(Originally posted in Spanish on the 27th of August, 2008)

Today I am satisfied. With me and my classmates.

We had a class, linked with the one yesterday, that intended to tech the effects of competition and cooperation when hat one group does affects directly the others. The lesson was a game. here were 10 teams (7 people each) and the professor aked for 10RMB per person (about 1€). He put all the money in a bag (I wish I had recorded the face of the Korean girl when she saw the professor took the money away). Roughly, 600RMB in that bag. The game was a treasure chase: if ne team won, the rest of the people lost their 10RMB.

We were given an instruction sheet per team. Our group objective was to locate the treasure in a grid (the map was divided in a grid) and which was the key number the unlocked the treasure. In case one team thought they had it right and tried to get the treasure, if they had it wrong, the treasure was definitely lost. Furthermore, we had to answer 6 questions, most of which involved negotiating with the other teams. But one could negotiate unless solving a puzzle.

For 30' we worked on the puzzle, which Raymond solved. Then, the real game started. All the teams worked on answering the 6 questions and negotiation was needed. However, I do not think any group focused on the main objective: locating the money and finding the key number. To make it short, for about 45 minutes (game duration was 1 hour), we competed against each other. People lied, hide information... Everybody wanted all the money for his own group.

At about that time, in my team we had already gotten the 6 answers and were focusing on the main target: locate the money. I read the instructions again, thought for a while and made what I thought was the only sensible proposal: collaborate. I didn't know how to get the missing data (location and key number) in just 15 minutes (we were missing data that possibly the pther groups had). The only way I could think of not losing money was to split it evenly amongst the 10 groups (that is, everybody got his 10RMB back). I told my group mates. It was not very hard to persuade them (thanks guys! this really boosted my confidence) and told me "OK, go ahead".

And I did it. I woke up, grabbed the microphone (in front of a class of 60), I whistled to get their attentions (hope your ears didn't suffer much) and explained my vision of the problem. We were reaching the time limit, information was widely spread (we later knew hat we needed information from each team to get the needed results), we were competing to in all the money and we were about to lose it all. I offered what I thought was the only thing that could get us our money back: an all-class agreement, working together and share the treasure.

The game had a rule that was that a written agreement was binding. As I spoke, Gary had drafted and agreement in the flip chart and signed it. I asked the rest of the class to think for 5 minutes and, afterards, each group, please, sign the contract. 9 groups came. The 10th came slightly later. The rest was unbelievably easy: we had to oragnize the people in the 3 tasks we needed to do and in 10 minutes we had it solved. After a lot of pressure and stress (people took the time limit really seriously, Chinese people are extremely punctual).

I must say it was easier than I thought. I believe everybody thought that collaboration was the only way to success, but didn't dare to say it loud and appreciated me saying it loud. We got the money back. The professor gave me the money back ("to a person who has been instrumental in solving the problem") and proposed that, as a group, we decided what to do with the money. We voted between having some beers together or donating it to a cause (600RMB can do quite a lot in China). I voted for beers. We will donate it. I don't know the cause, but we'll figure it out. Oh, this is the Corporate Social Responsability professor, so I guess he was proud of the decision. I am.

Well, what I said. I am really proud of my classmates and of myself being the facilitator of the solution. Today, I feel good. On another side, I believe my classmates (the whole 2008 intake has been divided in 3 classes) know who I am. A lot have thanked me (some in a very particular way).

PS: In the other classes, the outcome was different: in one group, they lost the money (the professor refunded them) and, in the other, 3 groups teamed (I have heard that with not-so-good practices). Later on, people from other classes have asked me to try that their money also went to a charity.