As a manager, principal or business owner you have a vision (or a picture) for your team/business. (At least I hope you have.) Do your staff know that picture? If they don’t you are going to struggle to be anything more than a “day to day” (or transactional) business. And a “day to day” business is very hard to manage and enjoy.
The following exercise is simple yet profound when managed well. It will make a difference to your team. If you don’t feel capable of conducting such the session, get someone in to help you. It is well worth the effort and you owe it to your team, business and customers.
The Jigsaw
One day in the next week but some pizzas and drinks and run this exercise with your team.
- Buy 3 100-piece jigsaws.
- Break your team into 3 smaller team and give the each a jigsaw to make up with the following modifications.
- Team 1: provide the complete jigsaw, box and all.
- Team 2: provide them the complete jigsaw without the box
- Team 3: provide them the jigsaw with the box from Team 2
- Hide team 3’s box
- Keep the teams well apart from each other
Now let them complete their jigsaws and time them.
The results will be obvious well before any jigsaw picture is completed but allow them to go through the exercise anyway and listen to what they are saying and what their body language says as they progress (or not as the case may be).
You will likely find the following:
- Team 1 – will sort themselves out fairly quickly. Most jigsaws are started by getting the edges right (the framework) and then filling in the gaps. People will assign roles (“I’ll get the edges”, “I’ll get all the blue sky parts” etc)
- Team 2 – will immediately realise their quandary and will try and get to the edges part and look for common pieces to try and build the jigsaw anyway. Comments of “If we had the bloody picture this would be easier!” and perhaps looking at you as the sources of their problem, even though this is all light hearted (Make sure you keep it light hearted!)
- Team 3 – will react to their problem in various ways. They may even give up. Or they’ll throw the box lid away when they realise they have been duped. They’ll make for the pizzas and drinks.
Here’s the simplistic results but also some deeper outcomes you may or may not realise:
- Team 1 – all the tools, clear picture, good team work = good progress and success – easy, simple
- Team 2 – all the tools, no vision/instructions/plans = frustration. They know they have a product but putting it together is harder than it needs to be.
- Team 3 – they have the tools but the picture is wrong. they are working for the wrong goals and it is counterproductive. Let’s get drunk!
Okay, here is where you (the manager) come in:
- YOU set the task: so their success or failure has a link to you. Possibly directly to you!
- Even though Team 1 knows they had an easier task, more than likely they will still gloat in their “victory” (you were timing this remember!)
- The frustration (as light hearted as it may be in this exercise) is directly proportional to the seriousness of real business. If the business is under pressure and the “picture” is wrong or missing, consider the consequences.
- Right or wrong , the staff will look to you to make the picture clearer, their failure is your failure.
- UPSIDE: When Team 1 is done, a common positive is that they decide to help the other teams. One will realise the picture of Team 3 belongs to Team 2. Another will “demand” the hidden box lid is made available. If this happens, supply it immediately!
The Aftermath
After all is done and the Pizzas and drinks have been broken out, talk through the exercise with your teams. And then what “we” need to do to prevent the problems happening at work and what we can do to always supply the “right” picture and keep people on track.
Talk through your “picture” of how you want the business to work and ask for feedback. It may be that some staff had know idea what you wanted. It may just be a case of clarification.
If you need to develop a picture for the team, involve them in its development. They will be keen to contribute.
Let me know how you go!
Bill
