| A board game which illustrates the
different types of individual motivation and some of the rewards that might be
appropriate for different people. The players receive data on the competence and
motivation of twelve notional characters and must select a project team of four.
They must show the ‘reward mix’ they think appropriate for each character
by setting out a display of tokens. This is ‘scored’ to show the level
of effort the characters will display. The ‘rewards’ are the known motivators
of industrial psychology, but the needs of characters may conflict - making it
impossible to reward them all in the ideal manner. The exercise is designed for
groups of 3-6 members and comes complete with enough materials for eight groups.
It needs between one and two hours including discussion time.
OBJECTIVE
The exercise will:
- Highlight the different sources of staff motivation.
- Encourage managers to think more deeply about
the motivation of individual staff members.
- Sensitise mangers to the need to ‘balance’
the competing motivations within groups.
- Illustrate how a group of apparently limited
ability can sometimes be made more effective than a team of incompatible ‘stars’.
HOW IT WORKS
The tutor introduces the exercise and gives each player a copy of the written
instructions which introduce them to twelve potential team members. The players
must select four individuals to form a project team and display the ‘reward
strategy’ that they wish to adopt for each individual by placing tokens against
their name on a board. The rewards available are money; instruction; recognition;
professional freedom; responsibility; power, and there are rules which restrict
the mix of rewards that can be offered. For example, the use of Power as a motivator
for some extrovert character reduces the opportunity to reward any other character
with Professional Freedom. The display is scored by the tutor in accordance with
the key provided and the players are told ‘Rewarded as shown by your display
x (character) will turn in a performance measured as Y units of achievement."
Unless the reward pattern is appropriate to the motivation of each character,
the overall score of the Project Team will fall short of the potential to be expected
from the inherent ability of its members. In each successive round players will
have a new opportunity to experiment with the mix of rewards, learn more about
the motivation of each character and increase the overall effectiveness of the
team.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL BE DOING
Considering the motivation of imaginary staff as described in the game scenario
and placing counters on a board to show the reward strategy they will adopt towards
the individual.
FOR WHAT LEVELS IS IT APPROPRIATE?
All managers who have some control over the physical and psychological rewards
that affect human performance. All students of business and management.
INCLUDED
Tutor manual; Players instructions; Boards; Tokens and all supporting documentation.
COST
£230 plus Vat and delivery.
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