This exercise was created for practicing Benne and Sheats’s group roles (although it might be adapted for any other similar classification). It does so by asking teams to resolve text puzzles (derived from popular teamwork fables) while at the same time team members are acting various group roles. Based on their performance the teams (as well as the individuals) might be awarded Oscars. The exercise…
The Workplace Equations
This exercise drives a meaningful discussion on what satisfaction and motivation is in the workplace. It does this through the metaphors of Heaven and Hell, organizational storytelling and various elements of gamification. Furthermore the exercise could be used by teams to derive their own Workplace Equations (based on their specific understandings / perceptions of satisfaction and motivation) and then use these equations to continuously monitor…
The Fatware Matrix
The human desire for choice is unlimited. At least this is advocated in many psychological theories of human motivation and economic theories of rational choice. And this is so natural – after all having multiple options gives us the freedom to select the ones which suit us best. However scientists have recently found just the opposite – having “too many” choice might be demotivating and…
Building team trust using a Trust Canvas
After a series of exercises and brainstorming sessions with various teams, we have clustered the most frequently occurring factors that positively influence Trust in teams. We created a new instrument which we are glad to share with you – the Team Trust Canvas (French version). The main purpose of this tool is to build a discussion around the trust and possibly generate new rules or agreements…
The Zmey Planning
Zmey is a popular dragon form the Slavic mythology with three heads, wings and a snake’s body. It personifies evil and often demands tribute from villages or small towns in the form of gold. In an attempt to defeat the Zmey and relieve the people from this odious creature many legendary heroes have lost their lives. So have software engineers. But in their case the…