Shock the Flock
A in this mentally challenging leadership and personal development activity executives stand in awe at what they discover from their colleagues.
In shock the flock, executives stand in the middle of the meeting room. A multiple-choice question is asked by the facilitator and executives must move to one side or another according to their beliefs and opinions.
The herding behavior, in which executive imitate the behavior of the most senior executive will quickly be apparent.
And the person with grit, courage and leadership skills stands out. He/she does not follow others, but who instead walks confident to one side of the room regardless of what others decide to do.
This realization may be surprising and at some occasions even jaw-dropping.
The highlight of the activity is when delegates must close their eyes. When Shock the Flock is played blindly, each executive must make the decision alone, thus learning to stand alone with one’s opinion and to be the black sheep of the herd, which may lead to psychological isolation from the rest of the group.This may at times lead to a feeling of vulnerability, or even anxiety.
Therefore, the exercise must be facilitated with care and a proper debriefing with a professional trainer, coach or trained psychiatrist may be recommended.
Learning objectives
By completing this leadership activity, executives learn how to stand alone with their decisions, beliefs, attitudes and opinions.
Activity duration
Depending on the number of people in the group, the game duration is between 30 minutes and one hour.
Group size
Ideal for groups of 10 to 35 participants.
Target participants
This activity can be part of the curriculum of an experiential learning program, leadership development course or organizational change workshop. Target participants are business people from supervisory level up to top executives.
Availability
This activity is an integral component of the Team Cohesiveness workshop.