Double Play
Here are some sample words with suggested solutions that you can reference or use in your own games. Remember, these are just examples of one way to solve the puzzles.
BOYtoMAN—bay→ ban
DEADtoLIFE—deal→ lead→ lied DOGtoCAT—cog→ cot
EASTtoWEST—fast→ fest FAIRtoFOUL—fail→ foil FALLtoRISE—fill→ file→ rile FOURtoFIVE—fore → fire GOLDtoBOND—told→ bold
GOODtoFAIL—gold→ told→ toll→ tall→ tail HANDtoFOOT—band→ bond→ fond→ food HEADtoTAIL—heal→ teal→ tell→ tall HELPtoMOVE—held→ meld→ mold→ mole HOMEtoWORK—some→ sore → wore
HOURtoYEAR—sour→ soar→ sear
LINEtoBALL—lane→ land→ band→ bald JUNKtoBOND—dunk→ dune→ done→ bone LADYtoLASS—lads
LASTtoLEAD—lost→ loot→ loan→ load
Games That Boost Performance. Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
LIONtoLAMB—line→ lime→ lame LOSEtoFIND—lone→ line→ fine
MEETtoSAFE—melt→ malt→ male→ sale
MESStoTIDY—less→ lest→ list→ tilt→ tile→ tide MOOTtoREAL—molt→ melt→ meat→ meal NAYtoYES—say→ sat→ set→ yet
NOSEtoCHIN—pose→ post→ cost→ coot→ coop→ chop→ chip OLDtoNEW—odd→ add→ aid→ fid→ fed→ few
PINKtoBLUE—sink→ silk→ slit→ slut→ slue PLAYtoGAME—plat→ flat→ fate→ fame RIDEtoWALK—bide→ bade→ bale→ balk ROCKtoBAND—rack→ rake→ rank→ bank SICKtoWELL—silk→ sill→ sell
SINKtoSWIM—skin→ skim
STOPtoMOVE—post→ pose→ pore → more
Games That Boost Performance. Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. www.pfeiffer.com
Dragon Squares
• PURPOSE
• To demonstrate the dynamics of collaboration versus competition.
• GAME OBJECTIVE
To score the most points.
• PLAYERS
Four or more.
• TIME
Fifteen to forty-five minutes.
• SUPPLIES
• One Game Sheet for each team.
• Paper and pencils for players.
• An overhead projector (if using transparencies) or a newsprint flip chart and felt-tipped markers for posting scores and comments.
• Noisemaker (optional).
• GAME PLAY
1. Divide the group into sets of two teams, one to three players on a team:
• One team, “Dragons”
• One team, “Hunters”
2. Distribute one Game Sheet to each team.
Round 1
1. Dragons select two squares on their Game Sheet.
2. At the same time, the Hunters try to identify both squares selected by the Dragons on the Hunter’s Game Sheet.
Scoring
If the Hunters identify:
• Both squares:Hunters receive 3 points, Dragons receive none.
• One square:both Hunters and Dragons receive 1 point each.
• Neither square:Dragons receive 3 points, Hunters receive none.
Subsequent Rounds
All rounds are played in the same fashion.
End of Game
1. End game play after four or more rounds.
2. The team(s) with the most points win(s).
• POST-GAME DEBRIEFING
This is a simple collaboration exercise with profound implications for how we think about knowledge and the benefits of collaboration. The challenge is in seeing how long it takes teams to understand this, and then to do it effectively.
After Round 2, ask:
Hunters
• “What is your strategy for amassing the most points?”
• “If you keep on with your current strategy, what is the maximum number of points you are likely to score in the next three rounds?”
Dragons
• “What is your strategy for amassing the most points?”
• “If you keep on with your current strategy, what is the maximum number of points you are likely to score in the next three rounds?”
Both Teams
• “What do you assume about the relationship between Hunters and Dragons?”
• “If you were to alter your assumptions about the necessary relationship between Hunters and Dragons are there any other strategies you might want to explore?”
After Round 4, ask:
Hunters
• “How are you doing with your strategy? Is it working?”
Dragons
• “How are you doing with your strategy? Is it working?”
If there has been no change in team behavior, you may want to note that there is nothing in the rules that prohibits the Hunters from opening up a dialog with the Dragons. Offer a 10-minute “truce” for both sides to explore the art of the possible.
After any round in which two or more teams of Hunters and Dragons decide to swap information so that they can jointly maximize the number of points they earn, call a halt to the play and start to process the learning about collaboration.
The following questions can get the discussion under way:
• When any situation appears to be a “zero sum game” where one side advances only at the cost of the other side, we are more apt to think about competition than collaboration. What led you to decide that this was a competitive situation?
• How did your team go about developing its strategy?
• What assumptions did you discuss?
• What led you to consider the possibility of collaboration between Hunters and Dragons?
• What shifts needed to take place before you could act on the possibility of col- laboration?
• What makes it hard to collaborate in the workplace?
• In what situation is it easier to collaborate in the workplace?
• When we think about “winning” do we more typically assume a competitive situation or a collaborative situation?
• Who took the lead in helping you think through how your team might win in a collaborative situation?
• What sorts of behaviors are needed in order to make a collaborative relation- ship succeed?
• GENERAL COMMENTS
• This game was suggested by the ancient tale about a Dragon who guards a pearl of great treasure (in Asian mythology this great treasure is usually assumed to be knowledge and wisdom rather than material or physical wealth). To succeed in sharing the wealth (assuming that knowledge is an infinitely divisible good rather than a finite resource that must be jealously hoarded), both Hunters and Dragons must figure out how to collaborate—
something they never seem to do in the storybooks.
• On the surface this game appears to be a simple, competitive guessing game.
Can the Hunters guess where the Dragon is and can the Dragon successfully hide? The game objective, “To score the most points” does not, however, spec- ify that either the Hunters or Dragons need to compete to rack up points against each other. They can, quite legitimately, decide to collaboratively score the maximum number of points in the time available. The question is: “What does it take for either team to stumble on this option and then to decide to pursue this strategy?”
• SAMPLE PLAY
1. The group is divided into one set of teams—Dragons and Hunters.
2. Each team receives a Game Sheet.
Round 1
1. The Dragons select two squares, as indicated:
2. The Hunters select two squares, as indicated:
3. Both the Hunters and the Dragons have selected one square in common (the upper-left square).
4. Both Hunters and Dragons receive 1 point each.
5. This completes Round 1. Score = Dragons 1; Hunters 1.
Round 2
1. The Dragons select two squares, as indicated:
2. The Hunters select two squares, as indicated:
3. The Dragons and the Hunters have selected the same squares.
4. The Hunters receive 3 points; the Dragons receive 0 points.
5. This completes Round 2. Score ⫽Hunters 4; Dragons 1.
Round 3
1. The Dragons select two squares, as indicated:
2. The Hunters select two squares, as indicated:
3. The Dragons and the Hunters have selected different sets of squares.
4. The Hunters receive 0 points; the Dragons receive 3 points.
5. This completes Round 3. Score ⫽Dragons 4; Hunters 4.
Round 4
1. The Dragons select two squares, as indicated:
2. The Hunters select two squares, as indicated:
3. The Dragons and the Hunters have selected different squares.
4. The Dragons receive 3 points; the Hunters receive 0 points.
5. This completes Round 4. Score ⫽Dragons 7; Hunters 4.
End of Game
1. The facilitator chooses to end the game.
2. The Dragons win.