collaboration

the zoo game

Exploring Cross-Team Collaboration with The Zoo Game

collaboration, experiments

Last week we collaborated with AWA Global and Discover Financial Services to run an in-person Meetup in London. We introduced Agile Animalia (AKA the zoo game), which is a real-time collaborative mega game, that explores cross-team collaboration.

Summary of the game

Participants begin in teams, with the collective goal of creating a successful paper zoo. At the start of the game, each team is told that they are responsible for a particular task (e.g. acquiring animals, education, perimeters, safety, etc). As the game progresses and the zoo grows over a series or rounds (or iterations), participants have to figure out for themselves how best to work together in order to build a successful zoo with happy animals, staff and customers.

What did we learn from Agile Animalia?

  • Transformation is NOT easy
  • Change can make people deeply uncomfortable at first

    AND…
  • Humans are incredibly good at problem solving
  • When we work together, our problem-solving ability improves exponentially
  • This is especially true with complex problems, where the outcome cannot be predicted
  • Working together to adapt to change and solve problems can be exciting, fun and rewarding!

The Agile Animalia zoo game was the perfect way to illustrate how the Enterprise Change Pattern (our coaching strategy for organisational change) can be used to increase ownership, reduce risk, and result in a perfect fit of change to context. In addition to running the game, Carl Rogers shared with us his experience of using the Enterprise Change Pattern with great success at Discover, where he is a senior manager in the Agile Enablement team.

Request a copy of Agile Animalia (the zoo game)

I would like to download the zoo game (Agile Animalia)(Required)
I would like to stay in touch with Bryter Work(Required)

Want more?

Let’s talk! We can run a workshop like this in your organisation. Agile Animalia (the zoo game) is a great way to make sure that everyone gets a say and feels excited and motivated by your transformation (rather than anxious and uncomfortable). It also illustrates how collaborative change leads to successful outcomes.
Not to boast, but our game score went from 11.75 points in the first iteration, to a whopping 70 in the final round. That’s a 495% improvement!

Are your teams high-performing or entrepreneurial?

collaboration, teams

Let’s look at collaborative team structures…

There are two collaborative team structures (and only two) that work well in fast-moving, innovative organisations. These are high-performing teams and entrepreneurial teams. Both have their place, and which one suits your organisation will depend on a number of factors. We can help you choose the right one for your context.

HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS
high performing collaborative team structures

High-performing teams don’t have dependencies and work with team members with the right skills. They also have the safety (guardrails or constraints) to work autonomously to deliver the outcomes for which they are responsible.

 

ENTREPRENEURIAL TEAMS
entrepreneurial collaborative team structures

Entrepreneurial teams take this one step further by defining and owning their budgets and outcomes. This kind of team is more innovative and acts more like a start-up within the larger organisation.

 

Collaborative teams are crucial to deliver value efficiently to your customers. However, creating teams like this isn’t easy. A mindset shift is needed in order to fully leverage the power of collaborative, customer-centric teams.

We trigger the ‘lightbulb moments’ for your team members to realise what’s possible. Through coaching, mentoring, and training, we help you overcome common challenges to realise the benefits that your new team structures bring.

Find out how we can help.