"Win All You Can"

[Steven_S_Prevette@rl.gov]

I ran an exercise of "Win All You Can" for my Decision Analysis class I am
teaching at City University in the evening.  There is a post from Robert
Crow on Mon, 30 Dec 2002  that describes the game.  I offered +4 points on
the midterm grade to the winning group.

In the first four runs (where only each dyad can talk within itself, one
group consistently chose "Y" and the other three "X".  At the fifth round,
where all groups can converse, the group that had been choosing "Y" gave a
speech on cooperation (I had been making the class read Alfie Kohn material
among other notables) and got everyone to commit to choosing "Y".  Two
groups then chose Y, and the previously cooperating group and one other
group chose X.  This put one group clearly in the lead, and all they had to
do was choose X from then on.  As it turns out, the group that won chose X
every time.

If all groups chose Y every time, they could have made $100.  Instead, the
total of the groups was a loss of $24.

In the end, I gave all groups +4 points, and they will have to write an
essay on the final about the experience.

Steve Prevette
Site Technical Authority for Statistical Trending
Environment, Safety and Health
Fluor Hanford, A Fluor Global Services Company
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer
steven_s_prevette@rl.gov
509-373-9371