TPIs – Integration, trust and team flow among team members – Copper Rod Dynamic

COPPER ROD DYNAMIC (in person)

Goal: Developing integration, trust and team flow among team members.
TPI: Positivity attributes to be explored are trust, alignment and communication among others
Tools: 1 meter long copper, wooden or bamboo rod.
Players required: minimum 6.
Time required: 30 minutes

To start: Explorer and play
•Hand out one copper rod to each person;
•Let the group play and explorer the rod;
•Ask the group questions like “what is the rod made of”, “what quality does copper have?”, etc.
•Explore the conductive quality of copper as a metaphor for good communication.

1st Movement: Warm up – establish a mental model based on listening skills.
•In a circle, each person should hold their rod with their right hand vertically, by the center.
•Everybody should, at the same time, pass the rod to the person on their right, who will receive the rod with their left hand.
•After two or three rounds approximately, reverse the direction.
•The rhythm is set by the group (communication, leadership).

2nd Movement: Change of mental model – Openness and flexibility to change.
•Now the group must pass the rod in a new rhythm, short-short-long:
– 1st pass: short – Each person should pass their rod from their right to their left hand;
– 2nd pass: short – The rod, which is at everybody’s left hand, should be pass back to the right hand;
– 3rd pass: long – With the rod still on the right hand, everybody should at the same time, stretch their right arm and hand the rod over to the person on their left, who will receive the rod with their left hand.
•The above movement sequence should be repeated, only this time the rod starts on everybody’s left hand:
– 1st pass: short – Rod from left hand to right hand;
– 2nd pass: short – Rod from right hand to left hand;
– 3rd pass: long – Rod from left hand to the person on the left, who will receive the rod with their right hand.
*The instructor should first demonstrate to the group the new passing rhythm.

3rd Movement: Working in pairs – Working with diversity, developing communication and flexibility skills.
•Facing each other, each pair should, mirroring each other, pass the rod continuing the short-short-long rhythm.
•As trust is built, the pair should start to distance themselves from one another until they have to throw the rod, with quality and safety, during the “long” rhythm.

4th Movement: Working in two pairs – Leadership and trust.
•Repeat the last exercise now in two pairs.
•Each pair should throw their rods simultaneously during the “long” rhythm. The movement will be crossed.
•As the exercise develops, it will be made clear the need to synchronize the movements.

5th Movement: Increase the number of pairs -Leadership and trust.
•Add more pairs to last exercise’s format until every pair is part of one group, still cross throwing their rods simultaneously during the “long” rhythm.