Valley crossing excercise

The situation is "Three people should cross a valley using only a pole". This was a life lesson on what real management should be, from all perspectives as aptly demonstrted by Pro. Dr. Mandi.

Scene - An enthusiastic crowd of students led by Prof.Dr.Mandi was preparing for some exciting event. So this was going to be the day where they would exactly try and replicate what was shown on the handouts that Prof.Dr.Mandi had given them. Prof.Dr.Mandi had promised them that this exercise would emboss on their minds the real concepts of management. The students waited with bated breath for the session to begin.

Goal Setting:

One of my favorite sayings is an old Yiddish proverb that goes "Man plans, God laughs." It's ironic that would be my favorite saying . When I was a child and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always had an answer. That answer changed significantly as time went on, but one thing never did — I always had a plan. Planning for our futures is very important even if those plans may change. One way in which we plan for the future is by setting goals. Merriam-Webster OnLine defines a goal as "the end toward which effort is directed."The goal was to cross the valley with help of each other collectively. And we section B people achieved it with our Guide DR.Mandi.

Bounded rationality:

We were always trained to think with bounded rationality by Dr.Mandi. We first understood the task properly. We understood the organizational structure required to complete the task. We as team were required to come together to achieve the common goal of crossing the Valley. So we brked down the activities into small tasks as follows.

Following are the steps into which the activity can be broken,

1)Three people are on one side of the valley. They have a pole with them.

2)They hold the pole such that when the first person is above the valley, he is supported by the other two members.

3)So when, each person is above the valley, he is supported by the other two people.

4)They continue until all the members are on the other side of the valley.

Here is the link for the valley crossing exercise video. Please look at this for real experience.

Prof.Dr.Mandi, started off with a practice session. Since it was the first time for everyone, there were a lot of failures. But those failures stopped no one from trying repeatedly. In the end, people actually managed to do it. This exercise has more to it than meets the eye. This is not just about physical efforts. A careful study of this activity will reveal the real depth of meaning. Teamwork is the buzz word among the excited students now.

Below listed are 'My' learnings from beng part of this wonderul activity.

1)Effective Communication:

Communication is the backbone without which the team will not stand. This is amply demonstraed by this activity. As Prof.Dr.Mandi aptly pointed out, it is absolutley essential to communicate effectively with all the team members, without which, nobody's safety is guarenteed.

2)Trust:

The trust factor is indipensable for any team that aspires to reach dizzy heights. As depicted by this activity, if you do not trust that the other member can carry your weight, you tend to fail.

3)Idea Generation:

It is important for any team to brain storm and get as many ideas as possible before getting down to planning or actually doing the activity. Idea generation will help in easy planning.

4)Planning:

"Failing to plan is planning to fail" .Nothing happens without first a plan. It is mandatory to plan the activity exactly as you want it to happen and then execute it.

5)Execution:

This step is the culimination of all your previous efforts. It has to be done with much care. Effort mst be put in, to adhere to the plans that were charted out. The communication within the team should be in pristine order. Proper execution will exude proper results.

6)Perseverance:

It is very important to persevere in your efforts. As Prof.Dr.Mandi rightly puts it, every time we fall, we should rise and every time we rise, we are wiser and stronger.

All thanks to Prof.Dr.Mandi for such an innovative teaching methodology we have here at NITIE. We have now been enlightened about how effective groups are formed and how true team spirit is developed. I have been fortunate to have been part of this wonderful activity!!!