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MTRXXX10.1177/2379298117710780Management Teaching ReviewBerg and Pietrasz
Experiential Exercises
Abstract
Millennials are a unique generational cohort populating the classroom, leaving university
professors with the challenge of appropriately preparing them for the chaotic workforce.
One challenge is their lower levels of resiliency. When faced with setbacks, Millennials
tend to give up instead of bouncing back. This lack of resiliency is negatively affecting
their academic success as well as causing a decrease in job performance, lack of career
success, and lack of organizational retention. This article will help readers (a) develop a
deeper understanding of Millennials’ unique traits and behaviors, (b) develop a deeper
awareness of resiliency, and (c) use two experiential classroom exercises that can help
university professors increase resiliency awareness in the classroom.
Keywords
grit, Millennial, non-Millennial, positivity, psychological capital, resiliency, retention,
student success
In the short run, effort has no advantage. In the very long run, however, bet on the tortoise
not the hare. Unless, of course, you can bet on a hare that works as hard as a tortoise.
—Duckworth, Eichstaedt, and Ungar (2015, p. 365)
Resilience has always been an important factor in life and career success. However,
the interest in resilience and in developing greater resiliency is becoming more preva-
lent in academic research and in business training and development in industry. This
Corresponding Author:
Patricia Berg, Walsh University, 2020 East Maple Street, North Canton, OH 44720-3396, USA.
Email: pberg@walsh.edu
300 Management Teaching Review 2(4)
article will address the concept of resilience, its utility and importance, and will offer
two exercises that may help university professors develop resilience in the classroom
with Millennials.
Millennials
The definition of Millennials varies slightly researcher to researcher. For the purposes
of this article, Millennials are defined as anyone born between 1980 and 2000 (Gesell,
2010; Mlodzik & DeMeuse, 2010; see Figure 1, Appendix A). Millennials are the larg-
est generational cohort and are poised to become the largest cohort in the U.S. work-
force. By 2020, 40% of the U.S. workforce and 75% of the global workforce will be
Millennials (Meister, 2012; Mlodzik & De Meuse, 2010). According to Gesell (2010),
“Current leaders would be wise to assess their leadership style, knowledge of the dif-
ferent generations, and personal attitudes toward the different members of their work
force” (p. 21). We would argue that university professors must be on the cutting edge
of preparing Millennials for the challenges that lie ahead in the C-suite of tomorrow.
Many Millennials have grown up with helicopter parents and constant rewards. It
is no surprise that Millennials tend to crave feedback and praise, usually enjoy struc-
ture, dislike ambiguity, and tend to prefer clear rules and well-defined policies
(Hartman & McCambridge, 2011). Many Millennials have also been shown to be job-
hoppers, leaving a position for a new one when adversity arises, changing careers
more frequently than non-Millennials (Dries, Pepermans, & De Kerpel, 2008).
According to Taylor and Keeter (2010), 66% of Millennials expect to change careers
in their lifetime, which is 11% higher than Gen Xers and 35% higher than Baby
Boomers. These generational differences become important because they are cultural
differences, baked into who we are, what we value, and how we work. Some of the
challenges Millennials have experienced in the workforce may be related to their lev-
els of resiliency. Understanding positivity and resiliency is a starting point for discus-
sion on increasing resiliency.
a loved one. In addition, resiliency may be valuable in facing the challenge of dealing
with some favorable turn of events or successes such as getting a promotion, getting a
raise, getting married, or graduating from college.
The challenge for university professors is that resiliency is not related directly to
academic content and may not be actively addressed in the classroom. Resiliency may
be considered what Farrington et al. (2012) termed a noncognitive skill. Almeida
(2016) renamed noncognitive skills as meta-cognitive skills in order to emphasize that
hard skills (cognitive) are as impactful as soft skills (meta-cognitive). As a meta-cog-
nitive skill, resiliency may be an overlooked part of academic growth and curriculum
for our students.
Grit
According to Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007), grit is defined as
“perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (p. 1087). In the classroom, grit
involves our students working to overcome setbacks through continued effort despite
failure, adversity, plateaus, or success. Students who become grittier see life’s setbacks
as a marathon, not a sprint (Duckworth et al., 2007). Grit has been shown to be posi-
tively related to conscientiousness and GPA, but inversely related to SAT scores
(Duckworth et al., 2007). The prevailing thought is that smarter students are slightly
less gritty than their peers, and less intelligent students must work harder (be grittier)
to achieve their long-term goals.
is facing adversity or failure with positive adaptation (Riley & Masten, 2005). In order
to study the value of building resiliency in the academic setting, Riley and Masten
(2005) used a case vignette and a response to an adversity scale. Their results showed
significant positive correlation between academic resilience and academic self-effi-
cacy. This positive adaptation that Riley and Masten (2005) identified can be modeled
in the classroom for our students through completing the two classroom exercises
presented in this article involving potential failure in a safe learning environment with
an opportunity to bounce back.
For many years, we have seen Millennial students in our classrooms struggle with
failure and adversity, give up, and walk away. For example, when faced with a failing
grade on a team project, some students opted to just take the bad grade rather than
choose the project re-do and possible score improvement. “It’s too much work,” “I just
don’t see how I can improve the project,” “I just don’t have the time,” were some of
the statements we heard. Why would these bright young students not want to face the
challenge and improve their outcomes? Why give up? We are convinced that many of
you have experienced similar situations in your classrooms, and we have heard many
stories from our colleagues as well.
More than one third of students who enter higher education do not finish the degree
they started, which is an insufficient degree completion rate to meet the global work-
force needs effectively (Almeida, 2016). In addition, 60% of all jobs in the United
States require some postsecondary education, which is an increase from 30% just 40
years ago (Hyslop & Tucker, 2012). Therefore, overcoming challenges in the class-
room and completing a college degree may be a critical factor to being prepared for
success in the 21st-century job market.
University professors have an opportunity to create a learning environment where
students can take responsibility for their own success (Almeida, 2016; Lemke, 2001).
There is hope. Research has shown that resiliency can be developed (Masten & Reed,
2002). When trying to increase resiliency, reinforcement is necessary like “booster
shots,” building long-term changes in reactions to facing challenges. The following
two experiential classroom exercises have been designed to be a part of the student’s
ongoing growth in resiliency.
the finish line. Students may earn additional revenue through co-shipping additional
items, but are not permitted to touch or drop items without a financial cost. There are
several modes of transportation available they must choose from (such as an oven
mitt). The point of the activity is to have your students complete the challenge with
little to no preparation (usually 10 minutes) and then allow them a second chance at
the activity with greater preparation time during a subsequent class session. The
Distribution Challenge represents a safe environment for facing challenges, setbacks,
or even failure then bouncing back resiliently. (See Appendix B for the Distribution
Challenge details.)
Conclusion
Though these two experiential classroom exercises do not promise an enormous trans-
formation, they do help increase resiliency awareness, which is a good start. It cannot
be about giving everyone a trophy any longer. It must be about encouraging our stu-
dents to earn a trophy through living life resiliently and persevering toward long-term
goals (Duckworth et al., 2007). In the race of life, rather than betting on the tortoise,
we need to teach every hare to work as resiliently as the tortoise. Then as Duckworth
et al. (2015) stated, we can “bet on the hare that works as hard as the tortoise.” That
way the race becomes even more competitive in the long-run.
304 Management Teaching Review 2(4)
Appendix A
Figure 1. U.S. generational cohorts (Gesell, 2010; Mlodzik & DeMeuse, 2010).
Appendix B
Two Experiential Exercises for Increasing Resiliency
Experiential Exercise #1: The Distribution Challenge
Introduction. The Distribution Challenge involves your students participating
in an obstacle course competition created to mimic a channel of distribution. Stu-
dents are placed into teams and each team has the challenge of getting their plas-
tic Easter egg from the starting point, through the obstacle course, to the finish
line. The point of the activity is about having your students compete with little
to no preparation, and then allowing them a second chance at the activity with
preparation. The Distribution Challenge represents a safe environment for failure,
regrouping, and bouncing back resiliently. [Time: 60 minutes each class session,
two class sessions needed]
Learning Objectives
1. Students will be able to work in teams to set goals and complete a challenging
task.
2. Students will be able to apply critical thinking in a short period.
3. Students will be able to analyze the results and discuss potential improvements.
4. Students will have an opportunity to face frustration and failure in a safe learn-
ing environment and exhibit resiliency in an experiential way.
Experiential Exercise #1: The Distribution Challenge. At the start of class, lay out the
materials (listed below) around the classroom in order to create an obstacle course and
to emulate a channel of distribution:
•• Station 1: Through the “tunnel” (The PVC Pipe held at an angle by one team
member)
•• Station 2: Over the “mountains” (over several desks/tables lined up next to each
other)
•• Station 3: Under the “bridge” (under a table or two lined up together)
Berg and Pietrasz 305
•• Station 4: Over the “ocean” (jumping over the plastic tablecloth spread out on
the floor)
Note: The specific objects and materials in the Distribution Challenge are not
important, please feel free to substitute where needed to better fit your resources and
classroom capabilities keeping the learning objectives in mind.
Modes of Transportation. The plastic Easter egg must be carried in one mode of
transportation at each station and team members are not permitted to touch the eggs.
Each mode of transportation can only be used one time throughout the challenge.
•• A child’s toy shopping cart (can be purchased at toy store; usually comes with
plastic groceries)
•• One oven mitt
•• One Frisbee
•• One large serving spoon
•• One kitchen towel
•• One baseball cap
Materials Needed
•• 6-12 plastic Easter eggs
•• 1 piece of 6- to 10-foot-long 3-inch diameter PVC pipe (purchased at home
improvement stores)
•• 1 plastic table cloth; laid flat on the floor to represent the ocean
•• Classroom tables and chairs
Running the Challenge [Time: 8 minutes plus 11 minutes per team for session 1; two
class sessions needed]
1. Form teams. Divide your class into teams of 3 to 5 students then gather as a
class in the hallway or a separate classroom. Do not explain the challenge yet.
[Time: 3 minutes]
2. Set up the obstacle course. While the students are waiting in the hallway or a
separate classroom, quickly set up the 4 stations of the challenge (having addi-
tional help makes this process go more smoothly). [Time: 5 minutes]
3. Invite teams in one at a time. Invite the first team into the classroom where the
challenge is now set up. Give the team a blank income statement (Figure 2).
Explain that this is an obstacle course competition meant to emulate a channel
of distribution. The goal is to get your plastic Easter egg from the start to the
finish line as quickly as possible, without touching or dropping the egg. You
may also choose to co-ship additional plastic grocery items for additional rev-
enue opportunities. But remember that co-shipping also increases expenses in
increased time and potential touching or dropping of the items. Each of the four
stations must have at least one student completing the challenge at that station,
but there is no maximum to the number of students (labor) at each station.
Additional labor simply increases your expenses. [Time: 3 minutes per team]
306 Management Teaching Review 2(4)
4. Preparation. Each team only has 5 minutes to prepare and make decisions on
how they will run the challenge to make the greatest net income. (The lack of
preparation time will frustrate them; this is expected.) [Time: 5 minutes per
team]
5. Run the challenge. Have a stop watch ready to time each team. At go, the team
runs the challenge to the best of their ability, you time them, and count the
number of times they touch each item with their hands, or drop an item (you
can tally these on the blackboard). When the team is done, have them complete
their income statement, then sit down out of the way to observe the next team
that enters the room. [Time: 3 minutes per team]
6. Invite the next team. Invite the next team in and repeat the above steps until all
teams have completed the challenge and completed their income statement.
Debriefing the Exercise. At the end of the challenge day 1, have teams share their
overall net income or loss with the class. Inform students they have until the next class
session (usually 2 days) to meet as a team outside of class and develop a stronger game
plan for repeating the distribution challenge.
During the second class session, run the challenge just like before, and have teams
complete the income statement provided. At the end of this class session, spend some
time discussing the following questions:
•• What was the difference between the outcomes of the Distribution Challenge
from day one to day two?
•• What were the differences in their team approach?
•• Where could they have performed even better if given a third attempt?
•• How frustrating was it to run the challenge with little to no preparation?
•• Did teamwork improve on day two?
•• Did having more planning time help?
•• What resiliency lessons did they learn in the process?
Let the Distribution Challenge be the starting point for opening up the class discussion
on what resiliency is, how it can lead to increasing grit, and how critical it is to be
resilient in your life and career.
Revenue
Learning Objectives
1. Students will understand basic definitions of resiliency and grit.
2. Students will be able to discuss how resiliency can be applied in their own
lives.
3. Students will apply the F.L.E.X. Plan in their role-play and class discussions.
Experiential Exercise #2: The F.L.E.X. Plan (50 minutes). Present the four steps to the
F.L.E.X. Plan to your class. Discuss what they are, and how they might be used when
faced with failure.
with their classmates, and that no one will be forced to share if they do not
desire to. [15 minutes]
4. When the F.L.E.X. Plan sharing is complete, spend some time debriefing the
class as a whole by asking the following questions: [10 minutes]
•• Which step of the F.L.E.X. Plan was most challenging, Leaning in, Electing a
positive response, or X-ray/sharing with others? Why?
•• What would it take for you to improve on the hardest step?
•• What seems most helpful about this model?
•• Was it difficult to imagine the events on the Trial and Triumph cards?
•• How did you feel when you had to share your written reactions with your team?
•• Leaning in has the greatest positive impact when you can share openly with
someone you trust. I realize that in this class setting, that may or may not have
been the case, and you may not have felt comfortable opening up. That is okay
I encourage you to share your personal setbacks and resilient responses with
people in your life you can trust. This is an ongoing exercise, and does not end
today. Keep on practicing the F.L.E.X. Plan throughout your life.
•• Overall, what is your takeaway from the F.L.E.X. Plan exercise?
JOB LOSS
You have worked for Diebold for 14 years. Recently, they have seen a decline in the demand for their
traditional ATM machine technology and you are not trained in the high tech machine development they
are doing currently. They are laying off people in your department, but given your length and record
of success, you are surprised when you receive a layoff notice and only 30 days’ notice. Most of your
friendships and social life revolve around your job.
PROMOTION
You currently serve as a Line Manager at York Manufacturing, a company that manufactures furniture
in the US. The Vice President of Operations calls you into her office and informs you that you have
earned a promotion to District Manager. This promotion will mean a pay raise, but also more hours and
much more responsibility and travel. Your career is about to change drastically. Are you ready? Will
you accept the promotion?
EARNING A GRADE
You work very hard on a research project for your statistics class. Two weeks later, when the project
is returned, you realize you earned a “D” on the project. It appears that your data analysis was not cor-
rect. Your professor offers an opportunity to re-do the project with new data, but the best grade you can
earn on the 2nd submission is a “C” and it will take you another 2-3 weeks to complete. What do you
do? Why?
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.
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