Photo Finish
Time Allowance: 20 Minutes
Equipment Needed: Rope for start or finish line (optional), Polaroid camera (optional). Find a location that has approximately 30 feet between a starting and finish line. A sidewalk or a straight rope line works well. Give the instructions to the team and stand at the finish line.
Steps
1. The objective of this game is for everyone on a team to cross the finish line at exactly the same time.
2. This activity is called Photo Finish. Everyone must start behind the starting line and go toward the finish line and cross the finish line at exactly the same time. If someone finishes before or after anyone else, the whole team tries again from behind the starting line. The team has an unlimited number of tries.
3. Most teams create a sense of urgency from the starting line to the finish. The truth is that time is not an important factor in this initiative.
4. Teams generally take about six “runs” before they finish simultaneously. If you want to pull yourself out of the judge role, ask for a volunteer from the team to watch at the finish line and determine the all-way tie.
5. A Polaroid camera or video camera is great to use and show the team later. One of the amazing things that I have noticed each time I have facilitated this activity is how far off the perceptions of the team can be. In some cases a person will finish two or three feet before the rest of the team, and the whole team will believe they finished together.
Processing Issues
Cooperation
Making Group Decisions
This activity seems too simple at first thought. Many organizations face similar situations all the time and realize too late that coordinating people can be a difficult achievement. For example, businesses try to provide training for everyone within a short time span, or a complex project needs to have everyone finish their deadlines in a coordinating fashion. In those situations the same factors that create success in the photo finish will create success in real situations.