Red and Blue Cooperation

Red and Blue Cooperation
-(Facilitation Technique, Communication, Enhancing Group Dynamics)-

This is a game that we can used to describe about conflict and importances to do cooperation-negotiation to achieve personal and group goals. It also describe that sometimes we have to choose between to take care all mistakes behind first, or to move forward with new system that everybody trust.

We did this game a couple weeks ago with Woman Group in Cimande - Indonesia. I choose this method to show participants that by cooperate together they can achieve greater result (for all), rather than working alone.

Needs
Cards : red and blue for each group.

Method
- Divide participants into 3 groups.
- Give instructions that each group must choose between show blue card or the green one in each round. There are 10 round in this game.
- They must not speak to other groups, but they can have discussion between group members to decide card color each round.
- Give them instruction to collect highest score in total 10 rounds by stick into this rules:

a. All groups choose red card, everyone get 2 point
b. All groups choose blue card, everyone get 1 point
c. 2 groups choose red card (@1 point), 1 group choose blue card (3 point)
d. 2 groups choose blue card (@1 point), 1 group choose red card (2 point)

- Facilitator make a table to show groups score
- Give 2 minutes to all groups in every round to make a strategy
- This game is over after 10 rounds

Situation
- Generally, each team will compete againts each other in first 5 rounds to collect highest score but the result will show the oposite, that while one group collect good score, the other one will get bad score.
- Participants will get aware, in round 1-3 they will play this activity as a game only - hardly understand the purpose of this game. As facilitator you must explain this game further after round 3, to show them that they collect bad score.
- Do short break after round no 5. Tell them to send negotiator (1-2 person) to have discussion with other negotiator to maximize group score.
-  Start again this game for round 6. After round 7 do another short break, and tell each group to send negotiator once more, to negotiate and make a strategy how to improve group score. You, as facilitator should encourage or give them hints how to get win-win situation in this break.
- The game is finish after round 10. Summarize all score and have a discussion.

Hints
- If all groups stay in point A (choose red card all the time), all of them will get full point (20 point) after round 10, or a total score of 60 for all group score. But this situation rarely h appened cos usually everybody compete each other in round 1-5.
- After round 5, after short break sometimes they start to realize that they should cooperate. Maybe they will play just the same as before if the negotiation failed, or play in another direction (cooperate) if the negotiation success.They can choose play point A (choose red card) or try to close the gap between each group.
- A short break after round 7 should make them cooperate and choose point A, but there is possibility that they still try to close the gap between groups. Just let the situation happened.

Discussion / Refflection
- You may make an analogy about group player as multistakeholder, working unit, or individual in the community
- How they deal with internal/external conflict and personal interest?
- How they deal with technical mistake (like taking wrong card),time limitation, decision making process in the game? Do they meet same problem in their daily activity?