Teambuilding 101 [Cyprus 2019 NSC]

ić, v rđe s o Đ ka Varso u , L ilis k a si Vas u t a and M a o licj stell A by o Ra n e rd itt Wr Ricca

TeamBuilding

101

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Content: Teambuilding Basics——————————————————— 3 FIRO Cycle———————————————————————— 5 Game Division in EYP———————————————————8 Debriefing———————————————————————— 11 Creativity in Teambuilding—— ————————————— 13 Group Dynamics and Personality Types—————————18

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Teambuilding Basics

-Team Building: what is it?

In EYP, Team Building can be defined as the collective set of activities a Chairperson employs to transform the group of people initially separated and reluctant to cooperate into a team.

Researchers defined a team as “a distinguishable set of two or more people who interact dynamically, interdependently, and adaptively towards a common and valued goal/objective/ mission”1.

In fact, Team Building wants to establish an interaction that is: • Dynamic: the committee needs to be dynamic: ready and prone to discussion and disagreement, as only this way it is possible to understand the issue in a deep way and produce a good academic output.

• Interdependently: in a team, all of the members depend on each other for the completion of a task: the final result needs the cooperation of each member to reach its best version.

• Adaptively: the delegates need to learn, through a good communication, to find compromises among the various opinions expressed by the members of the Committee.

• Common goal: this is the Resolution the delegates will have to come up to at the end of Committee Work.

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1 E. Salas, T. Dickinson, S. Converse, and S. Tannenbaum. Towards an understanding of team performance and training. In R. Swezey and E. Salas, editors, Teams: Their Training and Performance Norwood, 1992.

-Team Building: why do we do it?

The aim of Team Building can be summed up by the : achieving good communication, cooperation and productivity. These three objectives are linked because without the preceding one, it is hard to get the following one.

The reason why we do Team building lies in the difference between a group of individuals working for a common goal1 and a team working for it: in the first situation, you just have the individual forces working for the same goal; in the second one you have each member cooperating, which adds to the individual forces the collective one allowing for greater productivity.

1 https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/team-building/introduction

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FIRO Cycle Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation, or FIRO for short, is a theory developed by William Schutz in 1958. in an attempt to explain the interpersonal relations of a local group of people. It is widely used in different Teambuilding systems and is immensely popular in EYP. It is represented by a group of phases that each team goes through upon first interaction, similarly to a cycle, where it got its EYP name from.

The phases themselves can be reformated and distributed differently, based on the needs of the group, as well as to fit EYP standards better, but the generally recognized division goes something like the following: • I phase - Delegates are alone, scared, anxious about the work ahead. They might not know anyone, or know just a few people, and are thinking of how they are being perceived.

Introductions start, name games lead to a feeling of inclusion, they start observing each other while they play games to get to know each other. Chairs can start observing the delegates along the way as well. • YOU phase - Delegates are aware of each other. Everyone mostly working for themselves/in small clusters, but appreciate and acknowledge the company. Transition phase can be seen through the getting to know each other games, while prejudice is being broken, while further development happens through ice breakers, as well as trust games, which can be moved

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after problem solvers, depending on the committee’s needs and progress. They start making polite contact and becoming more comfortable.

• WE phase - Delegates are completely aware and appreciative of each other, they acknowledge one another. They start developing team spirit and working as a team. They create a state of “false friendship”, where everyone is friendly and polite. This is something that needs to be overcome, which is done through conflict, by playing problem solvers. There are different sub-phases of the WE phase that could be recognized: • Conflict - breaking the team down, destroying the false friendships, and rebuilding it stronger • Roles - roles are being defined. Chairperson is there to ensure everyone is heard equally, and that there are no leaders.

• Debriefing - emotions are shared, strengths and weaknesses are found, a true team is being formed. The delegates are creating strong bonds, and the team is united.

DO phase - The actual work being done as a newly-formed, well-bonded team.

• END phase - The closure. End on a positive note, acknowledge their good work and provide inspiration to further continue with EYP. •

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Despite the FIRO cycle being the most popular method of group development used in EYP, it is important to mention that it is not the only theory that could be used in praxis. One of the more famous ones would be the Tuckman’s stages of group development or the Tuckman’s method, more commonly known as the Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing method inside of EYP. It is quite similar to the FIRO cycle but represents stages of the group itself, instead of the individual working in it. Here is an article with a video that explains it fairly well.

End

I You

Conflict Conflict

Do

We Roles

Conflict

Debriefing

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Game Division in EYP Games represent the basis of Teambuilding inside of EYP, and some are even often used during other parts of the session. Games are divided into different categories and serve a different purpose. Here are brief explanations of each one, with some examples: • Name games - Basic introduction, getting to know everyone’s name. They usually involve stating the person’s name and adding an attribute to it, after which the next person repeats it, adds their own to the cycle, and so on. These games are played until everyone is confident in knowing other people’s names. Some of the more popular ones are:

-Name + adjective/pose/ball/fact

-Cat and mouse (also known as Name chase) -Newspaper game

-Bippity Boppity Boo • Getting to know each other - These games usually include sharing facts, and they are good for breaking communicational boundaries and connecting to one another. Some of the wellknown ones are: -The Skittles/M&M’s game -Snowball fight

-Never have I ever -Back to back & fact -Speed dating -Fruit salad

-The toilet paper game -“I’m special because”

-Align in a line -Sell the slave

-Two truths and one lie

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• Ice breakers - Created to break physical boundaries, ice breakers are supposed to get the team uncomfortably close to each other in the name of bonding with each other. These games include:

-Pass the giggle -Kiss the bunny

-Pass the orange -Coin Twister

-Pass the coin (also known as Coin toss)

-Honey, tell me that you love me

• Trust games - Once the team spirit has settled in, these games are played to build trust and belief of the power of teamwork, while feeling slight discomfort. Some popular choices are:

-Drunken bottle -Levitate • Problem-Solvers - In these games, the team needs to solve a task together. They are similar to conflict games, except that they usually involve movement and physical action, but some are purely verbal, yet still equally fun. Some good examples are: -Spiderweb -Human knot -Monster -The counting game

-The Ikea game -Paper islands

-Touch the numbers -Just one word -Magic stick • Energisers - Games used to boost group energy. They can be divided into regular energiser games and energiser songs. They are a good tool for team dynamics. A good strategy is creating a backstory for each one, as it makes it more personal and easy to invest your interest in. There are many popular ones, and we have gathered a few: -Haiduken -He-Hi-Ho

-Ninjas -“Here we go with the big fat pony”

-“My name is Joe” -“Great big moose”

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-“Bear hunt” -“Alele kita bonga”

-Shaker -“Jellyfish”

-“Kuncha Kuncha” -“Peel the banana”

-Touch everyone’s ankles • Conflict games - Games in which the team has to decide on something and solve a problem through conflict, debate, and communication. Usually, there is a storyline that leads up to the discussion itself, with conflicting factors in it. It is important that the delegates come to an agreement when it comes to the way of searching for the solution (e.g. moral, legal, economical) as otherwise, the game might never conclude properly. These can often be made up on the spot or catered to the committee topic, but some well-known examples include: -Abigale’s tale -Plane crash

+Item apocalypse -Hot air balloon

-The story of Tesla -The baby and the army -The killer For questions on any games, feel free to approach us on Slack, or in person once we are on the session.

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Debriefing Debriefing, also known as Active reviewing, is the act of gathering to discuss the situation that occurred. It is best to perform it straight after a conflict, even if that means cutting work (TB games or CW). Chairpersons need to encourage open discussion, but can also steer it by asking certain questions.

Think about the Four Fs: • Facts - What exactly happened. Making sure everyone is on the same page, highlighting the key moments. It is important that facts don’t turn into opinions! Chairs are there to mediate the delegates not to blatantly attack and offend each other.

Some examples include: -What exactly did you just do?

-What happened along the way?

-What went wrong?

-Do you believe that everyone spoke and was listened to equally?

-Do you think that everyone was included?

• Feelings - Expressing unresolved issues, hidden conflicts and feelings about the situation, which can lead to fully understanding and solving it.

Some examples include: -How did you feel during the activity?

-Did you feel heard?

-What did you like/dislike?

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• Findings - Reflection and realisation of the problem the committee ran into. You find the meaning of the situation and make a judgment about it. Questions here should involve “how” and “why” Some examples include: -Why did the conflict happen?

-How did you make sure everyone was on the same page?

-How did you communicate your ideas?

-Why was setting a goal important?

• Future - How to prevent similar problems from happening further along the road.

Some examples include: -What can you take away from this activity?

-What would you do differently next time?

Debriefing can be done by standing or sitting in a circle, but it is important that everyone is feeling comfortable, heard and accepted. Other types include debriefing with blindfolds, used to see delegates honest thoughts, opinions, and judgment ( if, for example, some are being too shy and conservative) and debriefing in pairs, as to feel more comfortable (although it might be hard to hear everyone this way, so presenting everyone’s feelings in a circle in the end could be useful) Silence is a powerful tool in debriefing. Do not be afraid to waste some time just sitting in silence before someone speaks up.

Sometimes, people need to feel thrown out of their comfort zone to speak the truth.

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Creativity in Teambuilding

When it comes to Teambuilding, delegates can sometimes feel confused as to what is happening, due to how disconnected Teambuilding games are from the rest of the session activities.

When it comes to taking a more creative approach to structuring your Teambuilding, it can be of immense help not only in breaching the gap between Committee Work and Teambuilding for the delegates, but also make TB a more refreshing experience for you as well.

Topic-tailored Teambuilding One of the most effective ways of linking these two session blocks is topic-tailored Team Building: adapting the usual games to the topic the delegates will debate on during the following days.

The games that are more suitable for a topic-tailored adaptation are probably the cooperation, planning or problem solving ones; basically, those that are usually played around the "we" and " conflict" phases of the FIRO circle.

In order to execute Topic-Tailored Teambuilding properly, one must have a very clear understanding of both his topic and the aim of the activity he wishes to adapt. Knowing which are the contested points of a debate, will allow you to simulate the tension in a much more controlled environment over a teambuilding game, thus allowing you to combat the tension of the debate much easier.

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Risks of Topic-Tailored Teambuilding/Things to remember when adapting a game While adapting a game, it is important to have a clear vision of what the game tries to achieve(e.g. Abigail is aiming at role division) and the steps required in order to achieve it, otherwise it is very easy to lose track and confuse delegates, thus slowing down the process instead of making it easier.

What if we could go even further?

In some occasions, adapting a game might not be enough, or you just want to push the limits on your creativity. In these cases, why not try creating a new game from scratch! Creating a game based on your topic’s social background and points of interest can be much more effective in implementing your topic in Teambuilding while also ensuring that the activity serves its purpose on building a solid and effective team.

Similar to when adapting games, in order to create a game from scratch one must have a clear understanding of the aim and nature of the activity (e.g. Communication, Conflict, Icebreaker, Transition to CW etc.) while also simulating the tension that might arise during Committee work. After choosing the aim of the game, you can let your creativity flow unbound and invent the most amazing game an EYP session has ever seen.

Although we are no experts in this field, we’ve tried and enjoyed it, and we find it a nice idea to share with everyone what we took into consideration in the process.

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Example on Adapting This game was based on two very popular conflict games, Abigail’s Tale and Tesla and was adapted to fit the needs of the TERR committee which had a topic focused on border control.

Our story begins with John, who works in passport control at an airport in a European country. While John is usually very thorough with his checks, which eventually led him to getting a raise, there was one day that he was a bit off.

You see, he had found out the previous day by some co-workers that in order for him to get his raise his wife, Mary had slept with his boss. So, bummed out as he was he wasn’t really paying attention to the scanner results and just approved all of them, which eventually led to a member of a terrorist group get into European soil using a fake passport that John had not seen. This eventually led in a bombing at a major sports event in a nearby city with hundreds of people injured or dead.

Going a few months back, a software developer named Tom approached the airport offering to install a fool-proof system that would detect even the slightest hint of illegitimate papers and would not require the assistance of human personnel, thus eliminating the human error as a factor. His offer was deemed too expensive and was discarded immediately.

So, the task of the game is too find which of the following is the most guilty in this scenario: • John • John’s Boss • Mary • Tom • The member of the terrorist organisation

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Example on Creating games from scratch Following this process, we have come up with a game suited on the LIBE II Committee topic, which is the inclusion of youth with migrant background in the education and labour force of Member States.

Our aim is to have the delegates personally feel like the people they should tackle and the problems these people have in their daily lives through a Teambuilding activity. This way, we would like them to understand the urgent need for an optimal solution and push them to put all their effort in drafting the best Resolution they can.

Therefore, we have prepared a game that simulates the language barrier some youths with migrant background find.

The delegates will have a very short time to get some sentences me and my cochair have assigned to some international officials and read the story they form.

The chairpersons would ask some international officials to come to the Committee and assign to each one of them a piece of paper with a sentence written on it. The delegates, split in groups of three/ four should try to get the sentence from the international people only speaking: writing and hand gestures are not allowed. However, the international people should only be speaking and understanding their own language; translators are not allowed.

After a few minutes, the international people can give the piece of paper to the delegates, on which the sentence will be written in various alphabets and languages the delegates should not be able to understand.

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As the time will be finished and the groups of delegates will come together again, the chairpersons will explain to them how this is something that happens everyday in Europe, due to the language barrier youths with migrant background encounter, and the same happens in many more fields than just language; their role as delegates is to make sure that similar situations are most hindered.

We would play this game at the end of Teambuilding, or straight before the beginning of Committee Work, as a way of facilitating the transition from Teambuilding to Committee Work.

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Group Dynamics and Personality Types When working in a group, people tend to take on distinct roles and behaviors. When referring to Group Dynamics, we are referring to the way these behaviors are analyzed and dealt with. Having a strong knowledge on Group Dynamics can help you overcome situations during Committee Work before they even arise. While there are plenty of theories on the topic, this module will mostly cover Personality Types and Personality/Learning types.

Influenced by the works of Sigmund Freud, Jung’s personality theory states that everyone can be categorized in eight different personality types, each one based on the following attitudes and functions: • Extroversion vs Introversion • Feelings vs Thinking • Sensation vs Intuition People with the Thinking trait seek logic and rational arguments, relying on their head rather than their heart. In contrast, the Feeling trait allows people to follow their hearts and emotions and greatly value their principals and ideals.

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Finally Extroversion is a trait that allows people to focus on the outside world and their surroundings, in contrast to Introverts who focus more on their own mental world. These characteristics provide us with the eight following personality types: • The extraverted thinking types: They understand the world through a mix of concrete ideas • The introverted thinking types: They interpret their environment in their own creative way.

• The extraverted feeling types: Comfortable in social situations, form their opinions based on socially accepted values and majority beliefs.

• The introverted feeling types: Often found defying social norms of thinking and make judgements based on subjective ideas.

• The extraverted sensation types: They perceive the world as it really is based on their own objective view, not colored by any pre-existing beliefs.

• The introverted sensation types: They rarely see something for what it really is and and make sense of their environment by giving it a meaning of their own based on internal reflection.

• The extraverted intuitive types: They tend to understand the meaning of things through subliminally perceived objective facts rather than incoming sensory information. They rely on hunches and often disregard what they perceive directly.

• The introverted intuitive types: Are influenced by their internal motivations while they do not completely understand them. They find meaning through unconscious, subjective ideas about the world.

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Thinking Intuition

Sensation Feeling

If we were to analyze this even further, the eight personality types can even branch off to sixteen concrete personalities, but for the sake of this module we will only work with the ones we currently have at hand.

While there are similarities between these personality types, their differences are distinct enough to spark their own learning styles, based on their attitude and function, which would be useful to keep in mind when trying to approach your delegates, as it will be easier to get your point across. • Extraverted vs Introverted Learning Style Extraverted personalities work the best in collaborative/group work and enjoy teaching others how to solve problems. On the contrary, introverted personalities prefer quiet, solitary work.

While it is generally recommended to opt for group activities when in an EYP committee, offering a few tasks for your delegates to work individually can be extremely helpful when having a majority of introverted delegates.

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• Sensation vs Intuitive Learning Style Sensate learners tend to focus on the present and on the task at hand, while utilizing experience and common sense to solve problems. They put a great emphasis on information gained through tangible sources. These learning types are really efficient when time constraints are present, but would need some additional motivation to learn to think outside the box. On the other hand, intuitive learning types are likely to debate just for the sake of debating, as they love considering new ideas and possibilities and tend to look at the bigger picture and try to dabble with creativity and abstract ideas when trying to solve a problem, which might slow down your schedule. • Thinking vs Feeling Learning Style Individuals with the thinking learning style tend to focus more on the structure and function of objects, they enjoy finding patterns in things and will be a great asset when working on the little details of your resolution. On the other hand, people with the feeling learning style dislike conflict and will often base their opinion on the group and their immediate feelings on the matter. People with this learning type should be encouraged to participate more in debates and try to get a solid grasp on the topic before forming an opinion.

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Understanding your delegates’ personality/learning types, while extremely helpful is also a pretty daunting task considering you don’t really have the time frame necessary to get to know them on a more personal level. Thus, trying to get them out of their comfort zone can be a key in quickly getting the information you need. It is of major importance to mention that these are just stereotypes and that there can always be variations and individuals that do not click with any of the categories, but this module should give you some pointers on what to expect in Teambuilding!

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