The
story of 
n.
[< L. diversus, pp. of divertere,
to turn in different directions +
Gr. sophia, skill, intelligence,
wisdom], 1. wisdom or skill in dealing
with people different from oneself,
cultural competence. 2. a game whose
purpose is to develop this wisdom,
skill, and intelligence in those who
play it.
|
What
Is DIVERSOPHY®?
DIVERSOPHY®:
is a game designed primarily as a intercultural
and diversity training tool for people who
must work together productively in organizations.
Players learn to understand, manage and take
advantage of the human variety found in today's
world of work and social interaction.
Why
Use a Game for Training?
Games
have long been used as powerful training
instruments. They allow educators to create
working models of human interaction that
enable learners to acquire and apply new
knowledge and skills. They are especially
useful for sensitive topics: they engage
players emotionally in the low risk environment
created by an artificial field of play.
Playing games, people create a new culture
that can then be examined as part of the
learning process, i.e.,
- What
values do they bring into the game from
their own backgrounds, e.g., collaboration
or competition?
- How
do they react to each others values and
styles of play? Because games are personally
engaging, they lower players' resistance
to trying new ideas and behaviors, so
that people learn "despite themselves."
DIVERSOPHY®
was specifically designed to meet organizations'
demands for intercultural and diversity
training materials that:
- Are
"hands-on", experiential and interactive.
- Involve
many senses in the learning process.
- Are
up-to-date and customizable
- Are
imaginative, enjoyable, and non-threatening.
- Reduce
counterproductive conflict and confrontation.
- Go
beyond awareness to impart culturally
specific information and skills.
- Provide
a positive outcome and a sense of successful
learning.
Features
of DIVERSOPHY®
DIVERSOPHY®
involves those who play it in an intensive
learning situation. Each activity or move
tells something about culture and how it
functions in individuals and systems, e.g.,
the element of chance may say something
about the role fate plays in a specific
culture.
All
cultural information has been carefully
researched and documented in the literature
of diversity, sociology, and anthropology
and tested by the experience of professional
interculturalists. It has also been reviewed
for its relevance and accuracy by knowledgeable
representatives of the groups that are described
in the game.
How
to Use DIVERSOPHY® effectively
DIVERSOPHY®
was designed as a training module that could
stand-alone or be an integral part of a
larger training program on diversity, global,
management, cross-cultural communication
and negotiation, etc.
In
addition, the game may be used as:
- As
a break time activity in the workplace,
at conferences, workshops or other meetings.
- An
activity to close an intercultural or
diversity program with an upbeat experience
that confirms what people have learned
in the program.
- A
follow-up, administered by line or staff
management to training already conducted.
How
This Game Came Into Being?
DIVERSOPHY®
began as a co-production of MULTUS INC.
and George Simons International. The first
version of the materials was developed by
combining a prototype DIVERSOPHY®
game developed by MULTUS in 1991-92 with
The Oberlin Game, a student staff training
simulation developed and copyrighted by
George Simons in 1974.
In Summer and Fall of 1992, a team of members
of both organizations combined the designs,
researched and created up-to-date materials
for a board game, field-tested the results,
and authored this Facilitator's Guide Book.
In 1994 a "cards only" highly portable version
of the game was developed to meet the needs
of large groups, conferences, meetings,
and congresses. This version called Conference
DIVERSOPHY® was awarded a top
award by Training Magazine.
Click
here
to see a list of the corporate users of
DIVERSOPHY®.
Buy
Diversophy.
|
