Refine — A Simulated Meeting to Bring on a Learning Culture (Level IV of The Meeting)

Rules

Number of Players 4 to 15

Time Needed 30 to 90 minutes

Ages 16 and up

Overview

Ever struggled to get Agile user stories ready for the next Sprint? Or was involvement toward some creative solution rather weak? You may have benefitted from “constructive negotiation.” You may have heard several stories that illustrate two types of collaborators. One type draws out all ideas, refines them, and cooperatively derives the best ideas. She is called a Learner. The other type is so preoccupied with his concerns that he is firm in his thoughts, and either silent or overbearing. He is called a Knower. For more information see https://www.embracepossibility.com/blog/conscious-business-how-to-build-value-through-values. 

This simulation is one level of a multilevel learning game for developing skills in participation at meetings. This level of the game is for developing “Learner” habits for negotiating creative ideas for win-win outcomes, even in treacherous meeting environments. The basis of this empowerment is in the following four steps of “constructive negotiation.” To achieve the objective of this simulation, each player should learn to do these steps well as the simulation progresses: 

1. State an idea clearly 
2. Explain the idea’s benefit 
3. Answer clarifying questions or concerns 
4. Agree on a summary of the final idea 

Objective

Before this simulation is over you should be able to negotiate with others, even with overbearing or silent participants, and cooperatively derive one or more top ideas. 

Contents

• “Constructive negotiation” poster 
• “Scenario” sheets 
• 44 cards for various roles 
• Blank “Ideas” sheets 
• In addition, you may want stickys for name tags, which are not included.

Setup

Sort cards for each role randomly, and place them in separate stacks near the middle of a table. Attach to a nearby wall, or lay on the table, the “Constructive negotiation” poster and blank “Ideas” sheets. If desired, photocopy these rules and the desired “Scenario” sheet for players’ reference, and pass out stickies for name tags.

Roles

• Instructor [optional] — one volunteer, who reads and enforces the rules, demonstrates the first three “constructive negotiation” steps, and manages voting, but does not take or follow any playing cards
• Manager — one volunteer, who takes “Manager” cards, and is a Learner antagonist — overbearing, self-serving, and otherwise disruptive 
• Product Owner [applicable to some scenarios] — one volunteer, who takes “Product Owner” cards, and is a Learner antagonist — overbearing and somewhat intimidating
• New Hire – one volunteer, who takes from “New Hire” cards, and is a Learner antagonist that is reluctant to talk
• Developer/Worker – all players who did not volunteer for one of the above roles, who take from “Developer/Worker” cards, and are attempting to be Learners and to steer others toward being Learners

Directions

Players form a circle, and volunteers elect to be Instructor, Manager, Product Owner, and New Hire. The Instructor, or if none one of the Developer/Workers, reads the selected “Scenario” sheet. 

NOTE: The four “constructive negotiation” steps below will repeat in cycles. The first cycle starts with whoever read the “Scenario” sheet. Later cycles start with volunteer “idea originators.”

Step 1 The player does “constructive negotiation” step 1.

Step 2 The same player does “constructive negotiation” step 2.

Step 3 In the first cycle someone different volunteers to be the first card player. Later cycles resume to the left of the last card player in the previous cycle. This player takes a card off the top of the stack for her or his role and follows its directions in response to the idea.
Note: Some of the cards are hard and require courage! If you are uncomfortable, try it anyway. With repetition it will start feeling natural.

The idea originator answers any questions, or asks questions back in an effort to gain common understanding or draw out ideas.

REPEAT: After dialog stops naturally, repeat Step 3 for two more players, each to the left of the previous card player.

Step 4 A volunteer suggests a six-word or less summarization of the idea until the originator approves, and writes it on the blank “Ideas” sheets.

Repeat A different player volunteers to be the idea originator, and play continues by repeating the above four steps.

IMPORTANT: When you return to Step 3, card-taking resumes to the left of the last card player in the previous cycle, and continues for the next three players. These three people should not volunteer as the next idea originator.

Deriving Top Ideas When all players’ ideas have been discussed, and summaries written, the very first player (e.g. Instructor) leads players to vote on ideas that they feel score high in 1) business value, 2) technical value, and 3) cost of delay. Top ideas are those which at least 60% of players say are high in all three factors.

Play stops when one or more top ideas have been selected. 

ENJOY!!

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