Source — M. Kipnis, «We train the ability to lead, be a motor and inspirer» (AST, Prime Eurosign).
Objectives:
- develop the ability to act productively and make effective decisions in a crisis situation;
- to help mobilize the attention of the participants on the partner and their involvement in solving the group problem;
- practice in defining clear goals of activity, in developing individual and joint strategies and tactics for success.
Band size: up to 20 people.
Resources: not required.
Time: 1-1,5 hours.
Course of the game
Often we find it difficult to resolve a conflict situation, not because we do not understand the essence of the problem, but because of confusion before choosing an effective behavioral tactic from a variety of possible ones. This drama of choice sometimes paralyzes the will, drives us into time trouble, does not allow us to focus on the main thing. The «Sculpture» technique will help to see the problem in the form of an image, it will include the right hemisphere part of the brain in active work, therefore, it will use our creative forces, which are so necessary for effective and non-trivial action.
1. The exercise begins with the division of the team into subgroups (3-4 people). In each subgroup, ask participants c. for 10 minutes, focus on one of the problems, conflict situations familiar to them from their own lives, those that concern them at the moment. Required on a piece of paper:
— clearly formulate, name the essence of the conflict or problem as it is seen by the players themselves;
— name by name (and by position, family or other ties, if any) the direct participants in the conflict;
— prepare for an oral description of the conflict, and then talk about a specific situation that most clearly represents the problem and the balance of power.
2. The next stage of work is the story of the subgroup members about their own life situation. The comrades only listen, refraining from judgments.
3. The group chooses one of the stories heard in the circle, determines it as the working material of the meeting. From this moment, the narrator, whose story has been accepted for staging, remains out of action, and the comrades, having moved away from him, work on a sculpture that could allegorically express the essence of the conflict for 5-7 minutes. In this sculpture, certain heroes of the situation can be traced; quantitatively (in terms of the composition of actors) it can coincide with the number of participants in the conflict. And he can only figuratively formulate the essence of the problem, its emotional degree, the state of a person who is at the epicenter of the conflict.
4. The group returns to their friend and presents him with a sculpture — the fruit of collective creativity.
5. Our hero reports on his perception of what he saw: how much the sculpture reflects his ideas about the conflict and his own role in it, how he perceives the feedback received from the group, how much the idea corresponds to his formulation of the conflict written down on the sheet.
6. The next stage of work is led by our hero. He builds another sculpture out of his comrades, which reflects his vision of the solved problem. This sculpture should engage the conflicting forces after the problem is solved, show their interaction, or their emotional state, or the physical result of the resolved opposition, or its metaphorical image.
Completion
All groups that have worked independently come together. At the forum, the trainer raises the question of how the work in groups went. Asks about the effectiveness of the exercise and its emotional impact on the group as a whole. How does the hero of the situation assess the success of the work? Did the presentation prepared by his comrades give him a new perspective on the conflict? Did it help you understand the alignment of forces, your own behavior, did it prompt new ideas about resolving the conflict? Which of the qualities of a leader can we work out in this task? How to train yourself?