Three
Idiots crossing the valley
Valley
crossing task is where three persons should cross a valley. Here there is a constraint that the valley should be crossed only by using a pole and not by
jumping across the valley or walking on the pole placed on the two edges. The
width of the valley is more than a foot and less than two feet. The following
figure shows the method to be used in crossing the valley. As the task seems to
be adventurous, there needs to be lot of planning like the roles that each
person will take, the training that is required both mentally and physically. Consider
the three persons crossing the valley as A, B, C
The various
steps involved in this process are
Step
1: A, B and C are safe.
Step
2: A is half safe; B and C are safe
Step
3: A is unsafe; B and C are safe
Step
4: A and B are half safe; C is safe
Step
5: B is unsafe; A and C are safe
Step
6: B and C are half safe; A is safe
Step
7: C is unsafe; B and A are safe
Step
8: C is half safe; A and B are safe
Step
9: A, B, C are safe
The key ingredients to cross the valley are the following:
The key ingredients to cross the valley are the following:
Leadership:
A
leader is a person who takes risk whenever it is necessary. So A has to be the
leader who crosses the valley first. 'A' should be a person who motivates the
team.
Team Work:
Crossing
the valley requires lot of planning. Planning in turn requires team work. Had
crossing of valley been done individually it would have taken longer than the normal
duration. But when people work in a team, strengths and ideas of each and every
individual contribute to the overall outcome. Moreover, timing that is required in
crossing the valley comes out of coordination among the team members.
The other
method of crossing the valley that I suggest is done on an individual basis. The pole can be used in the same way as a pole vaulter uses. Though
superficially it may seem like an individual effort, it still requires team
work as there should be sharing of knowledge and each one should train one
another.