Lecture 1: Bridge and tower building exercise

The bridge exercise is an excellent example of the independence and interdependence required to perform any activity in a corporate structure. The activity has three participants who are given a long rod which is carried by them on their shoulders, and then they have to cross a small crater as a group. There each person gets to be in motion for a few seconds without using their legs. The burden of the person in air is borne by the other two participants. This particular exercise taught us that in a corporate scenario one would be times when we have to look out for others and the favour surely does not get over looked and once in a while people take care of us also. It’s the trust of a person that we have to win and we should be able to adjust well in an interdependent scenario.

The other interesting activity that took place was the tower building. Here we had to use one hand and make a tower of cubes; the game gets over when the tower falls down. This taught me that mostly we tend to under estimate ourselves, when asked about the number of cubes that could be place the person doing the exercise anticipated 10 cubes but to his astonishment 18 cubes were placed one on top of the other. The target that is set should be greater than the organisation's assessment of what might their actual performance will be. Only when the goal is higher than the current idea of the firm's capabilities will the managers put in an effort that is beyond the scope of their current perceived capabilities. This in turn will lead to an increase in capability, leading to an ever increasing limit of goals that can be set. Some of the students lowered the target from the previously stated one .This is not preferred since the organization shouldn't lower their targets despite the hurdles which come across as this portrays a negative outlook this strategy does not work in the longer run for the growth of the company. Some of the students retained the target. This is preferable as the organization continues to work towards the defined target despite the hurdle through motivation and team effort and effective co-ordination. Some increased the target. Ideally, organizations need to expand even during tough times when others are contracting and avoiding risks. A good example can be Apple, which during recession perceived as threat to many used as opportunity to expand their market share and generate more products like iPad .This lead to increased profits and increased market share.Hence we can say that aiming at a sufficiently high target is a safe option.