A collaborative Game based on the concepts of working in teams.

A collaborative Game based on working in teams within the NHS Context.

The Background:

I was asked by Nicola Middler the new exhibition organiser to create a number of games for the George Davis Centre at Leicester University.

The approach to create this new work, was the result of some games and ideas based on three prints I made last year for another exhibition staged at the Leicester Print Workshop, inspired by Fluxus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus

The show came in the middle of my Arts Council funded project Recovered Histories, commissioned by ArtReach. I had intended to create similar work based on memory, but the outcomes came as a surprise. The pieces attempted to challenge perceptions of what is funny/possible/therapeutic, true or manufactured. The sublime and the ridiculous vie for our attention in a political landscape where the two are often indistinguishable and perhaps this work subconsciously mimics those anomalies. Two of the prints are shown above You can read more about them here: https://georgesfougaras.blogspot.com/2019/11/three-prints-inspired-by-fluxus-as-part.html

Above: Details from The 'Epiphany Game'. A game designed to be used as a stimulus for conversation or as a catalyst for story telling/writing. Copyright G. Sfougaras 2020.

A Start

I met with Jennifer Jones who was undertaking research in the area of team collaboration and mental health within the NHS. She was kind enough to share some of her research findings and some data from PEARL to support the development of the staff wellbeing boardgame.

I started by initially converting some of the statements and text into word clouds. I wanted to see how the visual appearance of the keywords would look. I made several of these and parked the idea for a little while, whilst I processed some theoretical constructs regarding effective team working and mental health.

In particular, I decided to use elements of the following sources, but I also used statements that relate to organisational theory, psychology, and philosophy. Wherever possible I used the names on the game, space permitting.

Zoheir Ezziane, Mahiben Maruthappu, Lynsey Gawn, Emily A. Thompson, Thanos Athanasiou, Oliver J. Warren, (2012),"Building effective clinical teams in healthcare", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 26 Iss: 4 pp. 428 - 436

El Ansari, W. (2011), “When meanings blur, do differences matter? Initiatives for improving the quality and integration of care: conceptual matrix or measurement maze?”, Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 5-21.

Fitzgerald, A. and Davison, G. (2008), “Innovative health care delivery teams: learning to be a team player is as important as learning other specialised skills”, Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 129-46.

Caveat: One of the interesting things I discovered when looking at game design and playing games, is that simplicity is very often the key to enjoyment. It is not that players dislike complexity. It is that a simple set of rules entices almost everyone to take part, whilst a thick manual has the opposite effect. This was part of my initial discussion with Dr. Jones. A most successful positive and negative consequence game is the ever-green Snakes and Ladders.

Concepts:

I decided to focus the concepts for now that Jennifer Jones and I discussed in our first meeting, namely:

Collaboration
Validation
Strengthening of Teams
Resolution
Closure
The overarching theme of learning is self-explanatory, but it will be one of the concepts and hopefully integrated throughout.

I did several visualisation sketches, particularly on the idea of snakes and ladders (in my case Bridges and Walls), where bridges help the process and enable individual and team efficacy.

I was at this point beginning to consider a body map or schematic and looked at several interesting body charts. This I have to confess is because I like the visual imagery, rather than for any medical associations. I biological charts that have become superseded by new knowledge and whose original function has become less important than their appearance. There is also something very compelling about using the human figure as part of a game design. :

The image above left: source unknown. The image above right: Chart of the Hand, illustrated by Alesha Sivartha. (Photo: Internet Archive/Public Domain)

I decided to use one of my large screenprints prints entitled Talisman, as it readily had the qualities I was looking for. An explanation of the symbolism of this print can be found here:

https://georgesfougaras.blogspot.com/2016/11/talisman-part-1_21.html

It looks patinated, old and archival and I thought that a game made on such a template would have a 'treasure hunt' feeling about it. (Searching for knowledge within an old manuscript by Aristotle perhaps? )I say this with the intention of sounding humorous, not profound; however, the thought persisted, so here are my initial visual ruminations:

I started to make some discussion cards based on the sources mentioned earlier. These are my first attempts, but I may play around with them to make less like an institutional handout and more like a 'fun' game. The issue for me personally would be injecting the right amount of irreverence into the statements. As the design progressed, I had to ditch several attempts at making a humorous game and focus on making it playable. Of course, a lot will depend on the approach adopted by the players, the value given to the training event and the way the game itself is introduced to prospective participants. :

DISCUSSION CARDS:

You can see the context cards 'stuck on the game board below. This is to try and see if I really need many of these or just a small number. Undecided at present.

So this is now day 4 of considering these issues and the way that they will be presented. I am still thinking more about how to make the game a little more humorous and still deliver these important messages. To do this, I have to suspend my thoughts about audience and tone and.. just....well, 'play'. As the day progressed, I had to again suspend several attempts at humour. Somehow it really did not sit comfortably here. I think a humourous game would be something else. I have been working on a game called BIG Head, which would be a great way to break the ice. Equally good for setting a more humorous tone would be the BIG Game. Both of the above take an acerbic look at life, relationships and knowledge; They were described by a critic as comic and tragic in equal measures.

'Knowledge' circles (Scraped)

I have been working with some ideas from Field theory observation relating to teams. I decided to include four. Originally they were made distinct by design. See the yellow circles in the game rough design below:

These were the contents of the circles:

As Change occurs, more key qualities and values of a system are revealed. (Field Theory –Kurt Lewin) Forward 2

We all need each other. This type of interdependence is the greatest challenge to the maturity of individual and group functioning. (Field Theory –Kurt Lewin) Forward 2

The change process itself offers important information about a system. (Field Theory –Kurt Lewin) Forward 2

A person who has learned to see how much of his own fate depends upon the fate of his entire group will be eager to take over a fair share of responsibility for its welfare. (Field Theory –Kurt Lewin) Forward 2.

I decided this differentiated them too much and decided to integrate them as simple game moves. Later on, I removed two of the statements and replaced them with less theoretical/more practical ones from my own experience managing teams. Here are some simple examples:

You find yourself in a situation where you feel you are doing far too much to compensate for an organisational issue. Move back 4.

After a difficult experience at work, you often feel that you require more emotional support than is available. Move back 4.

Miscommunication is frequent. Messages are not passed on sufficiently quickly to be effective. Back 4 places.

Your attempts to increase empathy within your team by making it explicit as a part of your tool kit in confronting difficult dilemmas have fallen on deaf ears. Move back 3.

In a fast moving environment, empathy is sacrificed to increase efficiency. Move back 3.

There is insufficient clarity of roles in your team and that means sometimes jobs fall in between. Move back 3.

I am a helper by nature and I sometimes take on too much, becoming overwhelmed. Miss a go.

You sometimes feel that your efforts are not recognised. Move back 2

I find it difficult to express myself at work, particularly when something troubles me because I fear that colleagues will think less of me. Move back 2.

End of day 5 and still looking for the humour :-)

Day 6, I decided that philosophy and psychology would be good vehicles for some of the questions in the game. I used the following thinkers' work:

Elizabeth F. Loftus FRSE (born Elizabeth Fishman, October 16, 1944) is an American cognitive psychologist and expert on human memory. She has conducted research on the malleability of human memory. Loftus is best known for her ground-breaking work on the misinformation effect and eyewitness memory.

Carl Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach (or client-centred approach) to psychology. The person-centered approach, his own unique approach to understanding personality and human relationships, found wide application in various domains such as psychotherapy and counseling (client-centered therapy), education (student-centered learning), organizations, and other group settings.

Kurt Lewin 9 September 1890 – 12 February 1947) was a German-American psychologist, known as one of the modern pioneers of social, organizational, and applied psychology in the United

States.Lewin is often recognized as the "founder of social psychology" and was one of the first to study group dynamics and organizational development.

Boris Cyrulnik (birth 26 July 1937 in Bordeaux ) is a French doctor, ethologist, neurologist, and psychiatrist. He wrote several books of popular science on psychology. He is known in France for developing and explaining to the public the concept of psychological resilience.

The game evolved to this and we played the version of this first prototype, making notes of issues and changes needed for better flow and more useful application to real experience. (See short video).

A tiny clip playing the game. I also roped the family in but will post this later. It requires some editing :-)

Day 6.

Placing the questions on the design for printing. I changed some of the questions which were confusing, added some more practical ones, and created a simple rule section. There is also the option of personalising the game by players.

The file made up of six A4 pages in colour, can be printed on any printer and assembled in a number of configurations, depending on whether it is played on a table or on a wall. I decided to call it 'Serious Game'. No guesses as to why :-).

25/03/2020.

I received great and detailed feedback from Jennifer and the resulting second version will follow shortly.

26/03/2020

Below are a couple of screenshots of our comments to each other. The table was too big to import in its entirety, but is available on request from either Jennifer or myself for study purposes.