Day 5 (8th Jan)

Immersing in the dynamics of a cross-functional team was a unique experience. During the amazing race, each member in my team was quick to identify the gaps in our course of action and patched them before more problems manifested. I think the importance of trust cannot be overstated. Though I was in charge of navigating and had my own gut feelings, I decided to follow the suggestions of others on several occasions, because they appeared to be more confident. If everyone heads their life stories, then everyone should have justifiable reasons for their decisions, especially when their opinions were conferred with such certainty. The tricky part of the amazing race, or any tasks that involve hasty decision making, is perhaps not to have a full proof strategy in mind, but knowing how to react to various contingencies. The sunk cost fallacy is ever so relevant. For example, if our group continued in the wrong direction, we might not have reached the checkpoint as quickly. It is not about making the right choices at the start of the race, but about adjusting and adapting along the way. Come to think of it, this was exactly what happened to our research as well. Our group came with a plan in mind, only to find out that the reality is very much different from what we have expected. It was fortunate that we identified the problem and addressed it on the first night itself, instead of avoiding or ignoring it before it became too late.