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Workstations
Learning Focus
- Collaboration
- Effective Communication
- Knowledge Management
- Problem Solving
- Resource Management
- Strategic Thinking
Group Size
6 - 10
6 - 16
Duration
20-40 Minutes
$20.00
Workstations is a popular and challenging team problem solving game with powerful messages about managing team communication - teams are unable to write any information down, so need a process to manage and categorize individual contributions and shared understanding. All communication is verbal; strategic thinking skills are essential.
This a perfect early team exercise or ice-breaker to establish how a team works together and ideal for groups not previously experienced in working together. Click on the Webinar video on the right to view the use of Workstations as an ice-breaker.
This exercise demands both task and group leadership. It is an excellent introduction to 'chairing skills' and could be used as the 'warm-up' to a session on managing meetings, team briefing or working with focus groups.
It also requires critical thinking - simply sharing the information will not uncover the answers, rather the information contained on each information card must be combined, and then used to deduce the answers to the two questions posed. This allows the group to be involved in a significant team-problem solving activity, and quickly mirror problems that real-life teams face in the workplace.
Online Workstations is also available for those who want to work in a hybrid situation (some face to face and some working remotely) , or for an entirely virtual session.
Downloads
- Introductory activity
- Managing Information & Communication
- Identifying Individual Learning Styles
- Using Information to Solve Problems
- Team Building & Task Achievment
- Developing People
- Strategic thinking skills
- Problem solving
Workstations is packaged as an extremely portable box of playing cards containing delegate briefing instructions, facilitator instructions and review suggestions within the box of cards.
It offers a good, practical illustration of team roles in action and can be successfully linked to work on effective team performance eg. using the Belbin Team Role model, or individual personality, thinking preference or other individual profiling tools.
The team members are required to share information verbally in order to solve a 'matrix puzzle' - a process of information sharing, elimination and logic. The difficulty comes in not being able to write anything down - the group must identify other ways of remembering and sorting key information. The matrix involves the names of five people, the jobs they do, the places they work, the vehicles they drive and their lunch preferences!
This is a challenging activity and most groups will take at least 20 minutes to complete it - all the information on all 30 x cards is relevant so each team member must play a part. However even after sharing all the information, the group must use all of this along with some critical thinking to complete the matrix and reveal answers to the two key questions: 'Who goes to a cafe for lunch?', and 'Who drives a Ford?'.
We also stock Teamwork & Teamplay Cards by Jim Cain, which has similar 'matrix' puzzles along with many other activities within the one pack!
Activity Contents:
1x Pack of 52 playing cards, including all required (30) participant playing cards
plus facilitation set-up and activity management notes plus review question examples
Package Weight: 0.05kg
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Delivery
Product prices shown do not include delivery costs We use international and local courier services to provide a fast, secure and traceable shipping service to our customers. Typically we will ship within one working day of receiving your order (if received by 14.00 local time), and your goods should be with you wherever you are in the world within one week!
Returns
We provide a 12 month unconditional guarantee. If you have any problems with our materials, we will replace any defective parts, or you can return the product for a refund.
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