Indiana Jones

The "Indiana Jones" creative method has been tailored to deal with hopeless situations in a team.

Subject

People/Team growing/Team dynamics

Motivation

The task promotes competition between the teams. The different thinking and solution strategies also promote more efficient cooperation in the future. The realization that the two slowest ones have to go together so that the entire team can make it in time leads to intensive discussions: the participants then reflect on situations and experiences in which a similar decision must be made and work under time pressure.

Procedure

The participants form groups of four. The trainer describes the situation and the people in which the teams should empathize. Indiana Jones is on the run from natives with three researcher. The research group has a lead of exactly sixty minutes. During this time, they have to cross a fragile suspension bridge in extreme darkness. However, they only have one flashlight and there can be a maximum of two people on the bridge at a time. Indiana Jones covers the distance in five minutes, one of the researchers in ten minutes, the other two in twenty and respectively twenty-five minutes. After this story, the trainer sets the task to the teams: In which order do which couples have to cross the suspension bridge and who brings back the flashlight so that they can escape in time? The solution is: Group of two/way there: 5+10 minutes, back: 5 (or 10) minutes, group of two/way there: 20+25 minutes, back: 10 (or 5) minutes, group of two/way there: 5+10 minutes.

Facilitator

Agile coach/agile master

Participants

Product owner, developers

Tools

Small groups/paper and pens

See also

S. Beermann/M. Schubach/O. Tornow 'Games for workshops and seminars'