Flight From Savo

Flight From Savo
2nd Edition

Send supervisors on a memorable exploration of supervisory skills with Flight from Savo, HRDQ’s exciting hands-on adventure game. Participants experience first-hand the fundamental supervisory skills presented in HRDQ’s Supervisory Skills Questionnaire: Guiding the Work, Organizing the Work, Developing Your Staff, Managing Performance, and Managing Relations.

The Scenario

On an expedition to study volcanoes, you and your group of scientists barely escape injury when your vintage World War II aircraft crashes on the remote island of Savo. The only way off the island is to construct a Stearman PT-13D plane from a cache of old parts discovered on the island. Can your supervisor get your group to build the escape plane in time — before the volcano erupts?

Theory

The ability to balance the goals of the organization with the needs of the work group is the common thread that runs through 5 key supervisory skill dimensions. These dimensions are the focus of Flight from Savo and include:

Guiding the Work: Taking the direction of the organization and translating it into actionable plans for the work group.
Organizing the Work: Assigning people, equipment, and tasks to meet work goals.
Developing Your Staff: Actively working to increase the skill level of each employee being supervised.
Managing Performance: Removing the obstacles to better performance so employees can meet their own and the organization’s objectives.
Managing Relations: Developing and maintaining good relationships with other groups so that the supervisor’s employees and the organization meet their goals.

How It Works

This exciting simulation game demonstrates how a supervisor puts the 5 key supervisory skills to work.

Presented with a predetermined set of toy parts and charged with building an escape plane, each group elects a supervisor who guides the construction project using the 5 supervisory skills. A series of “Setbacks” and “Lucky Breaks” both complicates and facilitates the group’s work, and challenges the supervisor. The simulation ends when the reconstructed plane is deemed airworthy.

After the models are completed (approximately 60 minutes later), participants take part in a group discussion on the use of the 5 supervisory skills used during the activity.

Learning Outcomes

Learn 5 fundamental supervisory skills
Practice the 5 skills in an engaging “live” group project
Receive direct feedback on skill strengths and weaknesses
Understand the challenges of being a supervisor
Determine which skills one can apply to be more effective on the job

Uses for Flight from Savo