Team activity — Identify and overcome obstacles

Time required

Approximately 30 minutes.

Preparation

1. Review the entire activity
2. Create a participant list with email, text, or phone for distribution of the invitation.
3. Create an invitation by customizing the sample below.
4. Send the invitation to all participants leaving sufficient time for them to answer all of the questions. This will allow your discussion time to be more productive. 

Suggested invitation wording 

Subject: Please answer these 7 questions before our meeting

We will explore a problem-solving method at our next team meeting. We’ll try it out using the example of managing stress related to learning a new technology [Or any other situation that’s relevant to your team]. Our overall objective is to customize this process to be used for any work situation. 

The outcome we’re striving for is a healthy, safe and productive workplace when we’re introducing a new technology.

To achieve this, we need to protect our mental and physical well-being while supporting our ability to do good work. The questions below focus on what we can do to reach this outcome. Consider the existing environment, the learning curve, how we interact with each other and our clients, psychological safety, and task completion.

You will be asked to share your answers to each of the following questions at our meeting: 

1. How will we know when we’ve reached the desired outcome(s)?
2. What will we see, hear and feel?
3. How would a third-party observer be able to tell that we’ve reached the outcome(s) we wanted? (What would they see or hear?)
4. What will reaching this outcome(s) do for our team?
5. What stops us from reaching it now?
6. What are we willing to do in order to reach our desired outcome(s)?
7. What are we willing to stop doing in order to reach our desired outcome?
8. Is there something we have been doing that is preventing us from reaching the desired outcome(s)? 

Suggested wording for the meeting

Welcome everyone. This activity today is to help build a problem-solving model for our team. It also gives you a chance to show off your creativity and critical thinking skills.

I will present each of questions one at a time. To make it go smoothly, I will ask a couple of you to share your answers and then the rest can share any that they have that are different. I will ask the next question of two different people and we will also ask for the rest to share anything unique that they have to contribute. Any questions about the process? 

1. How will we know when we’ve reached the desired outcome(s)?
2. What will we see, hear and feel?
3. How would a third-party observer be able to tell that we’ve reached the outcome(s) we wanted? (What would they see or hear?)
4. What will reaching this outcome(s) do for our team?
5. What stops us from reaching it now?
6. What are we willing to do in order to reach our desired outcome(s)?
7. What are we willing to stop doing in order to reach our desired outcome?
8. Is there something we have been doing that is preventing us from reaching the desired outcome(s)? 

[After all questions have been answered]

Thank you for your contribution to exploring this problem-solving model. We’ll take away your suggestions and develop a plan for dealing with the introduction of new technology. The draft will be sent out to you for your feedback and we’ll set up another meeting to discuss next steps. 

Follow up

Write up the key takeaways from your session with definite action items as suggested by the participants. Send it out to all participants and invite feedback within one week. Integrate relevant suggestions and then set up another virtual meeting to discuss how you will begin to adopt the agreed upon actions going forward. 

Find more activities like this at Team building activities.