Gazprom Neft goes to the Moon looking for the teamwork success formula

In an attempt to improve teamwork efficiency, Gazprom Neft resolved to run the "Houston, We Have A Problem!" game by ManGO! Games. In the end, it also helped to draw up a comprehensive team-building strategy.

Mission. Run a team-building game.

Background. Gazprom Neft has established itself as a technological leader in the Russian oil and gas market. The company actively employs new technologies to increase oil refining efficiency, reduce its environmental footprint, and develop environmental projects. And it is the continuous staff training that makes these impressive accomplishments possible.

The company management identified a need to hold a business game to practice teamwork and cross-functional interaction under uncertainty.

Solution. Run the "Houston, We Have Problem!" game session for the company.

The game was held on September 15, 2021 by our coach Alexander Babin and 8 moderators as his assistants.

For a little while, the participants were invited to become astronauts. The task they received comprised completing three missions in 90 minutes to prepare the spacecrafts for liftoff from the Moon's surface.

The game was played in two rounds, with the simultaneous participation of eight teams.
Successful completion of the missions required the players to build trust and communication between the teams. The game design excludes the team's ability to handle their tasks independently.

45 minutes into the game, the participants receive a message from Houston that changes the existing missions' layout and assigns new ones.

The game's purpose was to teach the players to work together under jointly established rules, improve cross-team communication, allocate resources, as well as to focus on and find the way out of difficult situations.

For many participants, the discussion of their in-game performance revealed the overlooked and underestimated origins of success. Most importantly, the game showed the hopelessness of running a mission alone within a "We've done our job" mindset.