Mars Rover Challenge

You don't have to leave earth for stellar skill development. Long gone are the days where collaboration served as an intermittent, as-needed approach to conquering company initiatives. Employers are growing increasingly aware of Mars Rover Challenges widespread benefits and value it as a constant in the workplace. Why? It encourages collaborative behaviors and even going so far as to redesign workspaces to stimulate it. However, some people need to see it in action and practice it for themselves before they can fully embrace its benefits.

How It Works

As a hybrid game and workshop, Mars Rover Challenge immerses participants in a memorable, eye-opening experience. The activity provides a compelling demonstration of the differences between working collaboratively and working in silos both on the contributors themselves and on the quality of work they produce. This powerful contrast is accomplished by having teams build and rebuild a motorized prototype of a vehicle designed to travel on Mars using KNEX construction pieces. In the first round, team members operate in isolation; in the second, they join forces and work as a collaborative team.

Two versions of the game are available. In the Leadership Version, participants work in teams to construct a rover, led by a team member who (unknown to the rest of the team) adopts one of three contrasting leadership styles: traditional (command-and-control), passive, and collaborative. Each of the three styles engenders very different feelings and emotions among team members.

Together, both versions provide a very real demonstration of the effects different styles can have on morale, motivation, and performance. The Teamwork Version again calls for participants to work in teams, only this time the game is played in two rounds. In round one, participants simulate working in siloed departments as they build the rover. In round two, they work together collaboratively. The end result in each round usually is markedly different, and the process and outcomes make for lively discussion and usually quite a few "ah-has"!

Uses and Applications

The Mars Rover Challenge is designed to introduce new leaders and expose experienced leaders to the benefits of facilitative leadership. It's an ideal learning experience for:

• New leaders who want to incorporate facilitative leadership into their developing style
• Traditional leaders who are being retrained to move toward a more facilitative style of leadership
• Managers who oversee teams
• Illustrating the differences between groups and teams
• Rejuvenating established teams who have reverted to "group work" habits
• Encouraging team members to assume team roles and responsibilities

Both versions demonstrate the power of collaboration and enable participants to cultivate the mindset and behaviors integral to effective implementation. The differences lie only in the lens through which collaboration is viewed - either from the perspective of leadership or teamwork. While each game has been designed to function independently, using them in tandem presents a more thorough, holistic picture of collaboration and the positive effects it has on employee engagement and productivity.

Learning Outcomes

• Practice functioning in silos and contrast this experience with working collaboratively
• Understand why silos weaken team performance and undermine the overall organization
• Explore why collaborative teamwork is the best approach for long-term success
• Create an individual plan to minimize silos and increase collaboration

Product Details

Product Type: Game. The Deluxe Kit includes a complete Teamwork and Leadership Game Kit. Both versions separately demonstrate the power of collaboration and enable participants to cultivate the mindset and behaviors integral to effective implementation.

Target Audience:

• New leaders who want to incorporate facilitative leadership into their developing style
• Traditional leaders who are being retrained to move toward a more facilitative style of leadership
• Managers who oversee several teams or coordinate teams

Measures: The purpose of the Mars Rover Challenge activity is to demonstrate the advantages of facilitative leadership and the drawbacks of traditional and passive leadership.

Dimensions: Communication, influence, administration, thinking, and interpersonal skills.

Time Required: Simulation: 15 minutes. Workshop: Two hours.

What to Order

Deluxe Leadership and Teamwork Game Kit: Order for One Kit for Both the Leadership and Teamwork Game Kits.