Design Challenges: Unleashing Team Potential

beyondtbcanada
Jul 8
2 min read

Updated: Oct 9

Understanding Design Challenges

Design challenges reveal common mistakes in team-building programs. After 28 years of experience, one key issue stands out: no one facilitating the process.

A design challenge is a team-building activity. Participants break into subgroups. They work together to solve a problem with limited resources and time.

The Spaghetti Tower

A classic example is The Spaghetti Tower. This challenge has inspired my own design challenges.

I prefer challenges that require collaboration. For instance, The Ramp and Panda Tower encourage teamwork among subgroups. These subgroups represent different departments in an organization.

Initial Reactions

When I introduce these design challenges, I often hear reactions like:

“I’m not good at building stuff!”
“This sounds way too complicated!”
“Hey, no fair! They have all the engineers!” 😊

These reactions highlight what people feel they lack in skills. My role is to shift their focus. I help them identify what they are good at. This shift leads to more positive statements, such as:

“I’m really good at managing resources and keeping people on track!”
“I’m good at breaking down projects into achievable milestones.”

The Magic Moment

This change in mindset is when the magic happens. Skills and processes intertwine, elevating teams!

For design challenges to succeed, teams need a balance. Some members should focus on building. Others must concentrate on facilitating the process.

The Importance of Facilitation

Facilitating the process means ensuring that team skills are used systematically. This approach increases the chance of success. Overlooking this component makes it much harder to achieve goals.