This made it a race, even though a bit of analysis would suggest that getting back first was not a good idea. In one play, the president of the company made his team race back to get their first - he was not open for suggestions or compromise. The DID get back first, but they also had the lowest results for all the teams. And of course, they were seated near the front of a large ballroom. He also then pressured the Chamber staff to end the debriefing a bit early so that the group could get on with business.
Teams take things seriously.
There are a lot of exercises out there that, through better structural design, generate the kinds of behaviors that occur in the workplace while focused on collaboration. We do not have to artificially generate competitiveness, since people will make most things a competition. If you are using an exercise that creates distrust with leadership, you are perpetuating The Dilbert Phenomenon - this distrust already exists. Coping with hard feelings is a most difficult task. As team leaders, we need to focus more on positive events with positive structures that establish positive commitments toward change in the workplace.