Cave Without a Name
Second
Edition
Teach the
concept of team synergy with Cave Without a
Name, a challenging adventure simulation
that focuses on consensus decision making,
problem solving, and managing group conflict. By
comparing individual solutions to solutions
reached by the group, participants experience
first-hand the advantages of working as a team.
The Scenario
It was dark — really dark. Darker than you had
ever experienced before. Not the ordinary
nighttime dark where you can still see a faint
outline of your hand immediately in front of
your eyes. But the absolute blackness of black,
and that sent a nauseating little surge of panic
into your gut.
Instinctively, members of the group reached out
and found one another. The simple touch of
others brought momentary relief to everyone’s
growing terror — the terror of being trapped in
one of the unexplored passageways of the Cave
Without a Name.
Can your team survive with only its wits and 10
daypack items?
Learning
Outcomes
- Learn how
to manage and resolve group conflict
- Hone group
problem-solving skills
- Improve
communication
- Discover
the advantages of consensus decision making
Theory
Based on actual explorations and named for a
cave near Boerne, Texas, Cave Without a Name
demonstrates the concept of team synergy — the
belief that decisions made by groups are better
than decisions made by individuals acting alone
(Michaelson, Watson, & Black, 1989). Groups
bring a greater sum total of knowledge and
information to the discussion of a problem, as
well as a greater number of approaches and
perspectives. The simulation can also
demonstrate “process loss.” This phenomenon
occurs when a knowledgeable group member
outperforms the group, indicating that the
member’s knowledge was lost sometime during the
group discussion. In order for group decision
making to work, unique information must be
shared and absorbed by the group (Stasser,
1992).
How It Works
This powerful roundtable simulation challenges
teams to rank 4 action responses and 10 daypack
items — first as individuals, and then as a
team. First, as the facilitator, you’ll
introduce the adventure scenario. Participants
will then rank action responses and daypack
items on their own, using pressure-sensitive
scoring forms. Next, each team conducts the same
ranking process as a unit. Finally, you’ll lead
the participants into a group action planning
discussion, providing the team with the
opportunity to apply the learning to the
workplace.
Uses for Cave Without a Name
- Illustrate
the concept of team synergy
- “Break the
ice” among new or conflicted teams
- Give teams
a nonthreatening opportunity to work
together
- Help teams
practice consensus decision making
- Improve
active listening, probing, and confronting
behaviors in a realistic setting
- Train team
leaders in team facilitation skills
- Open or
close a learning session
- Introduce
an organizational change, such as the
transition to self-managing teams
- Interject a
fun activity into an otherwise serious
agenda
- Supplement
outdoor experiential learning
What to
Order/Product Contents
Order one Facilitator Guide per trainer and one
Participant Guide per team member.
Note: Cave Without a Name works best when
participants are divided into teams of seven or
fewer per table.
Facilitator
Guide includes:
-
Administrative guidelines
- 2-hour
workshop design
- Expert
rationale
-
Experiential learning/training methodology
- Training
design options
- CD-ROM
containing Microsoft® PowerPoint®
presentation and reproducible masters
- Updated
page layout
- Sample copy
of Participant Guide
- Convenient
binder format
Participant
Guide includes:
- Scenario
description
-
Pressure-sensitive response form
- Team
synergy score chart
- Team
discussion guidelines
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Team
Level:
