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Aim
Being faced with the task of choosing from a host of possible options is intrinsic to the decision-making process. This exercise explores how your team tackles such a situation.
In this exercise, participants are faced with the scenario that they are lost at sea. They have to work as a group to reach an acceptable decision on which island they should sail to, based on the information in their task sheets. It should take around an hour to complete.
Learning Objectives
Team members will be able to …
- explore the decision-making process within a team
- consider how they deal with the reading, understanding, organizing and analysis of given information
- encourage their colleagues to justify the reasoning behind their decisions
- question and challenge the reasoning and decisions taken by others
- reflect on other perspectives and how this affects their original decision
Suggested Resources
- task sheet
- pen and paper for each participant
What to Do (30 minutes)
- Arrange participants into subgroups of about five and allocate the groups to different parts of the room.
- Explain to the subgroups that they are all part of a highly skilled enclave on a top-secret mission for the British government. Their stealth jet became caught up in some freak weather conditions and crash-landed in the ocean. Everyone is now floating on a raft without any food or water. Luckily, one member of the team has a map, a compass and some information on the islands in this part of the ocean.
- Ask them to read over the task sheet and decide which of the islands to which they would advocate sailing.
- Tell the groups that they have 25 minutes to discuss and decide.
Review Activity (20 minutes)
- After the 25 minutes are up, bring everyone back together as one group.
- Invite one of the groups to nominate a spokesperson to share the group’s thoughts on which island to sail for.
- Once the spokesperson has done this, invite members from the other groups to question and/or challenge the reasoning and decisions made by the group.
- Repeat this process with each of the groups.
- Ask participants to vote on which group made the best decision. A simple show of hands will do.
- Did any group members change their minds based on the questions and/or reasons put forward by the other teams?
- If some group members now feel their group made the wrong decision, why didn’t they feel this way at the time? Consider:
- the approach taken by the group
- the role each member of the team played
- the way in which the group analyzed the information
Apply Learning (10 minutes)
- Would participants approach this problem differently if asked to do it again?
- Are there any aspects of the way they personally approached this exercise, which individual participants would like to change when dealing with similar situations in future?
- What lessons can be taken back and applied in the workplace?
Off the Radar - Task Sheet
This exercise asks you and your team to assume the roles of a group of people who have crash-landed and are now floating in the Indian Ocean. You must work together to decide which island you should sail to for help.
You and your other team members are all part of a highly skilled enclave on a top-secret mission for the British government. Dramatically, your stealth jet became caught up in some freak weather conditions and crash-landed in the ocean. You and the other team members are now floating on a raft without any food or water.
Luckily, one member of the team has a map, a compass and some information on the islands in this part of the ocean.
Task
- As a group, you should read through the information contained on this task sheet and decide which of the islands to head for.
- Write your team’s answer and the reasoning behind it in the space provided below.
Island A
French Polynesian garrison estimated approximately seven hours to the east. There is a man-made harbor which houses scores of French sailing vessels involved in the trade of spices. The garrison is guarded by 50 mounted cannons.
Island B
This island is 14 hours to the south and is known to be inhabited by a collection of warring tribes. The island boasts a natural harbor, unfortunately this is also where the sacred remains of the first chief are displayed. The remains are guarded by one member from each of the warring tribes, which means this area is always a point of contention.
Island C
Island C is about 10 hours south-east and is covered with a thick jungle. It is rumored to be populated by a tribe of cannibals. Its coastline is extremely rugged and landing on the island would involve a steep climb up these jagged rocks.
Island D
This is an inhabited island about 24 hours to the north. The island is principally a Spanish penal colony, but is also populated by a collection of Dutch and French colonists. All colonists are armed with rifles and blades. According to legend, the spirits of wrongly convicted and executed prisoners haunt the island and there have been many instances of strange, premature and grisly deaths. On the plus side, the island is surrounded by a gently sloping beach.
Island E
Island E is a well-known Portuguese trading colony about 31 hours to the west. Unlike many of the other islands, there are no defenses here and the colonists are renowned for their hospitality. Disease is widespread on this island and the eastern shore is home to an extensive leper colony.
