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Ethics Boot Camp (link for Google Doc)
2021 MBA Research and Curriculum Center 1375 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212 MBAResearch.org
Ethics Boot Camp
Purpose
This boot camp consists of approximately 10 hours of ethics activities that can be used in a variety of settings. Not tied to any particular course, the activities could be used by student organizations, in after school programs, as part of a leadership camp, for first-year orientation at postsecondary institutions, etc. This boot camp is designed to be engaging and fun for students, while still introducing them to principles-based ethics, ethical decision-making, recognizing ethical dilemmas, and the specific ethical principles laid out by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative: integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law, and viability.
The activities are organized from simple to complex—initially focused on identifying and becoming familiar with ethical principles and progressing to multi-faceted ethical decision-making. These activities are designed to engage students in ethics using icebreakers, case studies, games, research, group discussions, and more. The boot camp also contains four supplemental team-building activities to incorporate as desired.
Activity #1: Beach Ball Toss
Timeframe: 20-30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Teamwork, Respect, Fairness Supplies: Inflatable beach ball, permanent marker
Description: Students will get to know each other by answering introductory and ethics-related questions.
Process: Blow up an inflatable beach ball. Write various questions (examples provided below) all over the beach ball, including both ethics-related and “get to know you” questions. Ask students to toss the ball, making sure each person gets a turn. When they catch the ball, each student will answer the question under their left thumb. Emphasize the importance of respecting each other’s answers. Feel free to encourage group discussion to lengthen the activity.
Sample Ethics-Related Questions:
• How would you describe respect?
• What makes you feel respected?
• What comes to mind when you think of the word integrity?
• Who would you describe as someone with integrity, and why?
• In what ways are you accountable in your daily life?
• How do you hold yourself accountable?
• Why does transparency matter?
• Describe something in your community you feel is unfair. How would you change it? • Is it ever okay to lie?
Sample “Get to Know You” Questions:
• Who is your favorite teacher and why?
• What would you like to accomplish this year?
• If you were a superhero, what powers would you have?
• If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?
• What is your biggest pet peeve?
• What is one fact people don’t know about you?
• If you had a day to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?
• What is the strangest food you have ever tried?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• What’s your favorite line from a movie?
• What was your favorite book growing up?
Another option: Choose an ethical dilemma from GoodCharacter.com
(https://www.goodcharacter.com/the-daily-dilemma/) and ask the suggested discussion questions to each student who tosses the ball, allowing time for group discussion.
Wrap-Up: Ask students if they learned anything surprising from the activity. Which questions did they find easier to answer, and why?
Activity #2: TED Talks
Timeframe: 45 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Transparency, Respect, Communication Supplies: TV/computer
Description: This activity allows students to engage with ethics in real-world situations and discuss their thoughts with classmates.
Process: Play the following TED Talk videos. After each video, discuss the different types of ethical issues in society today and encourage the group to answer the related questions. Discuss in small groups, then move to class discussion.
• Ethical Dilemma: The Burger Murders:
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_siedel_and_christine_ladwig_ethical_dilemma_the_burger_ murders (Five-minute video)
o From TED: “You founded a company that manufactures meatless burgers that are sold in stores worldwide. But you've recently received awful news: three people in one city died after eating your burgers. A criminal has injected poison into your product! The
deaths are headline news and sales have plummeted. How do you deal with the crisis? George Siedel and Christine Ladwig explore the different strategies of this ethical dilemma.”
o Discuss the questions at the end of the video, and encourage students to determine which decision is most ethical and provide reasoning.
• What Really Motivates People to Be Honest in Business:
https://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_wagner_what_really_motivates_people_to_be_honest_i n_business/up-next (16-minute video)
o From TED: “Each year, one in seven large corporations commits fraud. Why? To find out, Alex Wagner takes us inside the economics, ethics and psychology of doing the right thing. Join him for an introspective journey down the slippery slopes of deception as he helps us understand why people behave the way they do.”
o Discuss the factors that motivate people, which method is more ethical, what students would do, and how students view the world.
Wrap-Up: Lead a class discussion about the relationship between ethics and society.
Sources: Ethical Dilemma: The Burger Murders:
https://www.ted.com/talks/george_siedel_and_christine_ladwig_ethical_dilemma_the_burger_murder s/up-next
What Really Motivates People to Be Honest in Business:
https://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_wagner_what_really_motivates_people_to_be_honest_in_busin ess/up-next
Activity #3: Body of Words
Timeframe: 15-20 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Teamwork, Communication, Trust, Collaboration Supplies: Paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity allows students to think creatively, work together, and actively brainstorm ethics.
Process: Separate the class into teams of five to 10 students, using different sized groups. Instruct teams to brainstorm a list of ethics-related words with one letter less than members in group (e.g., a group of six creates five-letter words) and write the words on the piece of paper. Use the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles as a framework (e.g., truth, morals, ideals, value, virtue, behavior, dignity, right, equity, conduct, principle, fair, just, good, honor, open, conflict, conduct, honest, laws, etc.). After they have a list of ethics-related words, each group will choose one person as the team leader who will direct the team on how to physically form one of their words with their bodies. Teams should select a new leader for each round. After a few rounds, change up the teams to create longer words (e.g., accountability, transparency, etc.). As a final challenge, allow the class to determine a combination of ethics-related words or an ethical sentence that uses all members of the class except for one leader. This could be a fun opportunity to take group photos for a bulletin board or newsletter.
Wrap-Up: Review the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles (i.e., integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law, and viability) and ask students to discuss what each principle means, why it matters, and examples of the principle in action. Ask students to discuss how they assigned leaders and what made the process easier or harder to complete.
Source: 35 Team Building Activities Your Team Will Actually Love:
https://www.workamajig.com/blog/team-building-activities
Activity #4: Ethical Career Charades
Timeframe: 30-45 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Collaboration, Trust, Integrity Supplies: None
Description: This activity allows students to explore how ethical principles play out in different careers and professions.
Process: Split the class into groups of two to four students and assign each group a profession (e.g., doctor, lawyer, salesperson, teacher, veterinarian, server, etc.). Give each group about five minutes to prepare a short skit demonstrating either an ethical or unethical activity within their given career. Remind students that they should consider the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles (i.e., integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law, viability) when they’re preparing their skit. Allow each group to present their skit to the class (for an extra challenge, have groups present in true charades-style with no talking allowed), and then have the class guess the career or profession, the activity, and whether it was ethical or unethical behavior. Have the class identify which ethical principles could be applied to the situation. If it was an unethical situation, ask the class to identify how to make it ethical. Allow each group to present their skit to the class and encourage discussion.
Wrap-Up: Encourage the class to discuss the importance of ethical behavior in all professions and careers.
Source: MBA Research and Curriculum Center
Activity #5: Model Behavior
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Integrity, Accountability, Transparency, Viability
Supplies: Paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity encourages students to reflect on the behavior of famous individuals and discuss the ethicality of their actions.
Process: Separate students into small groups of three to five and ask students to identify a famous individual (e.g., a celebrity, politician, book or TV character, etc.) who personifies the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles. Ask students to provide specific examples of how that person has demonstrated several different ethical principles, and allow groups to share their individuals and examples with the class. Then, ask students to identify a famous individual who went from stardom and success to ruin based on their unethical behavior. Ensure students connect the famous individual’s improper behavior to specific ethical principles. Allow the groups to share their individuals and examples with the class.
Wrap-Up: Discuss common themes among the ethical role models—What behaviors did they share? Were they all from a particular profession? What made them notable? Discuss common themes among the unethical individuals—Were they connected in any way? Were actions illegal or simply unethical? Was there one ethical principle that stood out from the others?
Source: MBA Research and Curriculum Center
Activity #6: Today’s News
Timeframe: 30-45 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Teamwork, Transparency, Respect, Integrity
Supplies: Newspapers, internet access
Description: In this activity, students will locate ethics-related articles from prominent newspapers or news sites, analyze their findings, and discuss the ethical elements described in each article.
Process: Provide students with copies of several newspapers, if possible, or enable them to access online news sites (AP, BBC, NPR, Reuters, etc.). Give students five to 10 minutes to explore the headlines and individually locate three to five articles that feature clear ethical elements. Separate the class into small groups of three to five students and have each group discuss their examples. Students should discuss why they were drawn to each article, the specific ethical situation, the ethical principles involved, whether a decision was reached, and if so, whether it was ethical. Each group should select one example to present to the class and explain their findings.
Wrap-Up: Lead a group discussion highlighting common themes across the news examples. Which ethical situations were most compelling? In the articles, what types of decisions were individuals tasked with making? How did students decide whether a decision was ethical? What core values did students rely on? What would they have done differently, if given the chance? What comparisons can students make between the articles and their own lives?
Source: E4J University Module Series: Integrity & Ethics: Teaching Guide:
https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/integrity-ethics/teaching-guide/table-of-exercises.html
Activity #7: Ethics in The Office
Timeframe: 1 hour
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Respect, Viability, Rule of Law Supplies: TV/computer
Description: This activity uses a popular sitcom to link ethics to real-world business situations.
Process: Use the following PowerPoint (https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/Using-The-Office-to Teach-Business-Ethics.pptx) to present ethical decision-making in business using the television show The Office as a guide. This PowerPoint includes case study descriptions, references to five different episodes, summaries of the episodes and ethical dilemmas, and discussion questions and answers. Show one of the episodes (or parts of an episode) to the class and ask students the provided discussion questions.
Another option: Review “Professionalism/Office Ethics according to The Office”: (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professionalism/Office_Ethics_according_to_The_Office). Use these examples (time theft, whistleblowing, stealing, sexual harassment and discrimination, safety in the workplace, office romance, and abuse of power) to spark discussion around business ethics.
Wrap-Up: Discuss ethical decision-making in business. Discuss which ethical dilemmas were illegal or just ethical. Ask student to consider different ways to turn the unethical situations into ethical ones.
Sources: Using The Office to Teach Business Ethics: https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/Using-The Office-to-Teach-Business-Ethics.pptx
Activity #8: Real or Reel
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Collaboration, Trust, Teamwork, Integrity Supplies: Paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity encourages students to link ethics principles to popular movies and TV shows by identifying unethical scenes and rewriting them to better represent ethical behavior.
Process: Separate students into groups of four or five. Tell students to brainstorm popular movies or TV shows that feature ethical dilemmas (e.g., The Good Place, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Dexter, The Office, The Boys, etc.). Ask students to choose one show or movie scene in which an ethical dilemma plays out (e.g., lying, cheating, disrespect, stereotyping, relationships, informed consent, racism, harassment, etc.). If possible, allow students to go online to access the scene or script for reference. Have students evaluate and explain the unethical behavior, linking to specific ethical principles, and then ask students to rewrite the scene, displaying ethical behavior instead. If students are enthusiastic and willing, encourage the groups to present their rewritten scenes to the class. If not, encourage group discussion and explain the rewritten changes.
Wrap-Up: Discuss the prevalence of ethical issues in popular movies and TV shows—are there common themes? Are there larger ethical themes running throughout the show? How would rewriting one scene impact the rest of the episode or show? Would these shows and movies still be interesting if they featured only ethical behavior? Why do we watch these shows? How do we engage with media?
Source: Ethical Issues In Popular Television Shows: https://prezi.com/xdqak_zkigd4/ethical-issues-in popular-television-shows/
Activity #9: Case Studies
Timeframe: 30-60 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Viability, Respect, Transparency Supplies: None
Description: This activity enables students to think more critically about ethics as they work through several case studies.
Process: Visit Ethics Unwrapped (https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-studies) and select two to five interesting case studies. Separate students into small groups of four to six students and read a case study to the class (if the class has laptops or smartphones, encourage them to visit the website and follow along). Use the provided discussion questions to encourage small group discussion, then discuss together as a class. Feel free to watch the linked Related Video for further information about each case. Repeat the process, using different case studies from the website.
Wrap-Up: Use the Ethics Unwrapped discussion questions to encourage students to think more critically about ethics.
Source: Ethics Unwrapped Cases: https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-studies
Activity #10: Code of Ethics
Timeframe: 1 hour
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Self-Reflection, Teamwork, Respect, Fairness Supplies: Paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity encourages students to reflect on their own morals, ideals, and beliefs while creating a business code of ethics.
Process: Instruct students to reflect on their own personal values and then work together with a team to create a business code of ethics. To get students thinking about their own personal values, ask students to brainstorm a list of individuals (personal or famous, living or dead) they admire or look up to. You can list the names on a whiteboard or simply encourage discussion. Ask students to consider the reasons why they look up to these people and the personal qualities that have made them successful. Encourage students to think about their strengths and weaknesses, how they see themselves, how their friends see them, what they believe is important in life and why, etc.
After reflecting on these characteristics and values, separate students into groups of four to six and explain that students will be creating their own business organization and an accompanying code of ethics. As a group, they’ll decide their business name, industry, and mission and then use their personal reflection to create a business code of ethics. Review How to Create Your Code of Ethics (With Examples) from Indeed (https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/create-code-of-ethics). Encourage students to research other business codes of ethics as examples when creating their own. Team members will need to juggle their personal values, others’ personal values, and their organization’s mission. Students should consider how the type of organization might affect its values (e.g., a small environmentally conscious shoe company may have different values than an educational nonprofit or an international bank). Teams should create a paragraph-long code of ethics to present to the class.
Wrap-Up: Ask students how they determined which values were important to their organization. Did they follow any belief systems? How did they incorporate their personal values into the business code of ethics? What challenges did they face?
Sources: Creating a Personal Code of Ethics:
http://www.syracusecityschools.com/tfiles/folder1925/Creating%20a%20Personal%20Code%20of%20Et hics%20Grade%209%20Health%20lesson%20plan_0.pdf
How to Write a Personal Ethics Statement: https://classroom.synonym.com/write-personal-ethics statement-4912361.html
How to Create Your Code of Ethics (With Examples): https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career development/create-code-of-ethics
Activity #11: The Lifeboat Game
Timeframe: 25-30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Trust, Viability, Respect, Accountability
Supplies: Lifeboat game instructions found on pages 15-16 (one handout per student), paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity enhances group communication as students must deliberate and reach the most ethical decision together as a team.
Process: Separate students into small groups of four to six students. Tell students they will have 15 minutes to decide which six passengers out of 10 to move into a lifeboat after an ocean liner hits an iceberg. If they can’t reach a group decision in 15 minutes, all of the passengers will drown and the team will lose the game. (All directions/materials provided on pages 15-16 or https://www.rjzafft.com/single post/2016/09/07/Test.)
Wrap-Up: Have students explain and defend their choices, how they chose which passengers to save, what made the decision difficult, and how they decided the most ethical final lifeboat roster. Ask students if they believe there is a single correct boat roster, and why or why not.
Source: The Lifeboat Game: https://www.rjzafft.com/single-post/2016/09/07/Test
The Lifeboat Game (Source: https://www.rjzafft.com/single-post/2016/09/07/Test)
Directions: An ocean liner just hit an iceberg. A small lifeboat has launched off and is now on its own. It is uncertain when help will come, or how far away land is. The lifeboat has ten people in it, but it can only hold six safely. You have 15 minutes to decide which four passengers to throw overboard. If you fail, the boat sinks and all ten passengers drown. Who do you throw overboard? Be prepared to explain and defend your selections.
Lifeboat Occupants
1. Annie Able
⮚ Annie is a 51-year-old divorcée with two children, one of whom is autistic. She heads Research & Design for a pharmacy start-up with a potential breakthrough drug. She attends church and volunteers at a soup kitchen. She has badly sprained her wrist. 2. Billy Baker
⮚ Billy is an MBA student who is engaged to a medical resident. He wants to work in venture philanthropy in Kenya with his doctor-spouse after graduation. Billy has diabetes; in his pocket, he has a five-day supply of insulin.
3. Charles Charlie
⮚ Charles is a 70-year-old physician who is Board certified in Emergency Medicine. He is a bachelor who competes in sailing races and has expertise in open-boat navigation. This cruise was on his bucket list because, though robust now, he suffers from lymphoma and has no more than three to four months to live.
4. Delia Delta
⮚ Delia is a 12-year-old girl. She is in shock, as her parents and younger brother have just drowned. Having swum to the lifeboat, she is beginning to shiver from the cold; Dr. Charlie says she is at risk for hypothermia.
5. Edwin Echo
⮚ Edwin is a 35-year-old opera singer with millions of adoring fans. Twice divorced and previously convicted of mail fraud and drunk driving, he reputedly left a friend to die on the sidewalk outside a club where they were snorting cocaine. Edwin is very fit, and his singing greatly cheers the others.
6. Francine Foxtrot
⮚ Francine is a 23-year-old army officer. She was supposed to be monitoring the ship’s radar for icebergs but was instead watching a Game of Thrones re-run on her iPad. She supports a widowed mother ashore whose prescription drugs are not covered by insurance and she also finances her disabled younger sister’s therapy. She is a fair navigator and rows well.
7. Godfrey Golf
⮚ Godfrey is a six-year-old boy. He is the seventh of eight children. He was traveling with a grandparent (now drowned) and is inconsolable. He has tried to bite several passengers. Dr. Charlie warns that a bite in open-boat conditions can quickly go septic.
8. Holly Hotel
⮚ Holly, 65, owns a successful mail-order party-goods business now run by her four children. A grandmother of 10, over the last five years, she has traveled the world with her spouse of 43 years. They contribute to a number of charities. She bails well but tires quickly. She is the only passenger who can somewhat calm down Godfrey.
9. Ignatius Igloo
⮚ Ignatius is a married father of three young children. He secured his current spot on the lifeboat by asking his 20-year-old lover to fetch from the cabin the keys to the BMW 5- Series which he told her was a surprise gift. Neither the car nor the keys exist. Ignatius captained his college rowing team. He prayed to forgive his past sins and now claims that he is a changed man.
10. Julia Juliette
⮚ Julia is a 41-year-old private-equity investor famous for stripping companies of valuable assets, firing the employees, and selling the bones. She is being sued by her partners for fraud and by her children for plundering the trust fund their father left them. Julia has sworn, if she is not thrown overboard, to donate one billion dollars to charities selected by the other survivors and to give ten million dollars to the family of each person who goes overboard. Julia is a triathlete.”
Activity #12: Ethical Dilemmas
Timeframe: 30-45 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Rule of Law, Respect, Integrity, Communication Supplies: None
Description: This activity allows students to use their evaluation, discussion, and decision-making skills to reach a conclusion and present their reasoning to the class.
Process: Review the lists of ethical dilemmas found at https://upjourney.com/real-life-examples-of ethical-dilemmas and https://icebreakerideas.com/moral-dilemma-questions/. Select three or four to use for this activity. Separate the class into small groups of three to five students and then explain one of the ethical dilemmas. Instruct each group to discuss options for resolving the dilemma and decide on the most ethical decision. Allow for class discussion of the pros and cons of each option and whether everyone agreed on the best decision. Repeat the process using the other dilemmas that you selected. If time remains, allow groups to create their own ethical dilemmas similar to those from the websites (e.g., social media, ghosting, accidents, etc.). Encourage groups to present several options for class discussion and decide on the most ethical decision.
Another option: Separate the class into groups of three to five students and instruct students to brainstorms common ethical dilemmas. As a group, they should select one dilemma to map out on a poster board/whiteboard. They should identify different options for resolving the dilemma, along with the chain of events that would likely occur if each option was selected. After creating this map, groups should share it with the class and discuss the options. Alternatively, groups could present two skits: The first skit would show the unethical action, and the second skit would show the ethical action.
Wrap-Up: Encourage group discussion about how one makes an ethical decision, what framework they use, who it affects, etc.
Sources: 16 Real-Life Examples of Ethical Dilemmas: https://upjourney.com/real-life-examples-of ethical-dilemmas
28 Top Moral Dilemma Questions [+ Scenarios & Examples]: https://icebreakerideas.com/moral dilemma-questions/
Additional Team Building Activities 19
Team Building Activity #13: Build It Higher
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Trust, Teamwork, Communication, Transparency Supplies: Spaghetti, mini marshmallows, tape, measuring tape
Description: This activity encourages students to work together to create the tallest structure.
Process: Separate the class into groups of four or five students, and then give each group the same amount of uncooked spaghetti noodles, mini marshmallows, and tape. There will be two rounds of tower-building. For the first round, set a timer for 10 minutes and instruct each team to create the tallest structure they can without speaking to the other members of their team. Measure the height of
each tower and then let the towers stand, taking note of those that fall. For the second round, provide all groups with the same amount of noodles, marshmallows, and tape again, but let the groups speak to their members while building a second tower, stressing the importance of communication within the group. At the end of 10 minutes, measure the towers again. Be sure to note which of the first-round towers are still standing tall.
Wrap-Up: Discuss how teams planned the structure, what roles people took, where communication could have been improved, etc. What differences did they note between the first-round towers and the second-round towers? Did communication improve the structures? In what ways? Discuss the integrity of the tower. What design elements created a long-lasting foundation? What elements created a solid foundation for a team?
Source: Top Team-Building Games: Experts Share Their Favorites: https://www.smartsheet.com/top team-building-games-experts-share-their-favorites
Team Building Activity #14: Perfect Square
Timeframe: 15-20 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Trust, Integrity, Respect Supplies: Rope or string (15-20 feet long for each group), blindfolds (optional: close eyes instead)
Description: This activity strengthens communication and trust among students as they work together to solve a problem.
Process: Separate the class into groups of eight to 10 students. Instruct the students in each group to tie the two ends of their rope or string together and stand in a circle with everyone holding on to the rope or string. Tell students to lay the rope or string on the floor and then put on their blindfolds or close their eyes and take five steps backward. Once everyone is blindfolded or has closed their eyes, the task is to work together in their group to turn the rope or string circle into a square. Once the team thinks they’ve formed a square, allow the team to open their eyes or take off their blindfolds to see their results. Reorganize the groups with different students, then allow them to run the activity again. To increase the difficulty, set a time limit, instruct some students to stay silent, or make a more difficult shape.
Wrap-Up: Ask students questions such as: What issues did you encounter, and how did you work around them? Did you assign a leader, and how was leadership demonstrated? What was the communication process like? How did you improve during the second and third rounds? Was your process fair? (Maybe a few people took charge and the other group members were ignored and just followed directions.) What role did respect play in your strategy? What can we learn from this game that applies to ethics?
Sources: 35 Team Building Activities Your Team Will Actually Love:
https://www.workamajig.com/blog/team-building-activities
Perfect Square Team Building Activity: https://ventureteambuilding.co.uk/perfect-square-team-building activity/#.X2i_2GhKhPY
Team Building Activity #15: Minefield
Timeframe: 20-30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Trust, Honesty, Integrity
Supplies: Large empty area (field, parking lot, classroom), obstacles (random assortment of supplies, pencils, cones, chairs, balls, etc.), blindfolds (optional: close eyes instead)
Description: This activity sharpens communication and trust as partners guide each other across the minefield. It requires honesty, integrity, and a willingness to listen and trust another person’s words.
Process: Separate the class into partners. One partner will be blindfolded or will close their eyes and the other partner will guide them using verbal directions only across an empty area (field, parking lot, classroom) that has obstacles (cones, chairs, balls, etc.) set up on it. If they touch an item, they must start over. The blindfolded person cannot speak to their partner, and their direction-giver can’t touch their partner. After one partner has made it across, have the partners switch positions and do the activity again. If enough time remains, randomly assign different partners and run the activity again.
Wrap-Up: Ask students what made the activity difficult. Discuss whether they preferred walking or guiding and why. Ask students whether it was easier the second time around. How did trust and communication factor into the process? How does this relate to challenges you face at school, in sports or clubs, or at work?
Sources: Six Ideas for Team Building Activities: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career development/team-building-activities
Team Building Activity: Mine Field: https://guideinc.org/2016/07/12/team-building-activity-mine-field/
Team Building Activity #16: Lost at Sea Survival Game
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Skills Required/Ethical Principles Involved: Communication, Transparency, Integrity
Supplies: Copies of the Lost at Sea Ranking Chart on page 24 (one per student), copies of the Coastguard Expert Analysis handout on pages 25-26 (one per group), paper, pens/pencils
Description: This activity requires students to work individually and in groups. It highlights the benefits of communicating and working together to solve a problem.
Process: Tell the class that they have just been shipwrecked. Explain that they’ll be ranking 15 items of vital navigation equipment individually and then together as small groups of three or four students. Follow the detailed instructions provided on page 23. After they’ve completed their rankings, they will compare their individual and group rankings to the U.S. Coast Guard ranking to determine if teamwork allows for better decision making. (All directions/materials provided on pages 23-26 are available at https://insight.typepad.co.uk/lost_at_sea.pdf.)
Wrap-Up: Ask if students were tempted to change their initial rankings to better align with the group’s ranking—what did they decide? How did they demonstrate integrity (or not)? What made it difficult to work together? What benefits and drawbacks did they notice when working as a group?
Source: Lost at Sea: https://insight.typepad.co.uk/lost_at_sea.pdf
Lost at Sea (Source: https://insight.typepad.co.uk/lost_at_sea.pdf)
Background Story: You have chartered a yacht with three friends for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you have any previous sailing experience, you have hired an experienced skipper and two-person crew. Unfortunately, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a fierce fire breaks out in the ship’s galley and the skipper and crew are lost while trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking. Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall. You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a four-person rubber life craft and a box of matches. Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for you, as you wait to be rescued. Place the number one by the most important item, the number two by the second most important and so forth until you have ranked all 15 items.
Instructions
1. Read the above Background Story to the class, then provide a ‘Lost at Sea Ranking Chart’ to every member of the class.
2. Ask students to take 10 minutes to rank the items individually and record their choices in the Step 1 column.
3. Instruct the class to separate into teams of three or four students. Encourage the groups to discuss their individual choices and work together to agree on a collaborative list. Allow 15-20 minutes for this section. Record the group rankings in the second column (team rankings).
4. The correct answers were suggested by the U.S. Coast Guard. Display the ‘expert’ rankings on a PowerPoint presentation, whiteboard, or photocopy.
5. Instruct each group to compare their individual and group answers with the correct answers and determine a score. For each item, mark the number of points that your score differs from the Coast Guard ranking and then add up all the points. Disregard plus or minus differences. The lower the total, the better your score.
6. As the groups work together, sharing thoughts and ideas, this should produce an improved score over the individual results. Discuss with the group why the scores were different. What changed their minds? And was this enough to survive?”
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