Some of my fondest childhood memories are sitting around the Thanksgiving table, playing EnTeam Games with my entire extended family. Grandpa Ted would ask us for our feedback and I loved discussing ways the games could be improved to foster even more collaboration.

My name is Tanya Wohlfarth, and I am a structural engineer at KPFF Consulting Engineers in San Diego, California. I have been involved with EnTeam Games my entire life! My grandfather, Ted Wohlfarth, is the founder & CEO.  When I was growing up we would test and play EnTeam Games at Thanksgiving and other family gatherings. 

To me, EnTeam’s mission is to promote learning to work together with people from all different backgrounds; racial, economic, cultural, you name it. Our family happens to be very diverse, with members from various countries who speak different languages. Playing with my young cousins and family members allowed us to simulate a real life case and test out the games. 

Enteam brings a fresh perspective in a time where win-lose competition in the workplace, school, life, etc. is emphasized and highly rewarded. My grandfather supports the mentality of ‘winning together’ in competition against impersonal problems such as time, disease, racism, ignorance, etc.  He believes that personal competition  teaches different skills than groups of people competing against impersonal obstacles. 

Win-lose competition is valuable for determining the best performer.  Win-win or lose-lose competition is valuable for helping players strengthen their ability to collaborate.

Win-lose competition divides people into winners and losers.  Win-win or lose-lose competition helps the community become better at accomplishing goals collaboratively.  By playing together and winning together — meaning improving our abilities over time together — we can create a more inclusive and positive environment where learning and working together is the focus.