Indiana Jones

Subject

People / Team growing / Team dynamics

Participants

Product Owner, Developers

Facilitator

Agile Coach / Agile Master

Photo by Lee Nohara

Summary

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

Definition

The Indiana Jones Method brings the team into trouble and it has to find a way out.

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.

Results

The team has managed to pass an uncomfortable situation and was exposed to personal conflicts. Passing critical situations results in stronger teams.

Benefit

The team is aware to be able to solve problems by itself. It learns to handle differnt kinds and levels of skills and accepts that some are faster and some are slower, but to win, everyone has to contribute within its capabilities.

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 researchers. 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.

Tools

Small groups / paper and pens

Hints

The Agile Coach / Agile Master should keep in mind the Tuckman's phases of team building and support the team accordingly.

See also

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