Goals

? To offer participants an opportunity to experience how group members organize themselves to accomplish a task.

? To offer participants a chance to experience how group members communicate in planning and completing a task.

? To develop participants’ awareness of the leadership styles that arise in groups as the members complete tasks.

Group Size

Three subgroups of ten to twelve members each. Note: Two of the members of each subgroup are observers.

Time Required

One hour and thirty to forty-five minutes.

Materials

? A copy of the Rope Trick Observer Sheet for each of the six observers.

? A pencil for each observer.

? A clipboard or other portable writing surface for each observer.

? For each participant except the observers, a kerchief (or other suitable material) to be used as a blindfold.

? A fifty-foot length of clothesline rope (available at supermarkets or hardware stores), cut into three pieces: (1) a piece twenty feet long to make a square, (2) a piece eighteen feet long to make a triangle that will fit on top of the square, and (3) a piece twelve feet long to make a circle that will fit inside the square. See Figure 1 for an illustration of the “house” structure that the participants ultimately create with these pieces of rope.

? A newsprint flip chart and felt-tipped markers.

? Masking tape for posting newsprint.

Physical Setting

An unobstructed indoor or outdoor area that is at least 40' 50'. There must be enough room for the members of all three subgroups to move around while constructing shapes from the rope.

Process

1. The facilitator introduces the activity, divides the participants into subgroups of ten to twelve members each, and designates the subgroups as A, B, and C. Two members of each subgroup are asked to be observers. (Ten minutes.)

2. The subgroups are positioned in separate circles, and the facilitator places one of the three pieces of rope inside each circle. The participants are advised not to touch the rope prior to beginning the activity. The facilitator distributes blindfolds to all participants except the observers and instructs the participants to put on their blindfolds so that they cannot see. (Ten minutes.)

3. The participants are told that first they will be completing a practice round. The facilitator explains the process:

? Each subgroup forms a geometric shape with its rope, using the full extension of that rope: Group A forms a square, Group B forms a circle, and Group C forms a triangle.

? The members of each subgroup are to spend some time planning how they will construct the shape before they begin. The planning time ends when one of the members touches the rope.

? Once a member has touched the subgroup’s rope, all members must pick up the rope.

? Every member must adhere to certain restrictions about handling the rope: Once the rope is picked up, the hand that picks it up must remain on the rope throughout the activity. Each member may slide his or her hand along the rope (for example, by holding his or her thumb and forefinger together and creating a “hole” for the rope to slip through), but may not release the rope with that hand.

? There are no restrictions on the use of the other hand.

? The observers’ job is to monitor the activity; to announce the remaining time at five-minute intervals; and to help people get over or under ropes and away from obstacles. The facilitator will help with these responsibilities.

(Five minutes.)

5. While the subgroups are working, the facilitator and the observers monitor for adherence to the rules and restrictions and for safety concerns. Also, if a subgroup’s rope becomes knotted and/or the members are hopelessly entangled, the facilitator or an observer instructs one member to remove his or her blindfold for one minute to rectify the situation. (Fifteen minutes.)

6. At the end of the fifteen-minute period, the facilitator calls time, asks the participants to remove their blindfolds, and posts the newsprint reproduction of Figure 1. The facilitator explains that now that the participants have completed the practice round, they are ready for the second round: They will again be blindfolded, create the same geometric shapes, and adhere to the same rules and restrictions. However, this time the subgroups need to combine their efforts so that they can ultimately create the outline of a primitive “house,” using the square for the basic structure, the triangle for the roof, and the circle for the window. The facilitator announces that the time allotted for this task is ten minutes.

7. The facilitator gives each observer a copy of the Rope Trick Observer Sheet, a clipboard or other portable writing surface, and a pencil. The facilitator explains that during the upcoming round the observers are to write answers to the questions on their observer sheets, again monitor for the participants’ safety, and again help people get over or under ropes and away from obstacles. This time, however, the facilitator will assume the responsibilities of ensuring adherence to the rules and restrictions and announcing the remaining time at intervals.

8. The facilitator asks the participants to put on their blindfolds and begin the second round of the activity. (Ten minutes.)

9. When all subgroups have placed their ropes, the facilitator instructs the members to remove their blindfolds and to view their creation. (Five minutes.)

10. The total group is reassembled. The facilitator asks the observers to give brief reports on the contents of their observer sheets. (Approximately fifteen minutes.)

11. The facilitator leads a concluding discussion about the second round. The following questions may be useful:

? How do you feel about the final product? How would you assess the quality of your functioning as you and the other subgroups worked together?

? What would you do differently if you were to do this task again?

? How did this activity represent the ways in which work teams organize, communicate, and accomplish tasks?

? What have you learned from this activity that you will use in the future?

(Ten to fifteen minutes.)

? If the subgroups are composed of ongoing teams, the final processing may focus on how the teams actually work and how the members’ interaction can be improved, based on the learnings from this activity.

? Processing may also occur after the practice round.

? Within each subgroup, half of the members may be required to wear blindfolds. The other members participate without blindfolds but are required not to speak. The subsequent dynamics are discussed during the processing.

1. How do the members organize themselves to accomplish the task?

2. What kind of leadership evolves? How does it occur? How does it change as the members work? How would you describe the effectiveness of leadership communication?

3. How do the subgroup members communicate with one another? How effective is their communication?

4. How does the group deal with problems?

5. What else do you notice about the group’s process? What do you notice before they pick up the rope? After they pick up the rope?

6. How efficiently and effectively does the subgroup complete its task?

7. What do you see being applied from the practice session?

EXPERIENCING HOW GROUPS FUNCTION