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Human Resource Development

T-Trade & Post-iT

2 hours

3 Sets Available in the HRD Library

Details
- Activity takes 2 hours
- Each set comes with 8 T-Shaped pieces divided into 4 T-shaped items in 4 different colors. There are participant briefing instructions, a facilitator's manual and a suggested review process.
- Each set allows for 3 teams of 3-6 people, each team is working in a separate location
- There are 2 activities that can be done with this set: T-Trade and Post-iT

Reservation Instructions
Contact 801-422-5884 or email wellness@byu.edu

Activity Overview
The activities in focus on developing fundamentally important business skills. The exercises teach negotiation, persuasion and influence as well as tackling the organisational cost of inappropriate competition. Two significant and powerful exercises allow managers to observe individual behavior and attitudes to others, as well as demonstrating practical logic, accuracy in communication and ability to maintain focus on the 'bigger picture'. Check out this written overview or watch this visual overview.

Basic Activity Instructions
Activity 1: T-trade involves a series of 'rounds' of negotiation between three teams who never all meet. They are negotiating for resources which can be used to build constructions, each of which is worth a different value. Alongside the negotiation process, they must complete the physical constructions and keep their minds on the bigger picture. Detailed instructions come with the activity.
Activity 2: Post-iT - In this variation, the focus in on issues of trust, competition and collaboration between teams, each of which has a different amount of knowledge about the task they are engaged upon. Using a limited communication network, the teams must identify their task, share information and meet a deadline for the presentation of their solution. Detailed instructions come with the activity.

Suggested Use

  1. You could use T-trade as the basis for a workshop on business negotiation. The exercise highlights differences in negotiating styles and expectations, displayed via the 'rules' by which negotiations were conducted and the different levels of emotion and energy the teams brought into the negotiation.
  2. You could use T-Trade as an enlightening activity for any manager or leadership development program. The first round of negotiation clearly demonstrates the need to discover others needs and expectations, and rapidly creates a climate of trust. The second and third round reward teams that can develop win-win relationships to maximize result. It has proved to be an excellent way of learn about team dynamics, time management, representation, negotiation, and influencing.


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T-trade was developed at the request of Professor George Kohlrieser of IMD in Switzerland, to give senior delegates on a high level Negotiation Skills programme a practical negotiation in which they could apply the specific skills he was teaching.