Open-source toolbox for Management & Leadership training: The prisoner's dilemma – “Win as much as you can!”

In this captivating exercise, 8 participants form pairs to make strategic decisions without knowledge of the other group's choice. The dilemma: selfish actions promise short-term gain but jeopardize overall success. An experiment in trust and decision-making in uncertainty and ambiguity. However, the goal - "Win as much as you can" - reveals an ambiguous question: who is "you"? The individual or the entire team?

I've dedicated years (yes!) to developing an immersive pedagogy for this exercise, including placing the debriefing before the announcement of the final result. This strategy aims to immerse participants in deep reflection before obtaining the final verdict: do all teams ultimately play collectively, or has there been betrayal? Observing groups analyze their decisions before even knowing the results, I've noticed a deeper engagement and a richer exploration of the nuances of decision-making.

This approach has significantly strengthened the reflective dimension of the experience. Participants have expressed how it contributes to a deeper understanding of their own decision-making mechanisms, fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Over iterations, this methodology has revealed intriguing trends in how groups approach decision-making in ambiguity. The early debriefing becomes a key moment to extract insights, best practices, and encourage a culture of exchange among participants.

On several occasions, I've had the pleasure of seeing groups delve into the complexity of the Dilemma, each bringing its own unique perspective. Reflection on the stated goal, "Win as much as you can," has offered moments of intellectual depth, sparking stimulating discussions on the nature of leadership – especially in diverse countries and cultures. (I remember a group that never found consensus despite collective cultural pressure…)

Exploring ambiguity has been a crucial facet of each session. As a facilitator, I've had the opportunity to observe how participants, seasoned in their fields, approach vague and incomplete information. Communication, emphasized as the pivot for reducing ambiguity, has been scrutinized practically, offering valuable lessons to integrate into various professional environments.

Example: Imagine leading a crucial project team for the company. Two choices are available: a risky but lucrative approach and a safer but less ambitious option. Your decision will impact the project's success, team dynamics, trust, and your leadership reputation. Under pressure to optimize results while preserving team integrity, what do you choose?

Or, more simply (or not!): You have a team member, a true expert in his field. He delivers excellent results, and thanks to him, your client satisfaction rate is very high. However, as a team member, he is toxic: he tends to denigrate others' results, use resources for himself, don't share information with colleagues, and build his career at the expense of others. What do you do?

I've had the opportunity to guide reflection on the impact of individual decisions on group dynamics while exploring the delicate balance between the individual and the collective. The question of managerial courage, an essential component, has been discussed in depth, stimulating conversations on the need for bold decision-making in the leadership world.

Each new step in this sequence becomes an adventure, a chance to refine our understanding of leadership. Guiding these explorations at julhiet sterwen , I see our clients evolve, embody the human leader with confidence, face doubts, and act in uncertainty. Every decision holds a lesson. Leading these explorations is shaping destinies. What joy, this profession!

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