SAVE THE WATER ACTIVITY – REFLECTION PAPER

Summary: For my group, the activity went fairly well in terms of the
overall result, with everyone receiving a positive score. This can definitely
be seen as a product of mutual understanding of each others situation,
while at the same time, assessing how much we can provide and fill-in
those holes without draining our own score. In the first few rounds, I
personally looked to score the highest points among my group mates,
looking at the activity as one that rewards those with the best output.
Having such mindset, I approached the game in its technical level,
finding a technique that I thought would yield the best results. Soon
enough, I was able to amass the highest score going into the first
negotiation at round five.
Before this round, I was able to maximize my points by figuring out that
the best chance I had of receiving the highest score was through always
picking the option “No” instead of opting to choose “Yes”. Mathematically,
the probability of a better score would be to always refuse decreasing
water use, while at the same time, improving the chances of my other
group mates, losing some points, thus ensuring my chances of winning.
However, after connecting with the other members, I realized that I could
work with them in order for everyone to get a positive score albeit a lower
one that I could possibly get. Nonetheless, I decided to use that mindset
during rounds that we could talk and discuss, and everyone assured
each other that we were all in this together.
Miscommunications arose for a round, as some members thought that
the teamwork would continue on rounds that we didn’t talk, but some
thought otherwise, and played the parts they wanted. However, this
confusion was short lived as everyone decided to help each other moving
forward and make sure that everyone got a favorable score.
Personal Insight: After the game, I tried to reflect on how well we did as
a group in avoiding a negative score for any of our members. This train of
thought led me to the idea that if only we worked together for the whole
game, not just during rounds we could collude, everyone would have
ended up with a high score than if everyone decided to do things there
own. It became clear to me that the whole game wanted to show us that
although it may seem like the only way to win was to be selfish and take
on a me-first approach, as the point system seemed to suggest, if only we
cared enough to insure a win-win situation for everyone, a sacrifice that
might seem huge at first, will eventually be small in the long run, as a
selfless and empathetic approach to negotiation will not only build a
fruitful result, it will also build relationships that will grow into a huge
advantage in the long run.