activity last Is this time period suitable for exploring the topic How should you divide the NetWork activity into planning and implementation periods How many people will participate in the NetWork activity What is the minimum required number of participants What is the maximum number of participants the activity can handle E How do you want to organize the participants into teams E If you are planning to have more than one team what is the relationship among these teams Do you want to assign different roles to the participants What roles would be appropriate How much time do you want to spend debriefing the participants after the NetWork activity What questions will you ask during the different stages of debriefing While the teams conduct their NetWork activities participate as a player During and after the activity encourage the teams to make suitable modifications based on participant feedback 17
16. Follow up with specific questions related to each of the principles listed in the Interpretation section What if E the participants were permitted to talk to each other E there were only two participants E there were many more participants only one participant had a different handout one participant had been identified as the leader the participants received a cash prize if they made the 8 marks within 30 seconds E the participants were told that some handouts were different E If we conducted the same activity again but with different sets of handouts how would you behave differently knowing what you know now E Based on the insights you gained from this activity how might you behave differently in your workplace 41 Adjustments and Variations Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach Too few participants You can conduct this activity with as few as two participants In this case you may also want to act as a participant Too many participants Use more than one NetWork apparatus If you only have one apparatus take eight participants at a time and let the others keep studying their handout Make sure that they do not talk to each other or share handouts Not enough time for debriefing Prepare and distribute a selected list of debriefing questions Ask the participants to respond to these questions and to compare their answers with each other When the participants hesitate at the fifth l
17. Interel Inc 140 Carl Street San Francisco CA 94117 or call Boyd Watkins at 415 566 0554 29 6 COACH Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Setup Participants take turns coaching team members to complete a NetWork activity Each coach gets a performance score and a popularity rating To explore the relationships among coaching behaviors team performance and popularity The activity works best with 6 to 10 participants With six participants 50 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 30 minutes for the activity and 15 minutes for debriefing Add 5 minutes for each additional participant Network apparatus Target 1 Timer Voting counters such as pennies or paper clips One voting container such as a paper cup for each participant E Record Sheet reproduce page 42 Set up the NetWork apparatus as explained on pages 5 9 Attach Target 1 Make sure that the marker is capped 30 Briefing Facilitation Assign roles Select one participant to be the coach and another to be the referee All other participants are team members Introduce the NetWork apparatus Use the guidelines on pages 14 17 Explain the task The team members will stand around the NetWork apparatus with their backs turned toward the target and hold the rings They will touch locations on the target in the following sequence A 5 B 5 C 5 D 5 A 10 B 10 C 10 D 10 A 20 B 20 C 20 D 20 After finishing one
18. NetWork User s Manual vivasailam Thiagarajan with Interel Associates Interel Inc 140 Carl Street San Francisco CA 94117 Table of Contents O mo ND 10 12 13 NetWork Activities What Why and How l Setting Up the NetWork Apparatus 0 0 0 0 00 e eee 5 Starting the Action Learning Process Briefing the PAtiCipaMls ataacesanesanes meee G Has eee ee Siout Hed eames 9 Guiding the Learning Process Challenge Arenas and Practice PIGIdS Gea andvecuvsupareenraceewedaeseeesuds 13 Relating NetWork Learning to Workplace Situations Debriefing the Participants 0 0 cece eee 17 Designing and Customizing NetWork Activities 20 Using the NetWork Activities in this Manual gt lt s esses 26 COACH s2viareuutegss 44 aoeege es HERG Ree ee eee 30 EIGHT MARKS 0s4 lt o lt 20 00 a0rs Gus eden oer ears 38 PO OLITE jescesseorenes ode oyanesese enn age nee 45 NET WORK DARIS recorrer pae4e eeeeyeeeeee eee 53 CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS oc acc0eusas sug anewed eG 62 1 The NetWork Apparatus What What Is the NetWork Apparatus Why and How is E Sigh 2s we ji ce n 3 x e l s m a p a d y al ma 7 A F gt F The NetWork apparatus is a compact tool that can be used by teams of two to eight participants working together The apparatus has a felt pen that is used to mark different locations on reusable laminated tar
19. The presence of the referee increases the team members motivation 33 Correlation Speculation Application E There is an inverse relationship between a coach s team score and popularity score E There are no significant differences in the coaches popularity scores Encourage the participants to offer and discuss additional principles similar to these E Did the coach behave like somebody in your workplace E Do you have similar coaching styles in your workplace and in this activity Follow up with specific questions related to each of the principles listed in the Interpretation section What if E each round lasted for 3 minutes instead of 2 minutes E the team members did not have their backs turned toward the target the coach with the highest team score received a cash prize the most popular coach received a cash prize there were twice as many team members there were only two team members there were no referee E If we conducted the same NetWork activity again how would you behave differently knowing what you know now E Based on the insights you gained from this activity how might you change your coaching behavior in your workplace 34 Adjustments and Variations Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach Too few participants You can conduct the activity with as few as three participants Rotate coaching roles as before You serve as the referee for all three rounds T
20. There is also an inner circle that triples the score For example if you mark the location with the triple asterisk you get 45 points 3 times the score of 15 for that segment The innermost circle the bull s eye is worth 50 points 60 Playing the Game The game is played as a contest between two teams of the same size However it does not matter if one team has an extra member When it is one team s turn all its members take hold of one or more rings attached to the cords and move the marker All rings must be used One team plays first It has 1 minute to mark as many different areas on the target as possible To qualify a mark must be completely inside a specific area and cannot touch the border lines of the area The leader for the team will keep score adding the points earned for each mark At the end of the 1 minute the other team has its turn The game ends when both teams have completed two turns at the board There is one important rule that makes the NetWork dart game different from a regular dart game Only one legal mark can be made in any sector Marks that cross a line do not count Once a sector is marked independent of whether it is a single double or triple location neither team can earn points by making another mark in that sector 61 12 CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Setup Briefing Two teams learn a NetWork activity operating u
21. Usually NetWork activities are conducted with a time limit of 1 to 3 minutes If you have completed the sequence of 12 marks repeat the procedure beginning with A 5 This target has four concentric rings which are called tracks They are numbered 1 2 3 and 4 The tracks are divided into eight sectors which are numbered 1 8 the numbers are written outside the concentric circles Locations on the target are specified by the sector number followed by the track number Explain that the facilitator will call out different locations to be marked In some activities the sequence of locations will be given in a handout or a flipchart The team earns 1 point for marking each location correctly the team loses 1 point for marking the wrong location or marking a line 17 Target 3 A Final Thought This target resembles a dart board The board is divided into 20 pie shaped sectors Each sector is numbered with a score value on the outside There is a narrow outer circle 1 20 7 When a team marks in Ve TNS this area it gets double o Vl 7 N 7 the usual value for the LS JN D o IV sector For example if the y AW e team marks the EN JA outermost ring in sector TRE ermost ring in se IE anon SN inner circle When a team A A Ko S marks in this area it gets 1 N P G triple the usual score For N S A example if the team 6 T LV marks the inner ring of sector 15 it
22. and targets into the carrying case To avoid potential shipping damage be sure to place the supplied plastic divider between the targets and the frame ADJUSTING THE NETWORK FRAME It may be necessary to make slight adjustment to the NetWork 2i frame after a period of usage to assure that the target is held securely and that the frame is stable during learning activities The stainless steel frame can be manually adjusted when it is not attached to a target by grasping the ends of each U shaped piece and increasing or reducing the distance between the ends of the piece If the target is not being held securely during learning activities it will be necessary to increase the distance between the ends of one or both of the U shaped frame pieces If the frame is not steady during learning activities it will be necessary to increase the distance between the ends of the U shaped piece that is not moving or decrease the distance between the ends of the U shaped piece that is moving 3 Starting The Action Learning Process Briefing The NetWork Participants Positioning the Participants Explaining the Task The Targets The first few minutes you spend in a NetWork activity are critical During this period you can either excite your participants or confuse them Here are some suggestions to ensure that you do the former and not the latter Once the NetWork apparatus is set up as explained in the previous chapter ask the participan
23. are the topics associated with the activities described in the final six chapters of this manual E COACH Coaching behaviors E EIGHT MARKS Goals for teamwork E KSF OF HPT Team effectiveness factors 20 What s Your Approach What Is the Goal E NETWORK DARTS Leadership behaviors E CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS Cross functional teams E DESIGN Conflicting values and procedures The NetWork apparatus can simulate a variety of individual and group situations Here is a list of topics for which we have designed NetWork activities at one time or another Active listening Generating alternatives Change management Goal setting Coaching Leadership Communication Motivation Competition and collaboration Negotiation Conflict resolution Planning Consulting Problem solving Creative problem solving Risk taking Cross functional teams Self esteem Cultural diversity Stages in team development Decisionmaking Stress Escalation of conflicts Systems thinking Ethics Team effectiveness Facilitation Team formation Feedback Trust Gender differences Work flow modification Another preliminary choice that you have to make during the early stages of designing a NetWork activity is between the challenge arena or the practice field approach Review Chapter 4 pages 18 21 for more details about these two approaches The goal for the NetWork activity should be aligned with a teamwork goal Here are examples of different NetWork goals E Speed T
24. bility of a tabletop or an approximately 6 x 6 clear area E Facilitators can easily explain the goals and procedures of the NetWork activity to the participants E Most NetWork activities can be completed in a short period of time This allows ample time for debriefing and discussion How To Use the NetWork Apparatus E NetWork activities can be undertaken with a fairly small group of people Even two people can use the NetWork apparatus to simulate a dialog E NetWork activities focus on kinesthetic learning One of the ignored types of intelligence body intelligence results in long lasting memory storage The participants literally get a feel for a variety of abstract topics Training Designers E Instructional designers can customize NetWork activities to suit local resources and constraints Guidelines for adjustments and variations are provided for each activity E Instructional designers can create NetWork activities to simulate different interpersonal principles and procedures This manual contains several examples Administrators E Compared to the benefits achieved the NetWork apparatus is a highly cost effective investment E The NetWork apparatus is portable and can be easily transported from place to place E With minimal care and attention the NetWork apparatus will provide years of trouble free use The remaining chapters of this manual deal with the effective use of the NetWork apparatus E Chap
25. ch team 2 or 3 minutes to make a presentation describing its activity Not enough time for debriefing Prepare and distribute a selected list of debriefing questions Ask the participants to respond to these questions at their leisure Too much time Expand the activity to take up several hours or even several days Give the teams ample time for the design activity Let the teams conduct their activity for longer periods of time Only one NetWork apparatus During the design phase ask the teams to take turns at the apparatus During the design phase act as a consultant to the teams and offer various suggestions Share your own design experiences Visit each team and asking probing questions to help them in the design process Here are some suggested questions E What is the primary purpose of your NetWork activity Is it designed to train the participants or to test them E What is the topic or the major learning point of your NetWork activity Why do you think this is an important topic E Which will be most appropriate for your NetWork activity the challenge arena approach or the practice field approach E What is the goal of your NetWork activity Does this goal focus on speed accuracy flexibility or performance improvement E How do you score the team s performance in the NetWork activity Does your scoring system include penalties E How many NetWork apparatuses do you want to use 76 Which target do you want
26. der s instructions 71 13 TEAM DESIGN Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Setup Briefing The participants are divided into two teams Each team selects a topic related to teamwork and designs a NetWork activity to explore it Later each team conducts the activity with members of the other team To explore factors that contribute to creative teamwork This activity works best with 10 to 20 players who have some experience with NetWork activities 1 hour 30 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 40 minutes for designing the activities 30 minutes for conducting the activities and 15 minutes for debriefing E 2 NetWork apparatuses E 2 sets of targets E Handout Designing and Customizing Net Work Activities reproduce Chapter 6 pages 25 30 E 2 Timers Using the instructions on pages 5 9 set up two NetWork apparatuses in different rooms or in different corners of the same room Divide the participants into two equal sized teams It does not matter if one team has an extra member Assign each team to a different NetWork apparatus 72 Facilitation Debriefing Explain that each team will prepare a NetWork activity on a topic related to teamwork Later each team will take turns to conduct its activity with the members of the other team Distribute the handout Explain that it deals with the design of NetWork activities Ask each team to select a topic related to teamwork using the lis
27. discussion time is over and then present the next discussion question E Videotape debriefing You may record the participants NetWork activities on videotape and replay excerpts during the debriefing session to encourage discussion Choose among the alternative approaches listed in this chapter and use them to design a new NetWork activity or to customize an existing one Remember however that the way to ensure an interesting and effective activity is to try it out with some participants and to modify it on the basis of their feedback 25 7 Using the NetWork Activities in this Manual The final six chapters of this manual contain detailed instructions for conducting six different NetWork activities Each chapter is presented in an easy to use structured text format with these sections Synopsis Provides an outline of the activity Purpose Specifies the instructional objective for the activity Participants Identifies the number of people needed for the activity Time Specifies the time required for the activity broken down into time for briefing time for conducting and time for debriefing the activity Supplies Lists the equipment and materials required for the activity Setup Explains how the NetWork apparatus should be set up and which target should be used Briefing Suggests guidelines for introducing the activity Facilitation Provides detailed directions for conducting the activity Conclusion Sugg
28. e to experiment with alternative facilitation styles 16 5 Relating NetWork Learning to Workplace Situations Debrieting the Participants The NetWork apparatus is an experiential learning device Network activities provide intense and interesting experiences The participants gain valuable learning insights by reflecting on these experiences and relating them to their workplace performance To ensure maximum learning it is important for you to conduct a debriefing session after each NetWork activity Debriefing is a process that helps the participants to reflect on their experiences discover useful insights and share them with each other Without debriefing participants may have a good time but not learn anything In some situations they may be confused frustrated or upset by the activity Debriefing enables the participants to move beyond their emotional reactions and to rationally analyze what happened to them Debriefing also multiplies learning insights by encouraging the participants to share their personal discoveries with each other As a facilitator it is important for you to set aside ample time for debriefing after each NetWork activity and to conduct the debriefing session effectively Our experience with learning activities suggests that a structured approach to debriefing is more effective than an unstructured one The exact structure for your debriefing session will vary depending on the nature of the activity the
29. embers keep track of their scores Observe the team activities and give feedback to ensure that both teams are working according to the instructions in the handout Encourage the members of Team A to behave in a participatory fashion and the members of Team B to behave in a follow the leader fashion Stop the activity after about 15 minutes Announce that you are going to administer a 1 minute performance test Ask the members of each team to position themselves around the NetWork apparatus Set the timer for 1 minute yell Go and start the timer Both teams rapidly mark the locations on their target in the prescribed sequence Stop the activity at the end of 1 minute Ask the teams to announce their scores Announce that you are going to reorganize the participants into two cross functional teams Members of these cross functional teams will continue to improve their ability skill with the NetWork device for the next 10 minutes Switch half the members of Team A and Team B Ask the newly created teams to start Members of the newly created cross functional teams are likely to be in conflict because of the differences in their participatory and follow the leader operating procedures Observe the team activities and take notes for use during debriefing If any participants ask you for guidance ask them figure out their own strategies After 10 minutes conclude the activity Repeat the 1 minute performance test as before
30. es in establishing new records Team members are familiar with each others strengths weaknesses and preferences Team members share their ideas and thoughts without hesitation The team performs better when they compete with other teams The team uses a common and efficient language to give directions and feedback to each other The team has a warm and accepting climate Team members support and praise each other 52 11 NETWORK DARTS Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Two leaders are taught to play a dart game using the NetWork apparatus Each leader prepares to lead a team in a NetWork Darts tournament The teams play three rounds of the dart game After the tournament team members pair up with a member of the other team and identify effective leadership behaviors To explore effective leadership before during and after a task The activity works best with 6 to 18 participants 45 minutes 5 minutes for briefing by the facilitator 10 minutes for briefing by leaders 10 minutes for play and 20 minutes for debriefing In addition at least 30 minutes of preparation time for the leaders E NetWork apparatus E Target 3 E One copy of the handout Playing NetWork Darts for each leader reproduce pages 65 and 66 E A flipchart to keep score E Timer 53 Setup Preparing the Leaders Briefing the Participants Facilitation Set up the NetWork apparatus as explained on
31. ests procedures for terminating the activity Debriefing Lists appropriate questions for the debriefing discussion based on the five phase debriefing model Chapter 5 pages 22 24 26 COACH EIGHT MARKS KSF OF HPT Adjustments and Variations Identifies optional constraints and suggests appropriate modifications to the activity Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach Provides suggestions for continuous coaching Following are brief summaries of the purpose time participants and supplies for each of the six activities Use these summaries to select the appropriate activity for your needs Purpose To explore the relationships among coaching behaviors team performance and popularity Time With six participants 45 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 25 minutes for the activity and 15 minutes for debriefing Add 5 minutes for each additional participant Participants 6 to 10 Supplies NetWork apparatus Target 1 timer voting counters such as pennies or paper clips voting containers such as paper cups and a record sheet Purpose To explore the impact of inconsistent or confusing goals on team performance Time 20 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 5 minutes for the activity and 10 minutes for debriefing Participants 4 to 8 Supplies NetWork apparatus Target 2 stopwatch and handouts Purpose To explore factors that contribute to high performance teamwork Time 50 minutes 5 minutes f
32. exactly the same there is a subtle difference The first handout asks the team to mark this sequence of locations 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 and 8 1 The second handout uses this sequence 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 2 6 2 7 2 and 8 2 Arrange the handouts so that the two versions alternate 38 Briefing Facilitation Conclusion Explain that this activity requires the team to mark eight locations on the target in the correct sequence and as quickly as possible Position this activity as a simulation of reading remembering and following instructions Explain the constraints Before the activity participants should independently read and remember the directions given in a handout Participants will have to turn in their handouts before the activity and will not be permitted to refer to them The second constraint is that participants may not speak to each other during the activity Introduce the NetWork apparatus Use the guidelines on pages 14 17 Give a handout to each participant making sure that approximately equal numbers of the two versions are distributed Tell the participants that they have 2 minutes to read the handout and remember the key points Ask the participants to study the handout independently without talking to each other or sharing the handouts After 2 minutes collect the handouts from the participants Assign the participants to different positions around the network apparatus Ask the part
33. gets The marker is attached to four cords that pass through loops The participants position themselves around the apparatus and hold one or two rings attached to the ends of the cords They coordinate their actions to move the marker over the target and to mark specific locations on the target There are two versions of the NetWork apparatus NW1 designed for floor use is 33 inches long 33 inches wide and 28 inches tall NW2 occupies an 18 inch cube It is designed for tabletop or floor use This manual refers primarily to NW2 However all the activities and information are equally applicable to NW1 What Is the NetWork Apparatus Used For The NetWork apparatus and the other learning devices produced by Interel can be thought of as learning hardware Using a computer analogy NetWork can be programmed with learning software for different applications This manual explains how to setup the hardware and provide software for a variety of learning applications You can use the NetWork apparatus for a variety of human resource development purposes The three T s of NetWork usage are training teambuilding and testing Training activities with the NetWork apparatus help learners master interpersonal principles and procedures Through the use of this apparatus participants actually experience abstract concepts like collaboration support trust synergy empowerment and dependence at a concrete level The NetWork activities als
34. gning or modifying a Network activity Here are some alternative approaches E Duration of the activity If speed is your primary goal your activity should last for a short period if accuracy or performance improvement is your goal the activity should last for a longer period of time E Planning and acting You may allocate a specific time period for planning and prohibit the participants from working on the NetWork apparatus until the end of this period You may design an activity with several planning periods alternating with work periods E Debriefing Instead of delaying the debriefing session to the end of the activity you may schedule several time out periods throughout the activity During these periods the participants review their progress and plan future strategies How the participants are organized is another important element in the design or modification of NetWork activities Here are some alternative approaches E Number of participants You may conduct the NetWork activity with as few as two or as many as eight participants You may even have more than eight participants and ask them to take turns at the apparatus or have eight markers who do not speak shadowed by eight directors E Team formation You may assign all participants to the same team or you may divide them into two teams The teams may be of equal or unequal sizes 23 What About Debriefing E Assignment to apparatuses You may as
35. heir score and time While the participants develop their checklist make the following types of suggestions E Recall what helped and hindered while you were exploring the NetWork apparatus E Feel free to experiment with the NetWork apparatus to check out your ideas E Some of the high performance teamwork factors may be directly related to the apparatus and some may be related to the way the team is organized Be sure to include both types of factors in your checklist E Think about what types of goals will motivate the team 49 E Think about how the team should be organized E Think about different roles the team members should play E Does the team need a leader If so what should this leader do What type of support should the team members give each other E How should team members communicate with each other E What should the team members do when they make mistakes What should team members do when they succeed in establishing a new record What is the effect of practice on the success of the team What factors contribute to effective practice If you were asked to form a new NetWork team and to train them what factors would you take into account What are some of the important factors before the team begins working with the NetWork apparatus After the team finishes working with the NetWork apparatus 50 High Performance NetWork Teams Key Success Factors E The team explores the situation wi
36. icipants to get ready Remind the participants that they should not talk to each other and should mark the target locations in the correct sequence Say start and start the stopwatch Observe the participants They are likely to hesitate and get confused after marking 4 1 If they attempt to talk to each other remind them of the gag order If the participants don t figure out a compromise solution encourage them to continue the activity and to do their best End the activity if eight locations get marked or if the participants are completely stymied 39 Debriefing Observation Interpretation Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure see Chapter 5 pages 22 24 Here are suggested questions for debriefing E What interesting things happened at the beginning of the activity E Did your speed increase as you progressed along the first four locations E What happened when you reached the fifth location E What was your initial reaction to not being able to talk How did you feel about this constraint when you reached the fifth location E When did you realize that some participants were trying to mark a different location E What did you think when you noticed that some participants were trying to mark a different location E How did you resolve the problem with different locations State the following general principles and ask the participants if they agree or disagree Encourage the
37. ing the tournament Refer to the list of leader behaviors on the flipchart Ask the participants to discuss each behavior and explore whether that behavior contributed a lot or a little to the team s performance Encourage the leaders to participate in this discussion without dominating it E Did your leader s behaviors remind you of other people s behaviors in your workplace How so E This particular activity involved a competition between two teams What similar competitions take place within your organization Between your organization and other organizations Continue by referring to leader behaviors on the flipchart Ask the participants to discuss how each of these behaviors are practiced in the workplace 56 Speculation Application Adjustments and Variations What if the leaders were not given any time to prepare each round lasted 5 minutes the leaders spent 15 minutes to get their teams ready for the tournament each team had its own NetWork apparatus to practice with the leader also participated in the game the team had only two members the team had more than 8 members and the leader had to select some to sit out each round there were six rounds in the tournament E the teams were allowed to mark segments that had already been marked the teams had markers of different colors and each team could mark each segment once the winning team received a cash prize to be divided among
38. llowed by the track number For example B 10 is the location with an asterisk in the diagram 70 Sequence of Locations Scoring Organization of the Team In this activity you should mark the locations on the target in the following sequence A 5 B 5 C 5 D 5 A 10 B 10 C 10 D 10 A 20 B 20 C 20 D 20 Once you have completed the cycle repeat the procedure by beginning with A 5 For each correct mark the team earns a number of points equal to the number of the sector For example for marking C 5 the team earns 5 points for marking A 20 20 points For making marks in an incorrect location or on a line the team loses 10 points Your team has a leader to increase its productivity and to assure efficient use of individual effort Your leader will guide you coach you and tell you what to do Be sure to follow the leader s instructions Here are some guidelines for your teamwork E During your initial learning and practice periods work with the cap on the felt marker E Commit yourself to reaching the goals set by the leader E Work silently at the NetWork apparatus Let the leader do the talking E Focus on getting the job done Synchronize your movements by following the leader s instructions E If the leader asks you a question respond immediately Otherwise avoid unnecessary conversations E Remember that your team is out to establish a new record Do your part by efficiently following the lea
39. me Reduce the time allotted for the two phases to 5 minutes each Also reduce the performance test to 30 seconds Too much time Allot more time for the two phases up to 30 minutes each Increase the time for the performance test to 2 minutes No time for debriefing Prepare and distribute a list of selected debriefing questions Ask the participants to respond to these questions and compare their answers with each other 66 Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach Alternatively ask the participants to write their responses to the questions as a homework assignment During the first phase give suggestions to the teams on how to function more effectively while following the instructions During the second phase give suggestions to the cross functional teams Encourage the team members to share their preferred modes of operation and to negotiate a set of eroundrules Prompt the participants with the following questions E How did you function as a team during the previous round Which procedures do you want to continue using Why E Which procedures do you want to discontinue Why E Should we elect a leader for our cross functional team Why or why not E Should we encourage everyone to talk during the activity Why or why not E Should we permit changes in our procedure as we continue the NetWork activity How should we go about making these changes 67 Instructions for Team A The Target The NetWork
40. mend a five phase debriefing model Chapter 5 pages 22 24 as an essential follow up activity Within this framework you may use alternative approaches E Timing You may conduct the debriefing immediately at the end of the NetWork activity This makes use of the participants excitement and enthusiasm Alternatively you may postpone the debriefing until after a coffee break This enables the participants to collect their thoughts You may also conduct mini debriefing session throughout the activity This enables the participants to review their progress and to give feedback to each other Such mini debriefing sessions are critical components of the practice field approach You may 24 The Final Judge delay the debriefing for the next day or the next week This enables the participants to reflect on their experiences and to become more objective E Individual debriefing You may debrief the participants individually by using a questionnaire You may also conduct individual debriefing by asking the participants to write a personal journal report about their experiences E Partnership debriefing You may ask the participants to find a partner and interview each other E Small group debriefing You may organize the participants into groups and have them discuss the debriefing questions within the group E Audiotape debriefing You may use an audiotape recording to give instructions ask debriefing questions run silently until the
41. ms in their checklist Announce a 5 minute time limit for this activity Announce the end of the activity after 5 minutes or earlier if the team has completed its task 46 Debriefing Observation Interpretation Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure see Chapter 5 pages 22 24 During the discussions emphasize the correlation and application phases Here are suggested questions for debriefing E What interesting things happened while you were exploring the NetWork apparatus E How did your team go about the task of exploring the NetWork apparatus What roles did different team members play Who were the hands on experimenters and who were the observers E What happened during the checklist preparation activity What roles did different team members play How did these roles change from the roles played during the initial exploration E How did you and your teammates react to the handout of key success factors for NetWork teams What were the major differences between your checklist and the list in the handout E How did your team go about modifying your checklist State the following general principles and ask the participants if they agree or disagree Encourage the participants to provide supporting data from the NetWork activity and from their workplace experiences E Some people don t like to explore things without a clear goal E Some people are impulsive and want to immediately play wi
42. nced the selection of the topic What role did different team members play in the design of the activity E How did you evaluate various design ideas and select the best ones E How did you conduct the activity E What roles did different team members play in conducting the activity E Did the role of the team members change between the design and the implementation phases E How did the participants from the other team react to your activity How did their reactions compare to your expectations E What were the differences and similarities between the two activities State the following general principles and ask the participants if they agree or disagree with each Encourage them to provide supporting data from the NetWork activity and from their workplace experiences E Almost any teamwork situation can be simulated by a NetWork activity E You learn more about your topic by designing an activity E Different skills are required for designing an activity and for conducting it E Effective facilitators make changes while conducting an activity E Itis easier to improve other people s activities than it is to design an activity from scratch E Encourage the participants to offer and discuss additional principles similar to these 74 Correlation Speculation Application Does your experience in this activity remind you of similar activities in your workplace The time limit for this activity puts p
43. nder different sets of instructions The team members are reorganized into two cross functional teams The debriefing discussion focuses on initial problems associated with the use of cross functional teams To explore problems associated with cross functional teams This activity works best with 9 to 17 players 50 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 30 minutes for the activity and 15 minutes for debriefing E Two NetWork apparatuses each with Target 1 E imer E Two sets of handouts Instructions for Team A and Instructions for Team B reproduce pages 73 74 and 75 76 Using the instructions on pages 5 9 set up the two NetWork apparatuses in different rooms or in different corners of the same room Attach Target 1 to both NetWork apparatuses Divide the participants into two equal sized teams It does not matter if one team has an extra member Send the teams to the different NetWork apparatuses Distribute copies of the handout Make sure that all the members of one team receive the handout for Team A and the other team handout for Team B 62 Facilitation Ask the participants to read and follow the directions on their handout Go to Team B and appoint a leader selecting a participant at random Explain that all members of the team should follow the leader s instructions Tell the teams that they have 15 minutes to develop their ability master the NetWork device Give each team a timer and suggest that the team m
44. ng incorrect locations or for making a mark ona line The way the NetWork apparatus is set up changes the nature of the activity Here are some alternative approaches E Number of apparatuses If your activity involves more than one team you may set up one apparatus for each team or a single apparatus and ask the teams to take turns E Targets You may use any one of the three different targets You may also change the targets from one round of the activity to the next You may modify the scoring system associated with the target E No target You may use the blank side of target 3 or place a blank sheet of paper on the base sheet and ask the participants to write a word or draw a picture You may throw a handful of coins on the base sheet and ask the team to touch different coins with the capped marker 22 How Do You Schedule How Do You Organize the Participants E Sequence of locations You may specify the order in which different locations are to be marked You may call out the locations in a random order You may write down the location specifications on cards shuffle them and turn them over one at a time E Setup by the participants Instead of setting up the NetWork apparatus before the activity you may ask the participants to do their own setup as a preliminary task You may provide them with instructions Chapter 2 pages 5 9 or let them use a trial and error approach Time management is a major factor in desi
45. nutes discussing the behaviors of the team leaders Each pair of partners should come up with a list of 5 effective leadership behaviors Encourage the participants to include leaders behaviors before during and after the dart game After 3 minutes ask the participants to call out the leadership behaviors they have identified Write these behaviors on the flipchart Conclude this activity by summarizing the leadership behaviors Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure see Chapter 5 pages 22 24 Here are suggested questions for debriefing E How did your leader prepare you for the tournament E What background information did your leader provide during the briefing E How did your leader motivate you before the tournament 55 Interpretation Correlation E Did the leader respond to your questions and concerns about the tournament E What happened during the first round of the tournament E If you were a member of the second team how did you spend your time while waiting for the other team to complete its first round What did your leader do while the other team was playing What did your leader do while your team was playing What did your leader do at the end of each round Did your leader give you feedback If so what types of feedback What happened during the later rounds of the tournament E What happened at the end of the tournament What was your reaction toward winning or los
46. o encourage the participants to experiment with such skills as collaborative planning conducting dialogues giving and receiving feedback and resolving conflicts Teambuilding activities with the NetWork apparatus improve the performance and productivity of a team In this type of activity the team is given a challenge involving the use of the NetWork apparatus Team members attempt to achieve a goal example improving speed and accuracy by 50 per cent within specific constraints example without talking to each other In the activity the participants try out alternative strategies and explore different aspects of teamwork They progress from defensiveness to trust and discover how the team can be more than a collection of individuals Since the NetWork activities require commitment and common action they serve as metaphors for team activities Testing activities with the NetWork apparatus involve the assessment of the strengths weaknesses preferences and patterns of individuals and teams NetWork activities so intensely involve the participants that they are caught in the act of being themselves By observing the behaviors of individuals we can assess such variables as the leadership potential problem solving abilities communication modes and teaching styles By observing the team as a whole we can assess its cohesiveness relationship patterns and cross gender communication modes Why Use the NetWork Apparatus Obviousl
47. o mark the locations as quickly as possible E Accuracy To mark the locations as precisely as possible E Flexibility To mark different locations of different sizes from different positions around the NetWork apparatus E Teamwork improvement To achieve a better score than the team s previous scores or other teams scores 21 What s the Score What About the Setup E Individual performance improvement To achieve a higher score related to coaching or leadership performances E Participation To ensure that all team members participate fully at all times You operationalize the goal for the NetWork activity with an appropriate scoring system Here are some alternative approaches E Time scoring Your score equals the number of seconds required to achieve a goal for example marking all target locations in a specific sequence The lower the score the better your performance E Time limit scoring You mark as many target locations as possible within a given time limit for example 3 minutes After marking all of the locations you repeat the procedure in the correct sequence Your score depends on the number of locations that you have marked In equal value scoring each mark earns one point In differential value scoring the marks earn different numbers of points depending on the difficulty level of the location The smaller the area the more points you score E Penalties You may lose some points for marki
48. ocation wait for a few moments to see if they can figure out what is happening and arrive at a compromise solution Remind the participants not to talk but prompt them with leading questions and or instructions such the following E What do you think is happening now E Are all of you trying to mark the same location Is it possible that you misread your handouts If there is a conflict what should we do How can we decide where to make the next four marks without talking to each other Should we communicate through gestures Should we write notes to each other E Should one person take charge and the rest of us follow his or her lead E Should we disregard the constraints imposed on us and talk to each other anyway E Assign one of the participants to act as leader The leader can talk but other participants must remain silent 42 EIGHT MARKS Instructions for Participants The Target Sequence of Locations You and the other participants will use the network apparatus to mark different locations on a target The facilitator will assign you to a specific position around the apparatus and give you one or two rings that control a cord All of the cords are attached to a single marker so you will have to coordinate your motions with the other participants You will not be allowed to talk during the activity The target has four concentric circles called tracks The tracks are labelled 1 2 3 and 4 The t
49. oo many participants Use more than one NetWork apparatus If you have only one apparatus have the additional participants act as observers Not enough time Reduce each round to 1 minute Conduct three rounds of the activity have participants vote on their coaches and then proceed to debriefing No time for debriefing Prepare and distribute a list of debriefing questions Ask the participants to respond to these questions and compare their answers with each other Too much time Allow more time for each coach s preliminary instructions Give team members 5 minutes for each round Team members too sloppy Ask the referees to subtract 5 points for touching the wrong location on the board Stand near the coach as he or she gives preliminary instructions to the team members Coach the coach whenever appropriate with suggestions like these E Get the team members more involved E Ask them if they have any questions E Don t lecture to them E Communicate your vision Be optimistic and realistic Don t spend too much time explaining what to do Inspire and motivate them Don t worry about making mistakes Affirm the team s potential Set a target score Get people involved 35 You may coach the coach as he or she coaches the team members Stand near the coach and whisper appropriate suggestions E Let the team members work on their own You are talking too much They are not listening to you Are you gi
50. or briefing 15 minutes for NetWork exploration 15 minutes for preparing a checklist and 15 minutes for debriefing Participants 4 to 8 Supplies NetWork apparatus Targets 1 2 and 3 handouts flipchart and timer 27 NETWORK DARTS CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS TEAM DESIGN A Suggested Action Plan Purpose To explore effective leadership before during and after a task Time 45 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 10 minutes for briefing by leaders 10 minutes for play and 20 minutes for debriefing Participants 6 to 18 Supplies NetWork apparatus Target 3 handouts flipchart and timer Purpose To explore problems associated with cross functional teams Time 50 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 30 minutes for the activity and 15 minutes for debriefing Participants 9 to 17 Supplies 2 NetWork apparatuses 2 Target 1s timers 2 sets of handouts Purpose To explore factors that contribute to creative teamwork Time 1 hour 30 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 40 minutes for teamwork 30 minutes for conducting the activities and 15 minutes for debriefing Participants 10 to 20 Supplies 2 NetWork apparatuses 2 sets of Targets 1 2 and 3 handouts and 2 timers If you are a newcomer to NetWork activities here are some suggestions for learning how to use them to your maximum advantage E Select a NetWork activity for your initial tryout E Review the early chapters on setting u
51. p briefing and debriefing Incorporate the ideas from these chapters when planning your activity E Work with a co facilitator who need not be experienced with the NetWork apparatus 28 How May We Help You Read the chapter that describes the activity Come up with ideas for customizing the activity to meet your needs and constraints Discuss these modifications with your co facilitator Rehearse the NetWork activity with your co facilitator Work out a suitable division of labor E Conduct the NetWork activity and debrief the participants E Debrief yourself and your co facilitator to discover your strengths and weaknesses Build on your strengths Once you have successfully conducted your first NetWork activity use the same procedure with other NetWork activities We at Interel Inc the manufacturers of the NetWork apparatus support our customers in several ways We periodically add field tested NetWork activities to the collection Our experienced facilitators can train people from your organization to use the NetWork as a flexible action learning device Our experienced designers can assist you in the custom design of NetWork activities that suit your needs constraints and resources In addition to the NetWork apparatus we have other action learning devices including the Electric Maze and the Sentinel that can help you with your training teambuilding and testing needs For more information write to
52. p the timer Ask the team at the NetWork apparatus for self evaluation of their progress Ask them how they could improve their performance Ask the leader to give suggestions to the team members Ask the team members to give suggestions to the leader E Encourage the participants to think out of the box Don t exclude innovative ideas such as having the leader participate in the game or reducing the number of active players E Ifthe team members come up with such wild ideas as unscrewing the marker state that no one can alter the rule for moving the marker by manipulating the rings attached to the cords 59 Playing NetWork Darts The Target The NetWork apparatus consists of a marker that is controlled by cords Different participants position themselves around the apparatus and take hold of one or two rings attached to the cords They coordinate their actions to move the marker over the target and to make marks on specific locations The target used in this game resembles the regulation dart board found in virtually every well appointed British pub As you can see in the illustration the board is divided into 20 pie shaped sectors Each sector is numbered with its scoring value on the outside There is a narrow outer circle When you mark on this area you get double the usual value of the segment For example if you mark the location indicated by the double asterisk you get 24 points which is twice the score of 12 points
53. points for each time a middle location was touched and 20 points for each time an inner location was touched The referee writes down the coach s name and the team score on the Record Sheet At the end of the round reassign the roles Ask the coach to take the place of one of the team members The team member replaced by the coach becomes the referee for the next round The previous referee now becomes the coach Repeat the same procedure as before When all participants have had an opportunity to be the coach announce the end of the activity Give each participant a voting container and 13 voting counters Ask each participant to reflect on the coaches that he or she had If there were six participants each would have had four different coaches Now ask the participants to distribute the voting counters to reflect how much they liked each of their coaches They do this by dropping the appropriate number of counters in their coaches voting containers No participant can drop any voting counters in his or her own cup or the cup of the person who acted as referee when he or she was the coach After the voting is completed ask each participant to count the total number of voting counters in his or her container Record this information in the last column of the Record Sheet Acknowledge the participant with the highest team performance score and the participant with the highest popularity score that is the most voting counters
54. r along with the leader for Team A E Team B also had a leader but followed a participatory approach E the first phase of the activity lasted for 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes 65 Application Adjustments and Variations E the cross functional teams continued the NetWork activity for 30 minutes before the final 1 minute performance test E there were no 1 minute performance tests E members of Team A ignored their leader E members of Team B elected a leader E If we conducted the same NetWork activity again how would you behave differently knowing what you know now E Based on the insights you gained from this activity how would you change your teamwork behaviors in the workplace Only one NetWork apparatus available Ask Team A and team B take turns working at the apparatus for 15 minutes each Later ask the two cross functional teams to take turns This approach will require about double the amount of time compared to the two NetWork version Too few participants You can conduct this activity with as few as five participants Team A with a leader and two members and Team B with two members Too many participants The two teams may have more than eight members In Team A ask the members to take turns at the NetWork apparatus In Team B ask the leader to decide what to do about the extra members You can also give appoint a referee at each table and a non playing observer at each table Not enough ti
55. racks are divided into eight sectors which are numbered 1 through 8 The sector numbers are written outside the concentric circles Locations on the target are specified by the sector number followed by the track number Thus 5 3 is the location with an asterisk in the diagram In this activity you mark eight locations in the following order 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 Notice that all eight marks are placed in the outermost track of the target Remember this sequence because you will not be able to refer back to this handout during the activity 43 EIGHT MARKS Instructions for Participants The Target Sequence of Locations You and the other participants will use the network apparatus to mark different locations on a target The facilitator will assign you to a specific position around the apparatus and give you one or two rings that control a cord All of the cords are attached to a single marker so you will have to coordinate your motions with the other participants You will not be allowed to talk during the activity The target has four concentric circles called tracks The tracks are labelled 1 2 3 and 4 The tracks are divided into eight sectors which are numbered 1 through 8 The sector numbers are written outside the concentric circles Locations on the target are specified by the sector number followed by the track number Thus 5 3 is the location with an asterisk in the diagram In thi
56. rent NetWork activities and try to achieve a high level of team performance The team members will prepare a checklist of factors that contribute to high performance teamwork Introduce the NetWork apparatus Use the guidelines on pages 14 17 Show the participants the different targets and distribute copies of Chapter 4 Explain that this chapter describes the use of different targets Ask the participants to practice with the NetWork apparatus for the next 10 minutes Encourage them to time their performance and award scores to themselves The goal for the participants is to discover strategies for improving their team performance Answer all questions from the participants and coach them as needed After 10 minutes ask the participants to come up witha checklist of key success factors that produce high levels of team performance at the NetWork apparatus Suggest a 15 minute period for completing this task Ask the team to record the checklist items on the flipchart Encourage the participants to continuously experiment with the NetWork apparatus while developing this checklist After 15 minutes announce the conclusion of the activity Distribute copies of the handout High Performance Net Work Teams Key Success Factors Explain that this checklist is a compilation of items from previous teams Ask the participants to compare the items in their checklist with the items in the handout Encourage the participants to modify the ite
57. ressure on your team Do you have similar experiences with time limits in your workplace Working with a team on a design activity has several advantages and disadvantages How does the teamwork in this activity compare with teamwork in your organization Follow up with specific questions related to the principles listed in the Interpretation section What if your team had several days to design the NetWork activity your team had only 5 minutes to design the NetWork activity E your team had only two members your team had 15 members your team had a leader nobody in your team had any experience with NetWork activities you did not receive the handout E the best activity received a cash prize If we conducted the same activity again but with a different team how would you behave differently knowing what you know now Using the insights you gained from this activity how would you behave differently in future teamwork assignments in your organization 75 Adjustments and Variations Suggestions for the Practice Field Approach Too few participants You can conduct this activity with as few as four participants divided into two partnerships Too many participants Divide the participants into three or more teams Randomly select one or two teams to demonstrate their activities Not enough time Reduce the amount of time given to the design phase Instead of actually conducting the activities give ea
58. roductivity E Team members seldom question written directives E The presence of a leader makes the team stable and efficient 64 Correlation Speculation E The absence of a leader increases participation among the team members E Too much participation reduces a team s productivity Members of newly established cross functional teams should spend some time in establishing a set of groundrules E People don t accept changes in work procedures even if these changes are more empowering Encourage the participants to offer and discuss additional principles similar to these E Have you ever been a member of a team that was organized just like Team A What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of team operation E Have you ever been a member of a team that was organized just like Team B What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of team operation E Have you ever been a member of a cross functional team Did this team face the same type of problems that were faced by the cross functional team in this activity E How does the Team A leader compare with some team leaders or managers in your workplace Follow up with each principle from the preceding Interpretation section Ask the participants to discuss the application of the principle in their workplace What if E both teams were organized in the same way E the leader was elected by the members of team A E we had an assistant leade
59. rtain channels It is important for you to go with the flow as long as the discussion generates learning insights If it degenerates into a stream of consciousness rambling you can gently redirect it with an appropriate question from the list Also when the discussion lapses into lengthy periods of silence you can restart the conversation with another question from the list 19 Designing and Customizing NetWork Activities What Is the Purpose What Is the Topic This chapter is not intended to make you an expert designer of NetWork activities but it does provide you with basic guidelines for designing your own NetWork activities and for customizing the activities described in this manual The chapter lists questions to consider in designing or modifying a NetWork activity and offers alternative tactics associated with each question NetWork activities can be used for many purposes including E raining E Teambuilding E Testing Before you design a new activity or customize an existing one identify the primary purpose you want to achieve For more details about these three purposes and the overlap among them review Chapter 1 pages 2 and 3 In the early stages of your design or modification project specify one or two primary learning points topics or objectives Without a clear specification of the topic you may get carried away into creating an exciting activity that does not result in effective learning Here
60. s a coin and ask one of the leaders to call heads or tails If the leader calls correctly his or her team will be the first to play The team members should organize themselves around the NetWork apparatus taking positions according to the number of players they have Tell the team that they will have 1 minute to score as many points as possible and then it will be the other team s turn Set the timer for 1 minute start the timer and yell start 54 Conclusion Working with a Partner General Debriefing Observation Stop the team at the end of a minute Write the score for this round on the flipchart Ask the other team to get ready Time their play for 1 minute making sure that the team does not get points for marking any spaces that are already marked At the end of the minute write this team s score on the flipchart Repeat this process alternating between teams until each team has completed two rounds Write the cumulative scores for the teams on the flipchart At the end of the second round announce the total scores and identify the winning team Congratulate the winners Ask the leaders to take their teams to different locations and conduct a debriefing discussion for 5 minutes Bring both teams together Ask members of each team and the leaders to select a partner from the other team If there is one person left over be his or her partner Explain to the partners that they should spend the next 3 mi
61. s activity you mark eight locations in the following order 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 Notice that the first four marks go in the outermost track of the target and the last four marks go one track inwards Remember this sequence because you will not be able to refer back to this handout during the activity 44 10 KSF OF HPT Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Setup The participants explore the NetWork apparatus and prepare a list of key success factors for high performance NetWork teams During debriefing they relate these key success factors to different types of teamwork in their workplace To explore factors that contribute to high performance teamwork This activity works best with four to eight participants 50 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 15 minutes for NetWork exploration 15 minutes for preparing and revising the key success factors checklist and 15 minutes for debriefing E NetWork Apparatus E Three different targets E Three or four copies of Chapter 3 Starting the Action Learning Process Briefing the Participants reproduce pages 14 17 E One copy of the handout High Performance Net Work Teams Key Success Factors for each participant reproduce pages 56 57 E Timer E Flipchart Set up the NetWork apparatus as explained on pages 5 9 Do not attach any targets 45 Briefing Facilitation Conclusion Explain that the participants will explore diffe
62. sign different teams to different NetWork apparatuses or to the same one In the latter case the teams may take turns at the apparatus You may ask two different teams to work at the same apparatus at the same time each trying to mark different target locations E Team relationships The two teams may compete or cooperate with each other In the latter case you may ask one team to master the NetWork first and then coach the other team You may also organize two teams without defining their interrelationship E Interactive patterns You may specify the same rules for the two different teams Alternatively you may have different rules for different teams E Roles Usually all participants in a NetWork activity have the same role However you may specify different roles For example you may have some of the participants turn their backs to the target so that they cannot see the marker You may blindfold some participants You may issue a gag order that prohibits some participants from talking You may have some participants manipulate the cords without speaking and the other participants speak without manipulating the cords You may assign different administrative roles for example time keeper or score keeper or team roles for example facilitator coach or leader to different participants E Change of roles You may change the roles of the participants or their positions around the NetWork apparatus during an activity We recom
63. spite of these limitations the challenge arena approach is very effective for achieving some purposes E Challenges dramatically increase the awareness of inappropriate behaviors E Challenges allow the facilitator to enable the participants to see themselves in the act of being themselves E Challenges motivate teams to function at peak levels E Challenges provide a non threatening approach to surfacing analyzing and discussing dysfunctional behaviors The challenge arena approach to action learning is particularly powerful if the activity is of a short duration and the participants are willing and able to learn from each other 14 Practice Field Approach In this approach the activity begins the same way as in the challenge arena approach The major difference is that the practice field approach involves continuous coaching by the facilitator Here are some details of this approach Participants are organized into one or more teams A real or imaginary situation is explained to them They are given a goal tools and a time limit Teams are galvanized into action due to a combination of peer support and peer pressure The clear goal and the challenge make the teams cohesive and highly motivated The participants combine their skills and knowledge to plan act evaluate strategize and achieve the goal Periodically when the participants are stymied or before they regress into dysfunctional and defensive behaviors
64. t in the handout if necessary Tell the team to design a NetWork activity to explore this topic Specify the time limit Start the timer and announce that the teams have 30 minutes to come up with the activity It is not necessary that the teams should write a complete set of instructions for the activity However they should have an outline of the steps Act as a technical facilitator for answers to questions related to the design of NetWork activity Encourage the teams to try out the activity on the NetWork apparatus Monitor the timer and keep announcing the remaining time Conclude the design phase after 30 minutes Select one of the teams to conduct its activity Warn the team that you may stop the activity in the middle after about 15 minutes Help the selected team to conduct its activity with the members of the other team acting as participants Stop the activity after about 15 minutes Ask the other team to conduct its activity Use the same procedure and stop the activity after 15 minutes Briefly elicit comments on the positive aspects of the two activities and or offer constructive suggestions for their improvement Use the guidelines for the five phase debriefing procedure Chapter 5 pages 22 24 Here are suggested questions for debriefing 73 Observation Interpretation E How did the teams go about designing the activity E How did the team members select the topic for the activity What factors influe
65. ter 2 deals with the mechanics of setting up and taking down the NetWork apparatus E Chapters 3 4 and 5 provide guidelines for facilitators before during and after the NetWork activity E Chapter 6 presents suggestions for designing and customizing NetWork activities E The remaining chapters provide detailed instructions for different NetWork activities 2 Setting Up the Network Apparatus Remove the NetWork frame and targets from the carrying case and place the folded frame over the laminated target to be used for the activity Open the hinged frame to a cross shape and place rubber feet down on a flat surface over the desired target a 1 h i p as a Insert the four rubber feet into a corresponding grommet reinforced hole in the target Place the NetWork apparatus on a table and remove the eight rings from their storage clips prior to conducting a learning activity TAKING DOWN THE NETWORK DEVICE Replace the eight rings attached to the blue cords onto the retaining clips at the bottom of each leg To do this grasp a pair of rings attached to cords threaded by each side of one leg Then move them across to an opposite leg and slide then onto the retaining clips at the bottom of the opposite leg Repeat this procedure with the remaining pairs of rings Remove the rubber feet from the target and pivot the two sections of the frame until the frame is flat Insert the frame
66. th the NetWork apparatus Others are analytical and prefer to plan before acting E Some people prefer hands on experimentation while others prefer to observe E The roles of team members change when the nature of the task changes Different people become more or less active during different activities 47 Correlation Speculation Application Adjustments and Variations E It is impossible to identify all factors that produce high performance teamwork E Different team members are influenced by different factors Encourage the participants to offer and discuss additional principles similar to these Ask the participants to review the checklist of key success factors on the flipchart For each item ask the participants to comment on its applicability to different types of teamwork situations in their workplace What if E you had a couple of hours to explore the NetWork apparatus E you were given the handout of key success factors before you began to develop your own checklist E the team had 25 members the team had only two members the team was asked to identify the top five key success factors E If we asked you to assemble and coach a high performance NetWork team what would you do knowing what you know now E Based on the insights you gained from this activity and based on your checklist how would you go about facilitating high performance teamwork in the workplace E What changes would you make
67. the teams have problems If one or both teams end up with very low scores use this situation as a major debriefing point Observe and discuss how the leaders handled this demoralizing situation Here are some suggestions for working with the leaders during the preparation stage E Stress the importance of hands on practice and ask the leaders to get a good feel for what is involved in playing the dart game E Ask prompting questions related to leadership behaviors E Discuss the leader s role Help the two leaders identify their training inspiring and coaching roles Encourage the leaders to attend to all different roles E Ask the leaders to anticipate different outcomes of the tournament winning losing and or getting totally dominated the other team Discuss how to handle each of these situations E Ask the leaders to recall the behaviors of leaders in the sports arena and in the workplace Brainstorm leadership strategies that can be borrowed from the others 58 E Identify teambuilding as one of the leadership tasks Ask the leaders to come up with strategies for the increasing the levels of commitment trust and cohesiveness among the team members Here are some suggestions for working with the participants during the tournament E Talk to the team that is waiting for its turn Ask the leader and the members what they should be doing to get ready for their turn E Freeze the action in the middle of a round Sto
68. thout any preconceived assumptions or time pressure E Benchmarking information on other teams performance levels is available E The team establishes a clear and measurable goal E The team s goal requires a stretch in their previous levels of performance E The NetWork apparatus is placed at a convenient level in a well lighted area E The performance of the team is timed and measured in appropriate ways A public record of the team s scores is maintained E Members are committed to continuously improving their team score E There is diversity among the team members This diversity is respected by all team members Differences of opinions are welcomed E All team members contribute suggestions for improving their performance E Disagreements and conflicts among the team members are openly and effectively resolved E Team members give receive and use feedback E Team members spend significant amounts of time practicing how to work together E Everyone in the team participates appropriately E Team members experiment with alternative strategies E The team has an external incentive for example bragging rights for high performance E The team selects a leader 51 Team members have fun in playing with the NetWork apparatus E Team members accept each other s mistakes E Team members take specific roles For example each member has a designated position Team members celebrate their success
69. ts to stand around it holding one or two rings attached to the ends of the cords The figure on the next page shows how to position 2 to 8 participants around a NetWork apparatus Emphasize that all participants standing around the NetWork apparatus belong to a single team The team s goal is to mark different locations on the target Point to the felt marker and show how it can be moved by the coordinated action of the team Keep the marker capped Have the team practice moving the marker and lowering it to touch various locations on the target Explain that when they actually do the activity the marker will be uncapped and it will leave a mark on the target Explain the differences among the three targets 10 Target 1 Target 2 This target has three concentric rings which are called tracks They are numbered 5 10 and 20 The tracks are divided into four sectors which are labeled A B C and D Locations on the target are specified by the sector letter followed by the track number The team should mark the locations on Target 1 in the following sequence A 5 B 5 C 5 D 5 A 10 B 10 C 10 D 10 A 20 B 20 C 20 D 20 For marking each location the team receives points equal to the track number For example the team receives 5 points for marking A 5 and 20 points for marking D 20 The mark should not touch any lines For touching a line or for marking the wrong location the team loses 10 points
70. ving them enough encouragement Put yourself in the place of team members Keep silent for a few moments Focus on a specific team member They are discouraged E Get them to synchronize their movements Between one round and the next probe the team members Ask questions like these E What did you like about the coaching strategy E Did you listen to your coach What should the next coach do more of What should the next coach do less of E What advice do you have for the next coach 36 Record Sheet Team Voting Coachs Name Score Counters 37 9 EIGHT MARKS Synopsis Purpose Participants Time Supplies Setup Participants independently read a set of directions and carry out a NetWork activity without talking to each other Unknown to them there are two different sets of directions The resulting confusion reflects problems due to conflicting goals in the workplace To explore the impact of inconsistent or confusing goals on team performance The activity works best with 4 to 8 participants 20 minutes 5 minutes for briefing 5 minutes for the activity and 10 minutes for debriefing E NetWork apparatus E arget 2 E Stopwatch E Handouts EIGHT MARKS Instructions to Participants pages 48 and 49 Set up the NetWork apparatus as explained on pages 5 9 Attach Target 2 Make sure the marker is uncapped Reproduce copies of pages 48 and 49 Although these two handouts look
71. y the three T s of NetWork activities are interrelated with each other For example we cannot use an activity as a testing strategy without the participants acquiring more effective problem solving skills All NetWork activities provide experiential data that can be used for a variety of training teambuilding and testing purposes This fact increases the flexibility and the power of the NetWork apparatus Here is a list of benefits for different groups of end users Participants E The NetWork apparatus provides totally absorbing activities that cause participants to exhibit characteristic behaviors E NetWork activities provide a holistic experience Participants think feel and act at the same time These activities take into account all avenues of learning and appeal to several intelligences E NetWork activities are highly motivating and engrossing Participants easily lose themselves in the activity and reach a relaxed state of learning Facilitators E The NetWork apparatus is easy to set up E NetWork activities serve a variety of teambuilding training and testing purposes The same NetWork activity can be repeated with the same team and still produce different results E NetWork activities require minimal physical effort making them appropriate for all participants including those with limited physical abilities E NetWork activities can be safely undertaken in an indoor setting The only requirement is the availa

NetWork - Interel, Inc.

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