5 min read- like, share, comment!

First published in Polish by dr Wojciech Świtalski

The topic of leadership in the context of team-building is present in adult education and is brought up in many soft skills workshops. Below you can find an exercise aimed at identifying a leader.

^{Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash}

 How to prepare for the exercise? 

Materials needed: large numbered sheets of paper (roughly A4 size card each) and smaller ones with the same numbering. Numbering will be discussed further on.

Exercise duration: 20-30 minutes, including discussion.

Group size: The exercise is best done in a group of a dozen to twenty-something participants. It is also important that the number of participants plus 1 forms a compact rectangle. For example, if the number of people is 15, then 15+1 makes 16, which creates a 4x4 square, i.e. the most compact rectangle. If a compact rectangle cannot be formed, the workshop leader can join the group. They act as 'pawn' who does not decide for themselves but only listen to others and obediently follow orders.

Moreover, if, for example, there are 22 people in the group, then 22+1=23. 23, only a 1x23 rectangle can be formed – a useless long, narrow ribbon. However, if you add a workshop leader to the group, 24 persons form two beautiful rectangles: 4x6 or 3x8.

On the floor, form a rectangle of large cards numbered 1 to n (where n is the number of people in the group) in ascending order. The last card is left blank. Participants will be standing on the cards, so arrange them every 80 cm or so to give them some freedom.

Participants are invited to choose any numbered card.

Then, hand to each participant a card with a number ranging from 1 to n. Note that the cards' numbers differ from those lying on the floor; nevertheless, you do not hand them out randomly. The card-arranging method will be explained at the end of the text.

How is the exercise conducted?

You present the rules to the group:

1. You aim to rearrange so that everyone is standing on a card featuring the number you hold in your hand).
2. You can move only by following the rules.
3. A move can only be made to an unoccupied card (there is always only one).
4. Any person whose field is adjacent to the unoccupied card may stand on it.
5. You cannot move diagonally.
6. Do not 'skip' cards.
7. Do not swap places.
8. Do not swap the cards you are holding in your hands.

Usually, at first, the group, not knowing how to complete the task, moves randomly. At least a few moves are needed to understand the task and the tools the participants have at their disposal.

A bit of theory and its implications

The challenges that the group addresses can be divided into three categories:

1. Additive challenge - where the outcome depends on the sum of all participants' efforts. An excellent example of the task is gathering brushwood for a bonfire. You will have exactly as much brushwood as the sum of the achievements of all the gatherers.
2. Conjunctive challenge - where the outcome is determined by the weakest link in the group. An example would be a competition where two or more teams compete simultaneously and try to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. It is easy to see that it does not matter who is the best. The team will reach the finish line when its slowest participant is there. It is the weakest link that decides. The team with the better weakest link than the others will win.
3. A disjunctive challenge is when the strongest link in the team decides the outcome. Mathematical tasks are a good example here. In these, it is generally tricky to divide up the activities, as the train of thought is linear, and the task will be solved if one person can find the answer.

Most group tasks are of sufficient complexity allowing for a combination of the above challenges. Nevertheless, this exercise is disjunctive in nature. It is, in fact, a logical puzzle (probably many of you solved this puzzle as a child). By the way, recognising the nature of the task is very useful for assessing group interaction and group process in general. Nonetheless, two conditions must be met for the task to be completed:

1. Someone has to find a way of moving that leads to the correct layout.
2. The same person must convince others that their proposal is the right one.

From my experience, I can tell that the first condition is usually met in a group of a dozen or twenty-something. Nevertheless, it is much more challenging to fulfil the second requirement. The following obstacles are often observed:

• The person who knows how to solve the puzzle does not necessarily have leadership skills. They may feel reluctant to take on the role and lead the team.
• Despite correct reasoning, a given person may not feel sure about his or her idea. S/he will then need someone to support, believe in and help them convince others that they can be trusted.
• They can encounter resistance. You often hear: "I'm already standing in the designated position. I'm not going anywhere". However, to solve the puzzle, it is sometimes necessary to repeatedly reach and then leave one's target position. After all, the aim is to put everyone, not individuals, in their places.
• Fatigue of some participants. Some people may withdraw completely from the teamwork, perhaps not bothering but also not contributing their resources, such as interest, enthusiasm, and support for the idea.

Conclusions

Finding the solution to the puzzle is very interesting to observe and worth discussing once the exercise has been completed.

Obviously, the person who leads the group to the solution is a leader only for the sake of this exercise. S/he does not necessarily have the qualities to serve this function permanently. Nevertheless, thanks to this exercise, in a few minutes, you get very interesting material to discuss.

Questions to ask after the exercise:

• What made you complete the task? / What prevented you from completing the task?
• Who do you think has contributed most to the success of the group?
• How did you come to trust this person?
• What obstacles did you encounter during the completion of the task?
• How did you try to overcome these obstacles?
• (To the leader) How did you feel in your leadership role? What feelings did you have?

How to arrange the cards?

Finally, I would like to remind you that when starting the exercise, you cannot randomly hand out cards. Why? For example, getting from Layout A (drawing) to Layout B is impossible, even if you spend an eternity trying. By randomly handing out the cards, you risk a situation where the task has no solution, which will completely ruin the exercise.

Therefore the easiest way to arrange the cards correctly is to lay them out on a table beforehand, leaving the last field blank, and then, using the same rules by which the players move, make a few dozen random moves, mixing up the cards. Then, the cards have to be handed out to the participants in the same order.

Dr Wojciech Świtalski – is a pedagogue, andragog, and assistant professor in the Department of Andragogy and Social Gerontology at the University of Łódź. He specialises in theoretical and methodical foundations of the adult learning process, particularly with the use of games. Co-author of many national and international educational projects for adults. A proponent of searching for new solutions and implementing innovations in the didactic process. The efficient organiser of scientific meetings and educational, promotional or animation events. Author of publications in the field of andragogy.

Further reading:

Three steps to authenticity. Review of tutoring tools

Multitasking or concentration skills?

The elephant’s dilemma: the effectiveness or flashiness

Checklists, a strong and simple development method oriented at implementation

Bibliography:

Golińska, Lucyna (red.), 2005, Skuteczniej, sprawniej, z większą satysfakcją: nieco psychologii dla studentów marketingu i zarządzania, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Kupieckiej.

Steinhaus, Hugo, 1954, Kalejdoskop matematyczny, Państwowe Zakłady Wydawnictw Szkolnych.