About
What were we thinking?
This resource is intended to facilitate working with groups to accelerate improvement through interactive teambuilding activities. It is designed to develop communication skills, model adaptive systems, shift culture, and foster innovation, creativity, and thought diversity.
For each of the activities in this resource, we outline the purpose, category, instructions, time commitment, number of participants, resources required, and debriefing notes. Many of the activities can also be done virtually, to accelerate team building for those who are distributed across different facilities or communities.
Let’s give them something to talk about! The importance of debriefing
Debriefing after each and every exercise is essential to realizing the full potential of these activities. The debrief may take just a few minutes, or it may become an extended discussion. You should make time for discussion of the activity afterwards and relate it to the more general purposes of your session. The debrief is where the learning can be found!
The goals, circumstances, and groups associated with each activity will vary so much that it is impossible to provide precise instructions for each. We have offered general guidance and encourage you to make them your own.
Activities Matrix Overview
To assist with your use of the various activities, we have created a matrix designed to help identify the most appropriate resources for what you are trying to achieve. The broad categories of the matrix are outlined below:
Adaptive Systems (Red): An Adaptive System is a system composed of interdependent elements that together form an integrated whole. A change in a single element of the system can have a cascading effect on the larger system.
Communication (Blue): Communication is how we share information through verbal messages, the written word, or more subtle, non-verbal signals.
Creativity/Innovation (Orange): Creativity is the ability to think and act in ways that are new and novel. Innovation is thinking creatively to develop an idea which, when implemented, leads to a more effective device or process.
Team Building (Green): Team Building includes activities your team can employ to improve interpersonal relations and social interactions.
A primary category has been assigned to each activity and determines the card’s colour. If more than one category applies to a card, this is indicated beside the category matrix icon.