Teambuilding Goes Crazy for the Rube Goldberg Machine
The (teambuilding) world has gone mad about the inventive and collaborative allure of the Rube Goldberg machine – a deliberately complex contraption in which a series of devices that perform simple tasks are linked together to produce a cool domino effect.
So, what is the fuss all about, and why should your team give it a go?
The Rube Goldberg appeal is not new. The device is named after American cartoonist and inventor of such contraptions, Rube Goldberg, who devised complicated devices that performed simple tasks in convoluted indirect ways.
The Rube Goldberg fun has been going on since the 70s. There is even an annual National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest in Indiana, USA and various similar events across the world. The device has been brought to the attention of team builders in the past years.
There is no unique Rube Goldberg design – there are many wonderful options that exercise creativity, innovation and cooperation within a team where working towards the common goal to create a chain-reaction effect of proportions.
Teams need to activate one device that triggers the next device in the sequence – and so on until the magic happens. The result should be smooth and flawless with no human intervention. At Beyond Teambuilding we named it the “Manic Motion.”
Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.
Participants work in teams to build a working machine using supplied materials. Each team is responsible for their specific zones, and each zone must ensure the ideal fit and movement from one zone to the next using the available stuff.
Nothing brings people together faster (well, we could certainly debate on some options) than making them collaborate on a massive and exciting building challenge like the Manic Motion. Building a moving machine is just like building a giant domino, just much more fun!
Still need convincing? Below are the benefits of putting together the machine and making it work for your next teambuilding:
- Team collaboration – each assigned group is working towards a common goal
- Innovative thinking during the process – creative ways to design the machine flow
- Team coordination – each activity outcome relies on the previous step(s)
- Team engagement – teams work together and have loads of fun
Best of all, the activity is suitable for everyone in the team, no matter their physical condition, making it ideal for a teambuilding exercise.
Our Manic Motion challenge can be arranged both indoors and outdoors and combined with various other teambuilding activities. Keen to give it a try?
A well-facilitated and engaging team building event will add great value and return on investment (ROI).
The team building experience, formal or informal, is not recreational and includes process facilitation, debriefing, and reflective questioning.
Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?
Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
