You can also set up the egg drop as a social dilemma. I place the
supplies on a small table. There is a planning time where they can look
but not touch the supplies. I give a goal of X number of different
successful designs (one per team) however I then tell them bonus points
for the least supplies used and bonus points for the first done. With
the supplies all on a small table you often (usually even when you
support the voices of common sense) get a resource rush, soem teams end
up with few supplies and have to go begging, few help others when they
are done...and so you can talk about cooperation and competition within
the company, issues of limited supplies and hording, rewarding for A
when expecting B, etc. There are a few extra eggs, etc. and most don't
think to reuse supplies unless you ask leading questions (we usually
have a few groups scavenging the trash cans for unbroken eggs as we
drop from the second floor onto a slate floor).
Carolyn
U of Idaho
> Kathleen, exercise that I have used is what I call the "Egg
> Protector."Each team is given a raw egg, a handful of drinking
> straws, string, masking
> tape and a ruler (just for measuring). You assign each of these a
> monetaryvalue (e.g. straws cost $5, string is $3 an inch, etc.)
> and then you give
> them a budget that they can't exceed. I can't remember the exact
> amountsthat I have used, or the budget, but you could try it
> yourself to determine
> the right amount. The right amount is an amount that forces them
> to think
> hard about how they will use the resources.
>
> They are told that they need to build a structure around the egg
> that will
> allow it to survive a four foot drop. The winner of the exercise
> is the
> group whose egg does not break and has the lowest cost solution.
> It of
> course can be a little messy, but students are typically very
> engaged and
> they don't know how well they have completed the work until the
> drop test.
>
> Personally, I use this exercise as a way to examine group
> formation, problem
> solving, leadership emergence, conflict, etc. So, I am not as
> concernedabout how well the protector performs as I am about what
> the students learn
> about themselves and the group process. However, this can easily
> be a tool
> to talk about creativity as there are always very interesting
> solutions that
> people come up with, and usually a lot of variation in the strategies
> involved. Hope this helps
>
> Jeff Peterson
>
> _____
>
> From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
> [mailto:
OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Kathleen Boies
> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 9:09 AM
> To:
OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
> Subject: Looking for a Team Task
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I am looking for team task for a laboratory experiment with
> students, that
> would meet the following criteria:
> - team members need to interact, coordinate, and devise a strategy to
> accomplish their goal (3-4 members)
> - the performance outcomes can be measured in terms of:
> (1) creativity and
> (2) performance (either quantity or quality of output)
> - the task lasts 1-2 hours (1 hour is preferable)
>
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Kathleen Boies
>
> *********************************************************************
> Kathleen Boies, Ph. D.
> Department of Management
> John Molson School of Business
> Concordia University
> 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
> Montreal (Quebec) H3G 1M8 CANADA
> Office: GM 503-41
> Tel: (514) 848-2424 ext. 2902
> Fax: (514) 848-4292
> *********************************************************************
>
>