GIVE AND TAKE

(Adapted from Thiagi )

Purposes: To help students better understand how to work on a team project; to foster clearer communication.

Procedure: This activity is useful for team projects. It should be conducted only after the team has agreed on the specifics of a project and each member has indicated his or her interest/skills related to the project. It works best with teams of no more than five participants.

One member of each team will fulfill the role of facilitator. All the other members will be sending email to the facilitator two times: once with GIVE lists and once with TAKE lists.

Take lists--
Each team member will write a list of "take" items for each of the other members. These will be items that they need to take from the other members. For example, if the group were preparing a PowerPoint presentation on international business practices, one item might be four photos of international offices that clearly indicate the nation of origin. Each member will request three items from each of the other members except for the facilitator. Each member will only request one item from the facilitator. When members have composed their lists, they will send them via email to the group facilitator.

Give lists--
Each team member will write a list of "give" items for each of the other members. These will be items that they expect to give to each of the other members. Each member will offer three items to each of the other members except that the facilitator will only offer one item to each other member. When members have composed their lists, they will send them via email to the group facilitator.

Facilitator's task--
The group facilitator will construct a chart to record all the "gives" and "takes" following the pattern below. (In this example, Carol is the facilitator.)
Alice Bill Carol
Alice Bill gives:
  • article on Ceylon Tea Export Co.
  • list of Samsung exports
  • list of Ceylon Tea Export Co. exports
Alice takes from Bill:
  • profits chart of Samsung Corp.
  • profits chart of Hoi Land Corp.
  • list of Samsung exports
Carol gives:
  • summary of findings
Alice takes from Carol:
  • list of Ceylon Tea Export Co. exports
Bill Alice gives:
  • background graphics for PowerPoint slides
  • list of differences in Western and Asian cultures
  • summary of findings
Bill takes from Alice:
  • summary of findings
  • background graphics for PowerPoint slides
  • France bibliography
Carol gives:
  • France bibliography
Bill takes from Carol:
  • PowerPoint outline
Carol Alice gives:
  • article on Ceylon Tea Export Co.
  • PowerPoint outline
  • India bibliography
Carol takes from Alice:
  • background graphics for PowerPoint slides
  • article on Ceylon Tea Export Co.
  • India bibliography
Bill gives:
  • Southeast Asia bibliography
  • profits chart of Samsung Corp.
  • profits chart of Hoi Land Corp.
Carol takes from Bill:
  • PowerPoint outline
  • Southeast Asia bibliography
  • list of websites


The facilitator will then send the chart as an email attachment to all the other group members and the instructor. Every student who offers to give an item that a matches up with another student's request receives a point. Every student who requests from another student an item that matches up with what the other student offers receives a point. In the chart above, for example, Bill would get a point because he was ready to give a bibliography of sources dealing with business in Southeast Asia and Carol had asked him for such a bibliography. Carol would get a point for making the matching request. The group can observe which player got the most points, indicating the level of awareness of that player of the needs of the whole group. (You will probably need to determine how many "extra" points to award the facilitator based on timeliness, accuracy, etc.) The chart will serve as a starting point for negotiating "gives" and "takes" in order for the group project to be completed most effectively.

If the instructor is observing several groups, extra points might be given to the team which turns in the chart with the most points by a deadline. From the instructor's perspective, the charts will help clarify who is doing what and how well each member is listening to the others.

If the class is small enough, you may decide to play the role of facilitator for all the groups so you don't have to deal with students complaining about unequal responsibilities. After the projects are turned in, use a discussion board forum to have students comment on what they learned about working as a team. Next time they have a team project, what willl they do differently?