Survival Simulation Team Building

You and your co-workers are working late in the basement library of your 10-story downtown office building when a major earthquake hits…..

From the ubiquitous Desert Survival Situation™ to the contemporary Subartic Survival Situation™, we can facilitate your choice of Human Synergistics International’s Survival Simulations. The simulations are as much programs as they are activities. They provide team members with an opportunity to work together in life-threatening situations and to focus on their group processes. We use the Survival Simulations in our team building workshops as a developmental instrument for intact work groups, or as team building icebreakers for new teams, to establish healthy norms, introduce the concept of synergy, and/or develop team problem-solving skills. If you would like to quantify how well your team works together, this is your teambuilding solution!

HOW IT WORKS

Each simulation presents a scenario, such as being stranded in the desert, and then challenges the team to rank various objects they might need for survival in order of their importance.

The exercises ensure that all team members have about the same level of knowledge about the artificial situation (not very much!), meaning they must rely on their ability to set objectives, analyze and evaluate alternative strategies, and, finally, choose a solution that will best meet the objective.

By having team members complete the exercise individually and then as a team, the difference between the individual solutions and the team’s solution can be calculated. This provides a real measure of the group’s effectiveness in working as a team.

INTERACTIVE

Set in unfamiliar locations, the Survival Simulations allow group members to participate as equals— regardless of rank or position. By starting on equal footing, participants have the opportunity to fully participate, focus on group processes, and analyze their contributions to the quality of the team’s performance.

These Team Building Simulations are designed to:

• Instruct in the interpersonal (people) and rational (task) behaviors involved in successful teamwork.
• Validate the impact of group styles on performance.
• Advance group problem-solving skills and decision-making effectiveness.
• Strengthen cooperation and communication among group members.

SURVIVAL SIMULATION options

SIMULATION	THE SITUATION	THE CHALLENGE	TIME
	Desert Survival Situation™ It’s a hot August day and your plane has just   crash-landed in the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States.	Rank 15 items salvaged from the plane in the   order of their importance to your team’s survival.	1.5 to 2.5 hours
	Bushfire Survival Situation™ You and your group are on holiday in the   Dandenong Ranges just east of Melbourne, Australia, when you suddenly notice   a bushfire approaching.	Rank 12 items in the order of their importance   to your team’s survival.	1.5 to 2 hours
	Tsunami Survival Situation™ Your group is enjoying a beach party on the   coast in central Chile when a text message alerts that a tsunami is   approaching.	Rank 8 items in the order of their importance   to your team’s survival.	1 to 2 hours
	Subarctic Survival Situation™ Twenty-two air miles east of your intended   destination, your float plane crashes on the east shore of Laura Lake, in the   subarctic region of the northern Quebec-Newfoundland border.	Rank 15 items salvaged from the plane in the   order of their importance to your team’s survival.	1.5 to 2.5 hours
	Cascades Survival Situation™ On the way back from a weekend retreat, the   helicopter carrying you and your group crashes in a small clearing high in   the Cascades Mountains.	Rank 12 items salvaged from the crash in the   order of their importance to your team’s survival.	1 to 1.5 hours
	Earthquake Survival   Situation™ You and your co-workers are working late in   the basement library of your 10-story downtown office building when a major   earthquake hits.	Identify which of 12 possible action steps are   important and sequence them in the order they should be carried out. Rank the   remaining steps from least to most dangerous.	1 to 1.5 hours

Contact Us

Get started today in developing high performance teams that can make a decisive difference! We can deliver Survival Simulations right at your company’s location or at the venue of your choice. 970 776 9848.