The "Crossing the Minefield" project is one of the most classic and challenging team projects during the 20 years of Beijing's outdoor training programs. There is a reason why this project has been preserved to this day and is often utilized in large-scale team training sessions. The "Crossing the Minefield" not only showcases the wisdom of a team and leadership decision-making, but it is also a fun project that allows people to discover mental blockages and misaligned thinking. It is said that this project can build teams and identify existing issues within them based on its inherent training design. Its joyfulness is reflected through the experience and practical operations of the project. If you don't believe it, take a look: in a large minefield diagram, some people are hopping on one leg while others are carrying another person across. There is physical contact between people, and such unreserved contact, I believe, can only be achieved in Beijing's outdoor training programs. But, what are the specific training objectives of this project?
1. Breaking Mental Set Patterns: In the minefield diagram for outdoor training, there are yellow zones which can also be traversed via golden paths. Participants can also walk diagonally, reflecting their mindset at the time. People often form fixed patterns of thought due to previous learning experiences and habits, which interfere with our thinking process and affect our problem-solving progress.
2. Team Learning: A large amount of information requires team memory, sharing, and reflection. Encouraging practice involves continuous open dialogue and communication. Establishing a system or platform for organizational learning allows individuals to spread, share experiences, knowledge, successes and failures, concepts, and internalize these into personal practices.
3. Life Experiences: Life offers many entry points and various choices, but life is limited (time constraints), and the path to success is singular (only one exit). People transition from ignorance to awareness, from no experience to gaining experience, always facing twists and turns, setbacks, repeatedly. When directionless, one must rely on summarized observations or guidance from others to enter the 'yellow zone,' experiencing dead ends followed by unexpected breakthroughs. Years later, looking back, one smiles at the storms endured.
4. Success and Failure: Success brings us rewards, joy, and celebration. Failure brings disappointment and loss, but in reality, we gain insights knowing what not to do. We eventually realize that the road to success is built on countless mistakes, each failure bringing us closer to success. Patience leads to calmness, and retreat leads to broader horizons. Indirect methods are not true retreats; they prepare for better progress.
5. Experimentation: An effective method for solving simple problems is algorithmic exhaustive search, trying every difficult outcome until the answer appears, depending on the decision results. Additionally, different problems require different solutions, diverse mindsets, and methods. However, trial and error do not equate to repeating the same mistakes. We should utilize the characteristics of a learning organization to minimize repetitive errors.
6. Utilizing Tools: A good mind is not as reliable as a bad pen. We need to learn how to use various tools in our work to ensure efficiency. On-site tools can be used to make marks, first considering obtaining tools and making marks. Even leaves or small stones can serve as markers. However, functional fixation often occurs, such as using matches only for lighting fires. Attention focuses on what is evident or primary, neglecting potential and secondary aspects.
7. Learning to Listen: When the trainer announces the rules, some may be eager to try but neglect listening. This leads to incomplete information or unclear rules, artificially creating obstacles for completing tasks.
8. Policy Research: The complex rules of the minefield resemble policies and laws. Only through analysis and research can one work freely without violating principles or laws, expanding possibilities.
9. Discipline Adherence: Adhering to discipline is the premise for teamwork and ensuring respect for oneself and others' rights.
a) Breaking mental set patterns: People solving real-world problems are often influenced by previous learning experiences and habits, forming fixed thought patterns that interfere with our thinking and affect our problem-solving progress.
b) Using tools to improve work efficiency.
c) Team learning, requiring a lot of information to be remembered, shared, and reflected upon: encouraging practice; open and continuous dialogue and exchange; establishing a platform to share experiences, successes, and failures.
d) Trying and failing: Not equal to repeating the same mistakes. Different problems require different approaches and mindsets.
e) Following discipline is the premise for teamwork and ensuring respect for oneself and others' rights.
f) Learning to listen
g) Studying policy rules, considering all non-violating options.
h) Life offers multiple choices (many entry points), but life is limited (time constraints), and the path to success is singular (one exit).
The above are key points of review for the "Crossing the Minefield" project in outdoor training, roughly divided into nine major points. Each point can further branch out into many sub-points. Here, I will not explain each one to everyone because the trained teams vary. Each team has its unique problems and team culture, and each team's tasks differ. Review points of training projects cannot be forcibly applied to teams with different cultures. Doing so would lose the original purpose of training, turning it into indoctrination, imposing unnecessary elements onto others, leading to waste and disrespect for the trained company, making it hard to achieve the desired training effects.
There are many types of outdoor training projects. The "Crossing the Minefield" project is extremely classic and important in the library of outdoor training projects. Properly utilizing this project in training benefits the trained company significantly. From project design to operation, participants easily accept it, unconsciously instilling the training philosophy and project significance into the team, allowing it to play its role within the team.
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