XplanaZine

Use fable-based interactive problem-solving games for team-building. It was what came immediately to mind when I saw “ClickProverbes” game in the exhibitor’s hall at this year’s International Conference for Multimedia Education in Quebec City. http://www.rima2004.org/ Developed by Belgium’s Crossroads Digital Media, http://www.crossroads-digimedia.com/ ClickProverbes explores human nature and organizational behavior through fables and “animal proverbs,” many of which are reminiscent of La Fontaine or Aesop.

Although originally intended for young children and their grandparents, the underlying concepts are subtle and complex. The proverbs lay bare basic truths, which, in conjunction with theories of organizational behavior, could be powerful tools to understand the true psycho-social dynamics of individuals and groups within an organization. In my opinion, this approach could be useful for all organizations, but most particularly for those rising up to challenges – new strategies, new organizational structure, inclusion and diversity, changes in corporate culture. The game compels people to address deeply-held beliefs (or prejudices) that can be blocking an organization. It also encourages individuals to think of ways such beliefs can be revisited, altered, and transformed into a positive approach.

ClickProverbs is an interactive puzzle game that asks the player to solve visual riddles based on animal fables and proverbs that form the cultural heritage of Belgium. Some of the proverbs are originally intended to build computer literacy among young children and their grandparents. In reality, it builds human nature and organizational behavior literacy – and in a way that is entertaining, humorous, and challenging. One can view a sample on the Crossroads Digital Media website. In addition, they provide CD-ROMs. The games are deployable via the web as well as through CD-ROM, or housed intranet on a corporate server (for customization). Their product has also been described on Opossum, an innovative Quebec City-based educational technology, design, and integrated solutions firm.

When I read that BankAmerica plans to eliminate 12,000 jobs as they complete their merger with another financial institution, I wondered if online training would be offered, and if so, what kind? I envisioned the sort of “right-sizing” retreats of the past – fearful, demoralized individuals feigning a cooperative attitude as they “team-build” a sailing ship out of yarn and post-it notes that promptly disintegrates upon contact with water. There has to be a better way. ClickProverbes could provide that better way.

When the big, predatory birds approach, the little frogs go silent.
Granted, some of the proverbs seem a bit culturally-specific. For example, I had never heard of the proverb (loosely translated from the French): “When the big, predatory birds approach, the little frogs go silent.”

When the cat’s away, the mice dance.
I had heard of that one, or at least a variant of it: “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Well, the usefulness of that is pretty clear, particularly if the company has an organizational culture marked by fear and authority, without intrinsic motivators. One might identify the same pattern where there are micro-managing bosses as well.

At night, all cats are the same color.
Again, this was an unfamiliar proverb to me. The game showed cats of one color rejecting the cat of a different color. At night, they were all gray, and they accepted each other. This goes a long way in developing inclusiveness – under certain conditions, we overlook difference, and it points out how we judge on superficial appearance.

I can envision very productive team-building approaches, particularly if the application is customizable. It could be done in the following stages:

• A Sense of Belonging: Individuals are assigned to teams. They solve the puzzles, then use the proverb narrative to explain behaviors and beliefs in their own company.
• Play Together Nicely: This can be done either in a group setting onsite, but perhaps even more effectively, online.
• The Brutal Truth: These are the cynical, often seeringly funny observations and truths that emerge when people are sharing their perceptions of the organizational environment and culture. It is important to not punish, discourage, or censor these observations. This is a necessary step, although it can lead to demotivating conversations.
• Positive Transformation: Individuals modify the fables and proverbs to come up with their own. These could be transformed into motivating slogans and posters, which could be posted throughout the company and be made available as screen savers.

At any rate, a library of fables / proverbs, particularly ones that span different cultures, could be fascinating. As I contemplate the application of it, I can see even more uses – in cross-cultural understanding, international relations, literature. Some of the tales from Native America and Africa explore human behavior (in the guise of animals), as do stories from medieval Persia and China. The key to maximum effectiveness is the way in which people are grouped together to solve these human-nature puzzles, which bring about self-awareness, awareness of human behavior when presented with change, stress, opportunity, or impunity. It replaces the Hobbesian notion that people are vile, greedy, selfish and opportunistic, with the notion that there is a vast repository of human inventiveness and positive transformation, just waiting to be tapped.