Team Navigator

Participants use ropes to control a single writing pen held upright by a plastic disk resting on a large sheet of paper. As the participants pull the ropes, the disk slides around leaving behind a trail of ink from the pen. Even with a shared objective in mind, drawing as a team is difficult until the group learns how to work together. Once the lines of communication are running smoothly and everyone has a feel for how they influence the outcome, the group can draw effectively as if they are one.

This activity can be staged in many ways. Pre-designed templates can present the group with a winding path to follow or a maze to solve. If the objective is to write a word or a phrase or draw a shape or a company logo, planning, leadership and extra coordination are required. The paper sheet can be prepared in advance with cards half-hidden in slits so that when the pen reaches a card, a new topic of the day is revealed. 

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Team Development

• Use it for communicating and cooperating, using skillful teamwork to achieve goals

Icebreaker

Use it for a fun and easy kick off, learning names, activating the group, creating team spirit

Leadership

Use it for communicating effectively and explicitly, motivating through information, generating trust

Systems Thinking

Use it for identifying interdependencies, adapting and synchronizing the actions of the parts to achieve system goals

Performance Improvement

Use it for focus on progress along a path toward a goal, realizing gains as skills improve, organizational learning

Collaboration

Use it for coordinating actions, cooperating and sharing responsibility