Friday, September 3, 2010
Introductory Blog Topic
Last Wednesday, we did our first activity as a large group: the Blind Square. We had a mix of experienced and inexperienced people in the group, and various obstacles were placed and then removed. Do you think the group was successful? Do you think that you were successful? Imagine the event from a different perspective (e.g. if you had done it before, imagine it from the perspective of a new person, and vice versa). What could you have done to make the experience better for them? What do wish had gone differently in the activity, and what could you have done to make the activity go differently? What are you proud of yourself for doing?
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I agree with Eric that the group was successful, as it did reach the objective of forming a square. I also think that we took too long to achieve the objective. In a real-world competitive environment, some other group would probably have done it faster and we would have lost the competitive advantage of getting there first.
ReplyDeleteI think I helped the people around me with getting out of the "figure eight" configuration, which was essential for forming anything that resembled a square or rectangle. Afterwards I felt a bit helpless, and even gave up trying to assume leadership, as the group was split into two and the other group did not seem to pay any attention to the group around me. They kept "counting" without explaning what it was for, and seemed like there were several people carrying on a conversation. I think counting was actually the right thing to do, if only it was used as part of an overall plan that everyone understood. The square could have been formed much faster if everyone counted and the people at four corners were identified. If the four corner people pulled the rope to form ninety degree corners while the others held the rope loosely and moved with the rope, the square could have been formed in a few minutes.
If I had done this before, I would have already thought of a good way of accomplishing the task. I would let the group know, perhaps with a loud voice, that I had done this before and I had a plan to get them to form the square. However, without the ability to talk such "experience" would not have been of any use. Without ability to communicate, I can't imagine how one can hope to assume leadership.
How do I wish the game was played? I wish the first thing the group did was to take a few minutes to think about the problem and how to solve it, and then let those with good ideas speak up. Then, I wish they would collectively agree on the most promising solution, and follow the leadership of the one who proposed it. This might be really wishful thinking, as the group did not know each other and might have not been willing to follow a "voice." But again, there would at least have been a process through which a leader could emerge.
In retrospect, I was also guilty of communicating only with the people around me in an effort to get them out of the figure eight. I could have tried to get the attention of the "other group" as well, and make sure that everyone was on the same page.
I heard someone say today that the voyage, not the destination, mattered. I am proud that I participated in this game and tried to do my best.
i think that although we took quite a long time to make the square, considering how large the group was, we were very successful. The amount of people involved drastically effected the length of time to reach the ultimate goal as well as added confusion to the group.
ReplyDeleteI had already participated in a Blind Square activity, and with about half as many people we successfully achieved the objective in about half the time. This time I'm not really sure how to measure my personal success. I had an end of the rope, and once i was allowed to speak, i let the others know my placement and my situation. Other than that, it seemed as though since a few people had already stepped into the leadership role, adding another voice may have confused them and hindered the progress that had already been made. I believe this was the thought process of many of the blind square experienced students. We all took a back seat to the inexperienced and followed their lead. This may have been what costed us valuable time.
The group had initially started out with numbering off and trying to find who the corners of the square should be. This is how we started off in my previous blind square group, and how i would have suggested to begin. Inefficiencies prevailed due to the abundance of people trying to lead and speak louder to be heard over others trying to accomplish the same goal. "too many chiefs, and not enough indians" would be a cliche i would use to describe the situation. In order to make the activity run more smooth, i would have suggested that we minimize leaders and assign speakers, so not everyone is talking at once, which i found to be confusing.
Im proud of actually taking the role of follower in the activity. Im usually a very outspoken individual, and although i may have had useful information to contribute, i think that another voice half way through the activity may have hindered the progress.