This is the last exercise in this series on 'oppositeness' within teams. This exercise illustrates how oppositeness can be created by environmental factors and how oppositeness can create distrust.
NB: This is a very powerful exercise but has a loose structure and can invoke some strong emotions in those taking part. You should only use this exercise if you are good at thinking on your feet, experienced in managing unexpected negative reactions from team members, and know how to turn negative reactions into constructive learning points.
You'll need about 10 minutes for the exercise itself, though unpacking the issues the exercise raises may take quite some time afterwards in plenary discussion, typically half an hour but perhaps longer. You'll need space in the room for everyone to split into two groups, with you in the middle.
Beforehand you need to construct a transparent A4 wallet containing:
• Two white cover sheets with the words “truth/lie game” in large type.
• In between the cover sheets you'll need two cards with different colours on all sides (ie four colours in total).
• On one surface of each card, on the side facing outwards, you should have in large type the words "Tell the truth, the card is..." (followed by the colour of the card).
This exercise works best with between 8 and 30 people. The aim of the exercise is to illustrate how oppositeness can be created by the environment and how opposite "team islands" (or in/out groups) can inadvertently form in a team. For a description of team islands, see http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/soft-skills/project-management-training-part13.html or http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/corporate-events-team-islands.html for more information. The exercise can also be used to illustrate:
• how ‘fundamental attribution errors' can arise
• how oppositeness creates distrust
• that conflict may not be due to individual differences but have an environmental source
As stated above, to run this exercise you need to be comfortable with thinking on your feet, or improvisation. The process is not a rigid one, but needs to adapted to the responses of the team members. Also, the role you are playing is like that of a magician - you are creating an illusion, and the success of the exercise depends on the credibility of the illusion.
Stand in the middle of an open space and ask the team to form two groups either side. Make sure they are well-separated (imagine you are standing on a wide traintrack, and the two groups should stand outside the tracks):
Group 1 | You | Group 2
Hold up the transparent wallet parallel to the imaginary traintrack, so that each group can clearly see just one side (with the words “truth/lie game”).
Tell both groups not to say anything unless they are asked to do so.
Slowly extract the white cover sheet from one side, and then the other side. This should reveal one coloured card on each side with the words "Tell the truth, the card is...". Each group can only see their own side and have to assume what is written on the other side. Be careful not to give them any clue as to what the other side says. Some members of the group will assume it says on the other side "Tell a lie, the card is..."
Remove the two cards from the transparent wallet, giving the impression of trying to keep them together. However, you should let let the cards slip slightly (no more than half an inch) so that observant people on each side might accidently see the near side of the other team’s card. That is, each group thinks they see the colour of the other group's card but they see the wrong colour (because the two sides of each card are different colours, which they don't realise).
Then, play one side against another to add to the feeling of distrust, asking questions and getting responses:
• Ask a person in Group 1 (say, John) “what colour is the card?”
• Ask a person in Group 2 (say, Helen) “what colour is the card?”
• Ask John “Do you believe Helen?”
• Ask Helen “Do you believe John?”
• Ask everyone (or a sample in large groups) individually on John’s side “Do you believe Helen?”
• Ask everyone individually on Helen’s side “Do you believe John?”
Mentally (without letting anyone else realise) select the person who most adamantly does not believe and appears to be a confident individual. It is important to select someone who clearly distrusts what the person on the other side is saying, and who will maintain that individual viewpoint even in the face of significant peer pressure. Suppose that person is Peter.
Starting with people who believed, ask one person at a time to move from Peter’s side to the other side. When each individual moves, ask him/her “what colour is the card?”. Then ask everyone on Peter’s side individually whether they believe the person who just moved. Then ask another person to move.
Continue this process until Peter is on his own, with the rest of the group on the others side.
Finally, turn the card round so that everyone can see what was on the other side.
Debrief
Facilitate a plenary discussion to identify the issues raised by this exercise in the team, such as:
• Members of the group may have felt distrustful of people on “the other side”, but this wasn’t because the person was untrustworthy, but a result of the environment (the way the groups were split, and the design of the cards that formed the boundary between them).
• The creation of a boundary, or division, in a team creates a situation where it is assumed that those on the other side are “opposite” (eg: assuming the other side of the card said "tell a lie")
• Any oppositeness in a team creates distrust or sometimes even aggression between individuals.
• The question “do you believe John/Helen?” may feel an intense struggle in some teams, but it is a misdirected or false question. What really matters is what is written on the card.
• Some people may feel angry at the artificial conflict or the way they have been “set up”. If this happens, the discussion can then be focused on the environmental factors that create conflict between team members.
The team can apply the lessons of this exercise by identifying the environmental factors that create division in their own team, and discussing ways of reducing the impact of those factors.
If you have any questions about this exercise, please leave a comment