Today we are living in the crux of the “Information Age”, where the Internet is our go-to resource for limitless knowledge. While the Internet is indeed an unparalleled tool, having a printed volume of systematized information is not obsolete. There is a simple satisfaction of having all the key information of a business laid out in a single-format page. Back in 1886, the advent of Yellow Pages made this possible. So what does this have to do with a workshop around the merging or combination of two companies or groups?
Synergizing Two into One
Using the Yellow Pages model, which enables businesses to advertise their services and contact information in one page, the Yellow Pages icebreaker challenges you to analyze the strengths of two companies, which you then synergize into one. This challenges teams to build a pitch for a new, combined company.
These two businesses may or may not be congruent with one another, but it is your job to pinpoint the strengths and similarities of each. Then, once you have established these points, distinguish which aspects of each organization are the “best” for carrying forward. During this process, it is essential to think of the two companies as two wholes, rather than four halves or eight quarters that are just mixing together arbitrarily. The aim of the Yellow Pages icebreaker is to incite efficiency and effectiveness into the Merge and Acquisition at hand.
Follow the Recipe to Run the Yellow Pages Icebreaker
On the wall of your breakout area, you will find Yellow Page advertisements of two companies that teams must integrate into one company. By synergizing your team’s analytical train of thinking, try to develop an integrated business that produces the greatest value from the aptitudes and resources the two organizations offer. You will have approximately 15 minutes for this exercise, so be sure to use every minute wisely.
The Benefits of this Icebreaker
Just as with any of our icebreakers, our mission is to alleviate stress, bring participants together, and create an encouraging atmosphere where hidden talents can emerge. We’ve seen teams get really creative during the Yellow Pages icebreaker and discover talents of their fellow colleagues they weren’t previously aware of. Moreover, this icebreaker also enables the sometimes-uncomfortable conversation about what is “best” in both companies to transform into a candid exercise before the workshop begins.
It’s also very often hilarious, when teams come up with really funny company tag lines as they try and merge, for example, a Funeral Service with a Pet Shampooing business.
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