watchuwant.com Builds Team Spirit With “Survivor” Challenge
The full watchuwant.com corporate complement gathered Thursday, October 2 for an exercise in self-discovery and team-building.
Normally a hub of activity from early morning to late evening, the WuW office closed at 5:30pm in order to facilitate total focus on the task at hand. Led by watchuwant.com Executive Advisor Amanda Ellison, three teams of watchuwant crew members tackled a cooperative survival scenario.
Set in the sweltering heat of Victoria, Australia, the scenario opened as a business trip that progressed into an encounter with engulfing brush fire.
Each of the three teams received details of the same scenario, each was presented with a description of an identical homestead within the fire zone, and each received a manifest of identical supplies present within the home.
Given these resources, watchuwant’s Green, Orange, and Yellow teams worked first to decide on a course of action (dig-in or flee) before creating a prioritized list of tools on hand.
No distinctions were made to separate senior from junior personnel nor were the parties selected to mirror WuW’s Sales/Management/Finance/Operations departments.
Each team was assigned a separate room and sequestered from its counterparts for the duration of the decision process.
Despite an identical scenario and equipment, each group developed a unique cooperative dynamic and order of priorities.
Midway through the team deliberations, one member from each group was withdrawn and assigned to act as a silent “fly on the wall” within another team’s discussion. Forbidden from speaking and tasked with recording the character of the observed exchange, these onlookers were able to compare and contrast the approaches of their original groups against their new charges.
Following the allotted discussion time, Ellison recalled each group for a collective debrief and analysis.
By comparing the binary decision (i.e., stay or go) and ranked order of resource value for each squad and squad member, raw scores were determined to assess the survival probability of each team and each member of that team.
Team Yellow narrowly edged Team Green in the survival sweepstakes.
More revealing, however, was the observers’ breakdown of the contrasting internal culture of each team.
Armed with the perspective of having viewed two different crews, each observer allowed the entire watchuwant.com team to assess the behavior patterns of the more successful and less successful squads.
Competitive assets including free communication, calm discussion, collaborative decisions, and full participation were noted and contrasted with the methodologies that proved less productive. Each successful team tactic was correlated to its role in raising the probability of survival.
Critically, Ellison drew a parallel to illustrate the impact that the teams’ behaviors make on office culture in a business environment.
Each member of the watchuwant team emerged from the WuW Survivor Challenge with an enhanced perspective on teamwork, self-awareness, productive culture, and collaborative success.
Many found the drill so compelling that passionate discussions of the scenario and its lessons continued late into the evening.
Because the crew that eats together excels together, watchuwant.com concluded its long day with a proper meal. Following the immersive and occasionally intense exercise, WuW employees closed ranks around a celebratory buffet of catered Italian cuisine.
