Small group activities (or SGAs) are small problem-solving groups made up of people from all levels and functions of the organisation. The aim of SGAs is to implement as many improvements as possible. It will be done by recognising and using the wisdom, experience, and knowledge of ALL employees – not just a select few specialists and managers.
Small group activities are about involving all levels of the business in improvement. This involvement has the following benefits:
- The person who will have to live with the solution has been part of the process; this creates understanding and ownership.
- The person who has been living with the problem (e.g. conveyor belt that keeps on breaking), or who will have to live with the solution or improvement (e.g. new design or equipment), must be involved in the small group activity addressing the issue.
- The person who has been living with the problem is the best person to ask about the problem; they can provide valuable insight.
When people participate in problem solving, people are exposed to new aspects of the job, and new ways of thinking about specific topics; this makes one’s job more interesting and it develops people.
It sends the message that everyone’s ideas are expected, respected, and needed.
The Marshmallow Challenge is an interactive way to get a team to participate in a SGA
Teams compete against each other to build the tallest tower they can, using a set amount of uncooked spaghetti sticks, sticky tape and string. The finished structure must support a marshmallow on top, and be fully freestanding. The team that has the tallest legal structure wins.
Thereafter various conclusions are drawn and questions answered which makes this a great learning activity.
The challenge is on:
Build a marshmallow and spaghetti tower and see who built the tallest tower of them all! Who can break the record?
To read more about ODI’s Continuous Operations Improvement Systems, click here.
