1. Team building exercice March 19, 2013 | VWS 5th Project Managers’ Forum
THE VEOLIA ROLLING BALL FLOW
Teambuilding exercice March 19, 2013 VWS 5th Project Managers’ Forum 1

2. Going from A to B…
Nine teams of participants at the VWS Project
Managers Forum in the GYM at Veolia Campus,
Jouy-le-Moutier in France.
Divided over nine territories participants have to
transport a marble from A to B without touching it
and using the materials provided.
On his way the marble has to pass all nine
territories.
Lots of annoying rules risk to make participants life
quite difficult.
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3. The challenge
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4. Team building event
• Team building event involving construction, collaboration, negotiations
and competition.
• The 100 participants divide themselves in smaller teams.
Each team is allocated a territory; this means that teams need to work
collaboratively with some neighboring territories.
• The challenge is to transport little balls by pipeline from point A to point B
crossing all the territories.
• Each team may only operate inside their territory. This requires
collaboration between teams to pool and exchange resources to ensure
that the pipeline works as a complete entity.
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5. « Enough instruction to start.
Not enough so we have to think, so it was good »
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6. Pipelines and rolling balls
• Individual teams can improve their pipeline by building in special features
(drops, bends etc.), by paying attention to structural integrity and by the
decoration of their pipeline with emblems and symbols.
• An Award Ceremony at the close recognizes a variety of achievements
such ambition demonstrated, artistry, engineering innovation and of
course whether the pipeline works or not!
• The pipelines thus constructed represent a great metaphor for the need
for organizations to provide a seamless service or product delivery to their
customers - this can only be achieved if all teams are aligned to the same
goal, even within the framework of different cultures.
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7. « It was a real challenge:
you have to develop a team strategy and a strategy for over the nine territories as well »
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8. « At the beginning I think we were completely lost »
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9. « Nobody wanted to lead in our territory and then some began to do something,
to build up pipelines …we defined the roles in few minutes »
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10. « It’s like what we do everyday... it’s normal discuss…
we have to work together and go to an agreement… we know how to take over »
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11. « Enough instruction to start.
Not enough so we have to think, so it was good »
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12. « Leaders ? There were many of them! The thing is that they agreed together »
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13. « This exercise is like every day’s life: we go to work to get fun »
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14. « We had more pipelines than needed…
with more time we could have done some looping... »
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15. « In intercultural, we need to take some time »
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16. « There was a definitive need for hierarchy to organize »
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17. « The activity was very good »
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18. « We didn’t argue... and be in conflict…
it would have been different if we were only with people of the same country »
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19. « We succeeded, YES, and above all: we didn’t fight! »
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20. « Our key to success: teampride and of course: our mascot  »
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21. « I was surprised that we cooperated so successfully in the second round: BINGO »
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22. Organization: Bilance, +33 625 59 19 08
Contact: Jan Nagel, j.nagel@bilance.fr
Consultants: Dominique Leclerq – Hugues Linyer – Jan Nagel
Adapted from an original Eventus idea | Photos: Bilance
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