Let's Play by Matthew Brice

I’m with a group of healthcare leaders and I’ve given them a game to play with clear rules and a defined outcome.? After an enthusiastic start, they’ve tried the obvious solutions and gotten stuck, the people who first stepped up to lead the group have gone quiet and as usual, the team is now trying to find loopholes in the rules…

We play games with teams because they give us a window into the character and personalities of the people with whom we work.? If, in the game, they are quick to stand-up and take charge, or generate lots of ideas, or are engaged but wait for instructions from others, or are content to watch and reflect on what is going on and why…? It is likely that this is how they will prefer to operate in the real world.

?All of us are wrapped in many layers of our identity.? These layers can shape how we present ourselves to others and how we think about ourselves. ?

?In our work we use a range of personality assessment and feedback tools to support personal, leadership, and team development, these are invaluable and have their place.? ?Their limitations often emerge around the fact that they rely on self-assessment, and in the time and expense needed to employ them.

?Games often have the advantage that they are quick to introduce and debrief, and it’s just a game, so succeeding or failing has little or no consequence.? For most people, when they are engrossed in the activity, their personalities shine through.? As an observer I will see aspects of their personality and character that otherwise can be hidden away behind professional, or role defined masks.? For the participant, supported by some simple debriefing skills, they are given the opportunity to reflect and gain insights into why and how they reacted the way they did.? This is important because we tend to do in games what we do in life.

?Some of the best outcomes come from games that are analogist to participants’ experiences.? When participants can find a connection to the game being played, they buy-in to the game more readily.? Often, we have limited time to introduce a game, play it, and debrief it.? It is important then that the game chosen is engaging, and the participants can find a way to relate to it.? This can be as simple as what the game is called and the way the facilitator introduces it.? In the example I gave above, the leaders were from all parts of a large hospital that was experiencing significant patient flow issues, therefore the game we chose involved the co-ordination of many individual actions and was titled ‘Traffic Jam!’? The description of the game was given with a ‘nod and a wink’ and the question “Sound familiar?”? In this case the game was not intended to replicate patient flow in a large healthcare facility, it was positioned to provide the analogy ‘hook’ needed to engage the participants.?

?Meanwhile back at the game, I’m addressing the idea of just ignoring the rules so the task can be completed.? “While I appreciate the creativity…. you can’t break that rule.? How about you summarise what you’ve tried so far, and then look at changing roles to gain a different perspective?”? We’ve reached that part of the game.? The first leaders are struggling to give up on their initial idea even when it is clear it won’t work.? If they push through, they will get to the point where they can let go of their initial idea and start considering new options.? It happens almost every time.? “Do you still believe this exercise is possible?? What else could you try?”? I ask.? A quiet, more reflective member of the team, makes a suggestion and the team starts working on the problem from a new perspective…

?A good debrief will draw lessons from the participants.? It is this act of reflection that allows us to grow from our experiences (Kolb, 1984).? The game goes from being ‘just a game’ to a valuable experience when the participants’ gain insight into themselves and each other.? The role of the facilitator is to help them step back from the exercise and reflect on how they participated, how they felt, and what they learnt (or re-learnt).?

?Debriefing questions I often ask include:

??????????? “Who stepped up as the leader?”

??????????? “What happened after that?”

??????????? “Who took on a follower role?”

??????????? “Whose role changed?”

??????????? “What are you thinking right now?”

??????????? “What other resources do you have available?”

??????????? “How are you feeling?”

??????????? “What would you do differently if you did this again?”

?The best learning comes from gaining insight.? To this end, most of the debriefing will involve asking questions and guiding the discussion, the participants will then make their own observations and draw the conclusions.??

?There are many games that are a quick to set up and play, try to connect the game with some aspect of the groups work, but most importantly remember that the magic is in the debrief.? If you choose a facilitator that can guide the process, support your people, who can challenge but not offend, then games can provide an excellent tool for gaining insight into individual and group personalities.?

?Where can you introduce games into your team’s life?? Could games be part of your recruitment/interview process? Part of your leadership development program?? Do you have access to people with the debriefing skills to help facilitate such activities??

The team completes the exercise!? There is clapping and mutual congratulations.? I jump in and say, “Great job everyone, but remember, ‘once is nonce!’? I want you to repeat the exercise until you can do it without speaking, then you will know that you own this and can reliably execute regardless of who is on.”? The game continues, there is still more to learn…