Isivivane Game

TheGame of Knowledge,Transformation andCo-operation

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Harness individual and group energy to manifest a shared dream

The Isivivane Game of Knowledge, Transformation and Co-operation gets diverse people to focus their energieson manifesting a collective vision. It helps participants think, talk and act in ways that generate desired outcomes.In corporations, government and NGOs, the Isivivane Game provides a framework for strategic planning, changemanagement, KM, team building, conﬂict management, innovation, product development and the design of sus-tainable systems and cultures.Isivivane works well with a variety of audiences, from children to world leaders.

1. Assemble the disks

Print out pages 4 to 21 of this book on A3 paper, choosing 220gm recycled card or plastic for durability. The disks areapproximately the size of dinner plates.Cut the disks out so that they are circular and stick the two sidesof each direction together.. The front of the disk gives cluesabout the active qualitites of the direction, while the back sup-plies questions to be explored.You will now have ten disks; the central disk, the facilitator’s disk and 8 directional disks, that can be laid out on a table or ﬂooraccording to the points of the compass.

2. Players

The game can be played by one person, a couple, or an entireteam. Play as a boardroom or after-dinner conversation guide orto stimulate participation at conferences.Playing the Isivivane Game has the effect of suspending normalreality. This allows players to reﬂect on key questions using abroader perspective than their position in the organisationnormally gives them.

3. Facilitator

The facilitator’s task is to guide the process, allowing players togenerate and record ideas in a safe space.Focus must always return to the central idea deﬁned by theplayers, to prevent going off on tangents. It is important thateveryone provides answers to the questions on the back of thedisks and that these answers are recorded. When all informationhas been gathered, it is read out to participants who may then vote on key issues.The facilitator compiles the results into a feedback documentthat players can refer to as a reminder of the event and agreedactions going forward.

To be read out by facilitator

These are the rules of the game:• Everyone agrees to provide input • We all agree that this is a safe space and that we are all free to voice our deeply-held opin-ions without fear of witch-hunts or repercus-sions afterwards• Lively discussion is encouraged • When everyone agrees that they have provid-ed input, then all input is read out to the col-lective• Voting by show of hands is encouraged • We commit that feedback will be writtendown and circulated to all participants with-in 24 hours of the session

Process

1. Discuss the central theme. This could take along time, in which case it is advisable to set aside two sessions; the first to decide the cen-tral theme and a second session to provideinput on the questions on the other 8 disks.2. With a small group of people (less than 15), participants engage with each disk’s questions until everyone has supplied input. If there aremore than 15 people, you need to assign eachcard to a scribe, who becomes responsible for recording input from all participants. (Scribescan become normal participants and normal participants can become scribes.) 3. When everybody is happy that they have pro-vided input to all the questions, presenters read the responses back to all participants,voting and updating where necessary.4. Once there is agreement, summarise under-standings reached and close the session.5. To close the session, the facilitator asks each participant to summarise what they havelearned and what they now commit to as a result of the process. This is recorded by ascribe and will form part of the final feedback.6. The facilitator commits to provide feedback to participants within 24 hours of the session.This keeps the initiative moving and refreshesmemory of the important agreements reached.7. Refer to the plan and agreements going forward on an on-going basis to keep the process going.Find ways of reflecting the agreements reached using innovative media.

Roles

Participants

(players) are there to provide honest responses to the questions and play the game.

The facilitator

holds the safe-space, reads theinstructions and ensures everybody gets their say.The facilitator records votes and decisions madeand is responsible for providing feedback to all participants following the event.

The scribe

records participants’ answers to thequestions. The scribe can change roles and be-come a participant in order to contribute to thequestioning process.

The presenter

reads the collective input for eachdisk to all participants. Should there be disagree-ment, decisions can be taken via a show of hands, recorded by the facilitator. Usually the presenter is someone who is a scribe who volunteers to present for a speciﬁc disk. It could also be some-one who is spontaneously chosen by the group.For example, the facilitator may ask the group:Who will present the answers for the North-East?

Instructions for playing The Isivivane Game

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Ideas

Use the Isivivane Game toexamine an issuefrom different points of view, or toensure all abilities are functioning really well.You can also use the Game forstrategic planning to work out your best options.For change management applications, ask participants todescribe (a) the game that has been played up till now, and (b)the game we want to play in the future. The difference betweenthe two games represents the changes that need to be made.Take photos during the session and feed back to the group as acollage – it creates a wonderful memory of the event.Hand the disks around so that everybody can becomefamiliar with the different directions and questions. Encourage discussion.Encourage fun.