Collaboration

Broken Squares

Every person was placed in a group of five, and they were each handed an envelope containing the components required to make five squares. We were instructed not to communicate in hand signals or words, but rather non verbally exchange or give up our pieces. Three members in our group were able to complete their squares fairly fast, but the remainder of us had difficulty understanding how to put together our squares.

There was no one who kept all the pieces to themselves, and I personally experienced no issue with the speaking limitation; if anything, this "disadvantage" was an advantage, as the silence in the room allowed us to think and concentrate more clearly without background noise.

This activity taught us that working together is more effective than attempting to figure things out on your own, especially if someone in your group is more capable than you are.