In February, I attended a four-day training on the topic of “Team Success Step by Step,” or Zielorientiertes Arbeiten im Team (ZAT) in German. A total of 16 colleagues from my company joined me in this training, along with two external trainers. We gathered in a spacious room, and on the first day, we focused on getting to know each other. I found the trainers’ approach to this introduction session particularly effective. Instead of the typical round-robin introductions, they opted for interactive games. They explained that a traditional introduction might result in the last person receiving the least attention.
The games began with identifying our respective countries, with Germany at the center, and we navigated ourselves around it. It was fascinating to discover that our 16 colleagues hailed from 10 different countries. The second game revolved around hobbies, ranging from active pursuits like football and climbing to more passive ones like watching movies. I observed that all our German colleagues gravitated towards the active end of the spectrum, planning activities such as football, handball, and hiking. Knowing myself, I found my place at the tail end of the less active group. When asked about my hobby, I proudly declared, “My hobby is reading, learning, and doing Origami, Sir.” After my response, I sensed some surprised looks in the room, perhaps intrigued by the idea of learning as a hobby.
Following the introduction session, we were divided into two groups: one English-speaking group and one German-speaking group. I was part of the the English-speaking group, and both groups proceeded to individual rooms for practical exercises.
The first exercise involved categorizing vehicles around the hotels within a 45-minute timeframe. My group was highly motivated, with many members eager to share ideas. One participant suggested using standardized templates to record information, which included columns for vehicle type, brand, color, and more. During our discussions, another member proposed adding the number of wheels as an objective criterion for classification đ.
Initially, we planned to divide our group into two smaller teams for data collection. However, upon seeing the abundance of vehicles outside, we adjusted our strategy and formed four smaller teams instead. After 30 minutes, we came back to consolidate the information gathered by each group. Here, we encountered challenges as some groups categorized vehicles by shades of blue while others simply used “blue.” Resolving these discrepancies took extra time, and we hurriedly compiled the total and detailed numbers on the whiteboard. While others were writing, I meticulously calculated the detailed figures. As someone who values structure and systematic approaches, I wanted to ensure the accuracy of our data. I alerted the team “Team, the numbers are not matching”. One individual gave me a disapproving look, perhaps indicating that I shouldn’t have mentioned it with the trainer present. However, I felt compelled to speak up, as integrity is crucial to me, especially in a learning environment where we should acknowledge and learn from our mistakes rather than conceal them.
After reflecting within our group, we reconvened in the common room to review the exercise with the other group. Feedback revealed that the exercise lacked clear definition, particularly regarding the criteria for categorization. The trainer prompted, “Did anyone ask about the criteria?” resulting in silence.
Lesson learned no. 1: Define the scope before starting.
This concludes part 1. Part 2 will be published tomorrow đ
