About the Afternoon Tea Game 2000

Photos of ADMIS Afternoon Tea game

Context

This afternoon, London is the scene for a major international congress. Delegations from 41 countries have assembled in the City. A welcome reception is held before the start of the congress. According to the best English tradition, the delegations are entertained to 'afternoon tea'.

The theme of the conference is 'competition in the global village'. Because of this, the conference organisers have invited four different, competing catering companies to serve the afternoon tea. This has the additional advantage of widening the range of products available to the conference visitors, because the caterers offer widely different products.

Roles

Each participant can play one out of three roles. The first possible role is to be a conference attendant and sit at the table with your compatriots, waiting to be served your afternoon tea. The second and more active possible role is to be a producer of afternoon tea. A producer is a member of a team of four. He or she can either be a provider of all materials, or a so-called baker who prepares scones, sandwiches and the like, or a so-called retailer who serves drink and food to the conference attendants. The third possible role is to be an observer. An observer does not take part in the game, but comments on it afterwards.

Aim of the game

If you are a customer, the aim of the game is to be faithful to your synthetic culture. This includes both your relationships with your table mates and your consumer behaviour. You should, so to speak, creep into the skin of your role script. Any behaviour that fits with your culture script is encouraged! The team that best does this receives the culture award at the end of the game.

If you are a producer, that is, a provider, a baker, or a retailer, your aim is to make as much money as possible while remaining faithful to your strategy script. At the end of the game, your capital will be counted. There will be a team business reward for the best provider, the best baker and the best retailer. You can be creative in your way of doing business, as long as you stick to your team's instructions.

If you are an observer, you are responsible for assigning the culture award to one of the customer teams. You will also be asked to comment upon the game during debriefing.

Gert Jan Hofstede, gertjan.hofstede@users.info.wau.nl  (see also Gert Jan Hofstede's personal website).

Results

Winning customers:

Customers 7

The Uncavo culture is one of strong uncertainty avoidance. Seven key elements:

1. What is different is dangerous
2. Familiar risks are accepted, but they fear ambiguous situations and unfamiliar risks
3. There is an emotional need for rules, even if they will never work
4. Verbal style is emotional
5. Time is money
6. There is only one truth and we have it
7. There is a belief in experts and specialisation

Words with a positive connotation: structure, duty, truth, law, order, certain, clean, clear, secure, safe, predictable, tight.

Words with a negative connotation: maybe, creative, conflict, tolerant, experiment, spontaneous, relativity, insight, unstructured, loose, flexible.

Uncavos tend to be uptight. They express their intentions in the following manner:

• Friendliness: fairly loud. Detailed responses, formal and unambiguous
• Unfriendliness: generalised responses, anxious to leave
• Trust: polarised responses, separating right from wrong
• Distrust: openly critical and challenging other person's credentials
• Interest: verbal, task oriented, active, direct eye contact
• Boredom: passive, quiet, no eye contact

Customers 8

The Unctol culture is the opposite of the Uncavo culture. Uncertainty is extremely well tolerated by Unctols. Seven key elements are:

1. What is different is curious
2. One is comfortable in ambiguous situations and with unfamiliar risks
3. There should not be more rules than is strictly necessary
4. Aggression and emotions should not be shown
5. Being lazy feels good; one works hard when it is needed only
6. There is tolerance of deviant and innovative ideas and behaviour
7. There is a belief in generalists and in common sense

Words with a positive or negative connotation are the same as for Uncavos but with inverse sign.

Unctols are relaxed in their manner. They express their intentions in the following manner.

• Friendliness: agreeing, eye contact, in no hurry
• Unfriendliness: silent, withdrawn
• Trust: informal, verbal, discussing and listening
• Distrust: expressionless, eye contact
• Interest: active, open-ended questioning, eye contact, physical closeness
• Boredom: passive, quiet, no eye contact

Customers 10

The Shotor culture is the inverse of the Lotor culture. It is very short-term oriented. Seven key elements are:

1. There is a social pressure to 'keep up with the Joneses', even if it means overspending
2. Quick results are expected
3. Never lose face
4. Traditions should be respected
5. Social demands (eg reciprocating gifts) are met regardless of cost
6. There is a concern with possessing the truth
7. Saving is not popular, so that there is little money for investment

Words with a positive or negative connotation are as for Lotors but with inverse sign.
Shotors are warm and formal. They express their intentions in the following manner.

• Friendliness: smiling, physical contact
• Unfriendliness: formal, correct
• Trust: physical closeness, talkative
• Distrust: avoiding contact
• Interest: verbal, questioning
• Boredom: passive, no eye contact

Winning suppliers

Retailer 4

Your credo is: we care for our customers. Therefore, your strategy is first to find high quality products, and then to take them to the customer. You do not just dump them on the customers, but you help them to select the tea and sandwiches that best match their wishes. In that way the customers know that they purchase products of quality that were made with love.

At the game's beginning, the prices retailers will charge are about as follows:

• Tourist Treat Tea, 10-20 Queen
• Special Tea, 20-40 Queen
• Fantaisie du Chef, 50-100 Queen

Of course, these prices vary according to quality, quantity, speed of delivery, or other attributes.

Provider 4

You sell ingredients for traditional recipes: cheese and egg sandwiches, for instance, and traditional teas such as Earl Grey. Your customers are like your family. A good customer is a customer for life, and you will go out of your way to serve them. You will never say 'no' to a customer even if that which they require cannot be found. There is a relationship of mutual loyalty between your company and your good customers.

At the game's beginning, the prices that providers will charge are about as follows:

• Scones, one packet for 10 Queen
• Biscuits, one roll for 10 Queen
• Jam, 1 pot for 20 Queen
• Sugar, 10 Queen makes 40 helpings
• Cheese, 1 lump for 40 Queen
• Egg, ready for use on sandwich
• Tuna, 1 tin for 10 Queen
• Bread, 1 loaf for 10 Queen
• Various luxury extras for sandwiches
• Tea, 1-2 Queen per bag

Of course, these prices vary according to quality, quantity, speed of delivery, or other attributes.

In particular, the up-market exclusive articles can be considerably more expensive.

Baker 4

You are the first and best of all bakers and you want to show it. Keyword: success! If anyone needs bigger, more classy Fantaisies du Chef, you are their baker. Of course this means you use first-class materials and you charge first-class prices.

At the game's beginning, the prices bakers will charge are about as follows:

• Tourist Treat Tea, 5-10 Queen (tea with scone and biscuit)
• Special Tea, 10-20 Queen (tea with scone, biscuit, sandwich, various qualities)
• Fantaisie du Chef, 25-50 Queen (anything goes)

Of course, these prices vary according to quality, quantity, speed of delivery, or other attributes.

Winning scripts

Baker 4

(see above)

Provider 1

You are a bulk provider. Your only products are scones, jam and biscuits, which you have in large quantities. Your credo is: The Market Is Ours! Obtaining the biggest market share is your aim, which you intend to reach cost what may. You intend to beat your competitors by aggressive marketing among the bakers. You are not scrupulous about this: business is business.

Retailer 1

You are the Safe Speed Service Specialists. Your aim is to be the first to deliver what the customers need. And you know what they need, because you are specialists.

You take exact orders from your customers, and you deliver exactly what was ordered. And you do so in minimum time.

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