One of Empower Playground's summer projects was to build a zip-line in Ghana. A group of engineering and physics students at Brigham Young University had already designed and built one in Provo, Utah. However, building it in Ghana proves to be difficult. The design was changed entirely due to a difference in available materials. The thing had to be made entirely out of steel. We contemplated using a telephone pole or tree to mount it, but ultimately decided to use a truss and build a platform.
The business part of it became quite sticky because bargaining for metal in the market never yielded dependable prices. The safety features have not yet been added. The zip-line is about ten feet tall and has a forty foot ride. The design may be changed due to cost and difficulty of building.
Motivating the workers to build the zip-line was another issue entirely. A pay-per-unit system may be a viable alternative as far as encouraging productivity. The main challenge is finding a way to motivate and reward during the development stages of the zip-line and swing set, where quality and innovation should not be sacrificed for speed (which means pay-per-unit=disaster). Aligning employees with the company's vision is the best way to motivate, and should be easy with a nonprofit. Yet, money and free lunches seem to be a bigger motivation. Any ideas about how to get people working before the pay-per-unit system is launched?
I have to admit, going down that zip-line sure is FUN!!!
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