Ultimate

Team Building Pack

2
 Purpose & Audience
Purpose
• Ultimate Team Building Pack 2 contains 12 tools to help you and your organization increase team
performance; they have been used successfully in thousands of situations around the world.
• The tools help teams to work more effectively; they improve collaboration, create inclusion and
build commitment.
• Each tool is described clearly and succinctly so you are able to use them without special training.

Audience
• These tools are useful to you if you are involved in project or operational work where change and
improvements are required and results expected.
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 Team Solve Generate Manage risks Improve Create
Tool/technique What is it? Why is it useful? building problems ideas & issues collaboration solutions

Balanced Scorecard Establishes the KPIs by which to To succeed, organizations

monitor your progress and
performance against strategic goals.
need to monitor a balanced
range of indicators. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Creative Problem A framework of 5 tools that take you These tools can help you
Solving through a highly effective creative
problem solving process.
achieve breakthrough ideas.
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
ABC Avalanche A basic but extremely powerful Participants focus on
brainstorming technique. generating a number of ideas
so postpone judgments. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Association Flower Generates a long list of associated Gives you extra ‘access
keywords that can be used to generate
even more ideas.
points’ from which to
consider the challenge. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
SCAMPER A summary of 72 questions used by Approach the challenge from
Alex Osborn (the man that founded
brainstorming in the early 40s).
a different angle & generate a
larger list of creative ideas. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Selecting Ideas & Boil down your grand list of ideas Forces you to shortlist your
COCD Box down to about 15 really good ones. ideas to only the best ones to
focus on in the next stage. ✓ ✓ ✓
PPCO Process to expand and test your best Facing truth and reality in a
ideas for feasibility. PPCO is like a way of opportunities.
more positive version of a SWOT ✓ ✓ ✓
analysis.

RACI A grid of activities mapped against the Gives you a way to describe
responsible, accountable, consulted &
informed stakeholders.
your multi-project work and
deliver together effectively ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Culture Triangle Helps teams or organizations Helps you get behind the
understand each other better with a
view to improving collaboration.
stereotypes that people hold
about each other. ✓ ✓ ✓
Team Review Build a shared understanding within a Works well when assessing
Workshop team about what’s working well, areas
for improvement & opportunity.
how multiple teams are
working with each other. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Open Space Event format used in meetings of 5 to Works best when there are
Technology 2,000 people where the participants
create the agenda for themselves.
hard problems to solve and
urgency. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
World Café Simple, effective and flexible activity Help a large group understand
for hosting large group discussions for
between 12 to 200 participants.
a set of issues at their own
pace. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives
• To create picture of your unit’s performance, relative to the vision
and strategy, in four main areas or ‘perspectives’: financial,
internal, learning/growth and ‘customer’/stakeholder.
• Long term you are looking to improve internal processes, motivate
employees, develop better information systems, improve customer
satisfaction, have better progress monitoring and see an improved
financial position.
 Resources required
• Time: The time to produce this will be significantly reduced if elements such as
strategy and vision already exist. Once set up it is an ongoing health check on
your multi-agency unit, and will need to become part of people’s everyday jobs.
• Number of People: About 15
• White board
• Flipchart
• Somewhere visible to display the scorecard
 What do you need before the workshop?

To give you the highest chance of success it would be wise if your stakeholders come
armed with the following information:
• The company mission statement
• The strategic plan / vision
• The financial position of the company
• How the company is currently structured and operating
• The level of skill and expertise of all the employees
• The current customer satisfaction level
 Process
1. Define the context within which the unit operates - e.g. children’s services, how it has developed, and the
purpose/mission of the unit. Consider this in the timeframe – yesterday, today and tomorrow (using SWOT, PEST etc.)
2. Establish or confirm the unit’s vision.
3. Identify the perspectives for measurement that are clear and understandable for your unit. The original model uses
four: financial, internal, learning/growth and the ‘customer’/stakeholder. Others may be added, for strategic reasons.
4. Break the vision down according to each perspective and formulate overall strategic aims. Use the template as a guide.
5. Identify the critical success factors (the CSFs). What are the critical success factors for achieving our strategic goals?
6. Develop realizable measures with which to evaluate those factors. Consider carefully the interactions between the
measures. Also try to identify any potential knock-on effects of the measures.
 Process
7. Analyze the measures as a whole to ensure they provide a ‘balanced’ picture.
8. Establish a comprehensive, top-level scorecard and gain approval from your sponsors (you may be
required to provide background to the scorecard’s development). Even better would be have them in
the room (observing the process, not participating).
9. Take the top-level scorecard and create more detailed cards translating strategy down to day-to-day
tasks.
10. Formulate goals for every measure used. Ensure there are both short-and long term goals.
11. Develop an action plan to achieve the goals and strategy that have been set. Prioritization will be
key.
12. Continuously review; use as a dynamic functioning part of people’s daily jobs.
 Template
Vision What is our shared vision of the future?

Financial Customers Internal Business Learning and

To achieve financially how To achieve our vision, how Processes Growth
Perspective should we appear to our funding should we appear to our To satisfy our funding providers To achieve our vision how will we
providers? customers/stakeholders?’ and stakeholders what processes sustain our ability to change and
must we excel at? improve?

Strategic Aims
If our vision succeeds, how will we differ?

Critical Success Factors

What are the critical success factors for achieving
our strategic goals?

Strategic Measures
What are the measurements (or KPIs) that
indicate our strategic direction?

Action Plan
What should be our action
plan to succeed?
 Example
Vision “To become a world renowned SCUBA diving center”

Financial Customers Internal Business Learning and

To achieve financially how To achieve our vision, how Processes Growth
Perspective should we appear to our funding should we appear to our To satisfy our funding providers To achieve our vision how will we
providers? customers/stakeholders?’ and stakeholders what processes sustain our ability to change and
must we excel at? improve?

Strategic Aims - High & even earnings - Delighted customers - Quality equipment and - Learning & development
processes of employees
- Delighted customers
If our vision succeeds, how will we differ?

Critical Success Factors - Reduce seasonality - Varied dive sites - Well-maintained kit - Employee training
What are the critical success factors for achieving - Increase market share - Safe diving - High turnover of
our strategic goals? equipment

Strategic Measures - Profit Q1 & Q2 - No. of visitors - Equipment turnover - Skills matrix

What are the measurements (or KPIs) that

- % market share - Visitor comments - Maintenance monitor
indicate our strategic direction? - No. of accidents

- Promotions for out of season

Action Plan
- Identify new dive sites
What should be our action - Design & implement a maintenance process
plan to succeed?
- Identify and attend suitable training courses
 Balanced Scorecard Secret Sauce
• The process of developing a scorecard is as valuable as the scorecard itself.
• Make sure you have a wide ranging stakeholder group in the room. Success
depends on you being able to create a shared understanding of each
scorecard dimension.
• You should not try and shoehorn existing measures into the scorecard; take
the opportunity to have a new look at the business and develop both
financial and non-financial measures accordingly.
 Balanced Scorecard Secret Sauce
• Viewing the organization from different perspectives and different time dimensions
provides a unique understanding of the business.
• Linking strategy to actions and measuring this on both a financial and non-financial
basis provides a more balanced approach to organization development.
• Make sure all your Strategic Measures are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic and Timely) – you can’t improve on things that you can’t measure.
• Before diving into the Action Plan run a sanity check to make sure all the suggested
measures align with the Strategic Plan.
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives

• To generate a list of highly creative ideas to a shared

challenge.
• To systematically select the best ideas and conduct initial
feasibility studies.
• To help people mobilize their creative thinking skills.
 Creative Problem Solving Process

IDEA GENERATION IDEA EXPANSION IDEA SELECTION IDEA FEASIBILITY

Selecting ideas
Association flower
ABC Avalanche
SCAMPER
& PPCO
COCD Box
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 ABC AVALANCHE

1. Write down the central question.

2. Write down the letters of the alphabet in two columns.
3. Generate many ideas.
4. Sort them by their first letters.
5. Complete the alphabet.
A J S

B K T

C L U

D M V

E N W

F O X

G P Y

H Q Z

I R
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 ASSOCIATION FLOWER
1. Write keyword in center of piece of paper (see template on next page).
2. Write around this keyword four associations.
3. Make at each word a chain of 5 associations.
4. Focus on one word and make a force-to-fit to the initial question; write
down your new ideas.
5. Take other words and do the same.
6. Make the list of ideas as large as possible.
ASSOCIATION FLOWER (TEMPLATE)
Spain ASSOCIATION FLOWER EXAMPLE
Arena

Boxing

Laughing

Pleasure

Present
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 SCAMPER
1. SUBSTITUTE - parts, the whole, material…
2. COMBINE - functions, material, just different…
3. ADAPT - other color, place, use, form, timing…
4. MAXIMIZE - bigger, stronger, longer, more time, macro level, use more often…
5. MINIMIZE - smaller, lighter, shorter, micro level, less important…
6. PUT TO OTHER USES - other context…
7. ELIMINATE - parts, functions, material…
8. REVERSE - sequence, upside down, inside out…
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 SELECTING IDEAS

• 5-15 IDEAS: everybody selects his or her 1-3 favorite hits;

make out of these a top 3.
• 15-40 IDEAS: 5 sparkling ideas per person; focus on these
and define an overall top 5 using dots or hits.
• >40 IDEAS: select individually 5-8 blue-red-yellow ideas
(COCD-box); define the BIG 5 in each color.
 COCD BOX
1. Select individually 4-8 favorite blue, red and yellow ideas
(now-wow-how).
2. Mark your selected ideas on the idea lists.
3. Put the 10-15 most favorite ideas into the COCD-box.
4. Check if these are really the best ideas.
5. Try to combine these 10-15 ideas into a few powerful concepts.
 YELLOW IDEAS

not (yet) feasible

COCD-BOX ®
 future ideas
 dreams
 challenges
 visionary
 red ideas for tomorrow

HOW?
BLUE IDEAS RED IDEAS
 easy to implement  innovative ideas
feasible

 previous examples  potential breakthroughs

 high acceptability  exciting ideas
 low risk  make a distinction
 quick wins  can be implemented

NOW. WOW!
common ideas original ideas
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 PPCO
Pluses - what is good, positive about the idea.
Potentials - what are the possibilities if the idea were
pursued.
Concerns - phrase shortcomings or limitations of the idea
as questions.
Overcomes - generate ideas to overcome the 'burning'
concerns.
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives
• To help teams clarify individual, team and organizational roles
and responsibilities.
• To identify and clarify personal accountabilities.
• To reduce misunderstandings between colleagues.
 What Does RACI Mean?

The person or position responsible for doing the

Responsible activity (the work).

The person or position accountable to ensure the

Accountable activity happens. If things go wrong - “it’s their
head on the chopping block”.

The person or position who should be consulted

Consulted prior to a decision or action being taken.

The person or position that needs to be informed

Informed after completion of the task or decision is made.
 Resources Required
• White board, multiple flip chart papers or large space to write
on.
• Packs of multi-color post-its.
• Lots of pens.
• Open-plan room with lots of space to walk around.
 Process
1. Choose one activity to focus on for your chart
– Determine the activity you want to look at.
– You can apply a RACI matrix to either a broad issue or a very specific issue – the choice is yours.
– E.g. do you want to create a RACI for the complete product launch process, or just part of it? Each will give
you very different charts. Remember you can always do both.

2. What are the activities, tasks or steps involved?

– This is where a RACI matrix has similarities to project planning.
– You need to think through all the different steps in the activity or decision making process.
– Use one color of Post-It notes to capture all potential activities. Place the individual notes vertically in a list.
 Business case

Finance Plan

Implementation

Launch

Event

Video Release
 Process
3. Who are the key stakeholders?
– This is where a RACI matrix is similar to stakeholder analysis.
– Who needs to be involved? Who thinks they should be involved? Who did you forget?
– For a complicated project or program, you should make sure you brainstorm as a group during this step to reach agreement as a
collective.
– Use another color of Post-It notes to capture all potential roles.
– Place the notes horizontally across the board.
– Then draw a grid with the activities and horizontal roles

4. Decide if you want to chart the “as is” or the “will be”
– You need to decide are you going to chart the “as is” (the way it’s working today?), or the “will be” (the way it should work in the
future)?
– Sometimes the answer is obvious: If you are doing a plan for the future, you are charting future roles.
– Keep in mind, it is also possible to chart the “as is” situation to learn more about how a system or process is working today.
 Executive Finance Account Lead Director Production SAE

Business case

Finance Plan

Implementation

Launch

Event

Video Release
 Process
5. Use Post-It notes in the RACI chart with codes
– Write “R”, “A”, “C”, and “I” on their own Post-Its and place them on the chart intersecting activities with the
stakeholders.
– This step should always be done as a group.
– If you have enough colors use different color of Post-It notes to identify roles.

6. Negotiate how you see the roles and how others see them
– You will quickly learn how people’s perceptions differ from each other.
– You will also likely discover a better way of working.
– The aim of this step is to reach a common understanding of how it is now or how it will be in the future
(depending what you chose in step 4)
 Executive Finance Account Lead Director Production SAE

Business case R A C I

Finance Plan A R C I

Implementation C I A

Launch I R

Event R I A C

Video Release I A R C
 Process
7. Do a vertical analysis (looking at the stakeholders and their respective
responsibilities)
– Are there too many R’s? Can the functional role stay on top of so much stuff? Can the decision /
activity be broken into smaller, more manageable tasks?
– Does someone have no R’s or A’s? Should this role be eliminated or shifted? Have processes
changed to a point where resources should be re-distributed?
– Are there too many A’s? Does a proper "separation of duties” exist? Should other groups be
accountable for some of these activities to ensure proper checks and balances? Is this a
“roadblock” in the process and is everyone waiting for decisions or direction as a result?
– Empty spaces? Consider who you need to add.
 Process
8. Do a horizontal analysis (looking at activities and the stakeholders playing a role)
– Are there no R’s? Is the job really getting done? Why is there no “leader”?
– Too Many R's? This is likely a sign of “too many cooks” or a round-robin of “passing the
buck”.
– Too many A's? Is there confusion? Is there (or will there be) potential conflict because
every person with an “A” has a different view of how it is or should be done?
– Too many C's? Do all the roles really need to be consulted?
– Too many I's? - Do all the roles need to be regularly informed or only in certain
circumstances?
 RACI Secret Sauce
• With complicated tasks, it’s inevitable that more than one person needs to collaborate
to get the job done. The danger with this is that it can be like two players running to
make the same catch – the ball can go straight down the middle because each one is
thinking, “oh, that’s their ball.” To avoid this you can designate one person as the “R-
prime or R1” which means that in terms of accountability, this person is #1.
• RACI matrix experts say you should assign only one “A” to a responsibility chart, but
often in complex systems that’s not possible. The key point is the more “A’s” are
attached to a decision, the longer it takes to move forward. So use A’s judiciously.
 RACI Secret Sauce
• It is common to have more than one role at a time. You can have the Authority (A) and the
Responsibility (R) for a task if you do the work and also decide which next step to take.
• You can also combine the Authority (A) and the Consultation (C) roles if you provide a
directive for someone else to get additional information before an approval is made.
• It is less common but possible for someone to keep the Consultation (C) role and the
Inform (I) role when delegating a task, but give both the Responsibility (R) and the
Authority (A) to someone else. In this case you would say, “Take my point of view of
what’s important, but then go and decide what to do next yourself. Just let me know after
what you’ve decided.”
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives

• To surface and start to address some of the underlying

problems that arise when representatives from different
departments or companies work together.
 Process
1. The Facilitator presents the two cultural stereotypes slides.
2. The Facilitator draws a large triangle on a flip chart and labels it.
3. Each Team / Department / Company is allocated a colour of sticky dot.
4. The Facilitator distributes a multi-coloured series of sticky dots to each individual in Marketing

the team. Sales

5. Each Individual now places the relevant sticky dot on the triangle according to Customer Care
where they think each of the Teams are in terms of cultural stereotypes.
Legal
6. When this exercise is completed, each Individual is asked how they feel about their
Team’s overall positioning on the chart. They can also ask for specific feedback
from anyone on the reasons for their positioning.
7. The Group now discusses the implications of this exercise for their on-going team-
working.
8. The Facilitator leads a plenary discussion using the Strengths & Weaknesses slides.
 Consider these three organizational stereotypes:
Friendly Helpers, Tough Battlers and Logical Thinkers
Friendly Helper Tough Battler Logical Thinker

World of mutual love, affection, World of conflict, fight, power, World of understanding, logic,
Characteristics tenderness, sympathy assertiveness systems, knowledge

Gathering information,
Task maintenance Initiating, coordinating, pressing clarifying ideas, procedures,
Harmonising, compromising, for results, consensus, exploring
behaviour encouraging, expressing warmth
differences evaluating the logic of proposals,
systematising

Constructs used in Who is warm, who is hostile,

who helps, who hurts others Who is wrong, weak, winning, Who is bright, stupid, accurate,
evaluating others losing wrong, who thinks clearly

Giving orders, challenging, Appealing to rules, procedures,

Methods of influence Appeasing, appealing to pity
threatening logic, facts, knowledge

That he/she will not be loved, That his/her world isn’t ordered,
That he/she will lose the ability
Personal threats that he/she will be overwhelmed
to fight, will become “soft”
that he/she will be overcome by
by feelings of hostility emotion

… and the organizational cultures implied

 Organizations can be plotted on a culture triangle

Tough Battler

Team
2

Team 1

Friendly Helper Logical Thinker

 Tough Battler

Friendly Helper Logical Thinker

How do Tough Battlers view the strengths and weaknesses
of other culture types?

Strengths Weaknesses

Tough Battlers Good to work with, positive Too soft, over-trusting. Easy to
see Friendly people. Nice to have around. No push around or manipulate.
Helpers as
great threat. A resource. Inefficient.

Tough Battlers Too logical, rule bound.

Good at handling information,
see Logical Concerned with procedure, not
Thinkers as getting organised. A resource.
results.
 And Friendly Helpers?

Strengths Weaknesses

Friendly Helpers Strong, committed, concerned to

Big-headed, pushy, uncaring.
see Tough do well. Likes to get the job
Battlers as Self-centred.
done.

Friendly Helpers
see Logical
Authoritative, well informed, A bit cold, unfriendly. More
Thinkers as reliable. Possibly intellectual. interested in ideas than people.
 And Logical Thinkers?

Strengths Weaknesses

Logical Hasty, unthinking impulsive. Too

Thinkers see Self-assured, strong. Resourceful
Tough Battlers pushy, emotional and concerned
and very energetic.
as only with winning.

Logical Too concerned with people.

Thinkers see Cooperative, inclusive. Easy to
Friendly Irrational, sentimental, not very
get on with.
Helpers as organised.
 Resources required

• Pack a multi-colored sticky dots (one color per team,

each person needs to have one dot of every color).
• Flipchart, pen and paper.
• Open space for people to move around.
• No tables and chairs.
• The slides in this pack.
 Culture Triangle Secret Sauce
• It’s important participants view what they’re about to hear about
themselves as constructive feedback. If it looks like there are some
who are taking the process personally pull back for a few minutes
and discuss the importance of feedback for continuous improvement.
• As the plenary discussion progresses the facilitator will find it useful
to capture headlines and actions. An honest purge of emotion and
ideas often happens and you want to make sure you capture the
essence so the teams move forward after they leave the room.
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives
• To build a shared understanding within a team about what’s
working well, areas in need of improvement and areas of
opportunity.
 When Would You Use It?
• In any team meeting when you want to review your team’s
current situation.
• This activity also works well when assessing how multiple
teams are working with each other.
 Resources required
• 1 hour.
• A large piece of blank paper up on a wall.
• Space around the paper for people to comfortably stand around
and space to move.
• Lots of post-it notes and marker pens for each person in the team.
• A few sheets of dot stickers.
• Scissors (to cut the dot stickers out so each team member has a
limited number for voting).
 Process (1)
1. The Facilitator starts the activity by explaining to the team
that you are going to spend the next hour reviewing
progress.
2. The first 10 mins are to focus solely on the question “what
are we doing well?” Each Participant picks up some post-
its & pen and writes as many things as possible (one per
post-it).
3. The second 10 mins are to look at answering “what could
we do better?” Instead of focusing on the negatives try and
keep people on improvements, e.g. “it would be even better
is we did this …”
 Process (2)
4. The third 10 mins are to look at answering “what more could
we do?”. These should be new opportunities rather than
improvements on existing activities.
5. The Facilitator asks the group to spend a few minutes
collecting the points into themes.
6. The Facilitator then gives each Participant a fixed number of
dots and asks them to stick them on the themes that are
important to them. Be clear they can put them where they want,
i.e. all on 1 very important theme to them or spread out over
many.
 Process (3)
7. Once the voting is finished you can lead a discussion on what
happens next. One suggestion you can consider is take the Top
3 themes that received the most votes and run a Brown Paper
Planning session to make sure you end with an action plan and
a positive result.
What are
we doing
well?

What
could we
do better?

What
more
could we
do?
What are
we doing
well?

What
could we
do better?

What
more
could we
do?
What are
we doing
well?

What
could we
do better?

What
more
could we
do?
Team Review Workshop Secret Sauce
• It is very important to tackle each question one at a time
and not jump around. The temptation for the group will be
to skip straight to things ripe for improvement without
spending enough time on the things that you are doing
well.
• If the group is large then give each participant 3 dots to
stick on the paper. If the group is small then give them 5
each. This is so visually there are enough votes on the
paper.
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives
• To tackle a large number of the most important / difficult issues
facing a large group of people.
• To achieve shared ownership of not only the outcomes but also
the process and the event itself.
 Outcomes
• All the most important issues to those attending are included in the agenda.
• All the issues raised and worked on are addressed by the participants best capable of
getting something done about them.
• All the most important ideas, recommendations, discussions, and next steps are
documented in a resulting report.
• When the purpose requires, and time allows for it, the group can prioritize the issues
addressed in the report.
• When the purpose requires, and time allows for it, the group can draft action plans for
the highest priority issues.
 When Would You Use It?
• Open Space works best when there are high levels of
– Complexity (hard problems to solve)
– Diversity (lots of different types of people needed)
– Conflict (people really care about the issue)
– Urgency (it has to be fixed as soon as possible)
• If you have a culture of distributed leadership in the organization / group.
• If management are willing to let go of the reigns and put trust in their people to find solutions to complex problems.
• When you are looking to reach a common understanding of a large group of people behind a complex problem.
• The nature of the format means a lot of view forming between peers happens on the sidelines. By the end of the
session (you need at least 1 day) many of the participants will have shifted their views from where they started.
 When is Open Space a bad idea?
• When the problems aren’t complex enough. Easy to solve problems rarely invoke
enough passion in participants and when you have large numbers of people not caring
enough your event can fall flat.
• When management have decided (or are close to deciding) the way forward. Almost
anything can come out of an Open Space session and leadership must be willing to
embrace whatever happens otherwise participants will feel their time has been wasted.
• When the organization has a top-down autocratic culture. Open Space is extremely
democratic by nature but for it to work well the participants need to feel their views are
being taken seriously.
 Why Would You Use It?
• Open Space is ‘participant driven’. This means your
participants have more control than usual input over the process
and outcomes. What you get for that loss of control is high-
levels of ownership in the results.
• If you are short on time in the preparation phase then OST will
work well for you. You have to do very little process planning
in the lead up because the participants do it for you on the day.
 Resources Required
• Depending on the size of your group you need a room (or
rooms) large enough to host all your participants comfortably.
• Lots of chairs (no tables).
• One facilitator (at least) for each session.
 Start-of-the-day Process
1. Gather your participants together and briefly explain how Open Space events work
using Harrison Owen’s 1 Law and the Guiding Principles as appropriate. Traditionally
you should do this with everyone in a circle around you but you don’t necessarily have
to.
2. Ask participants to spend 10 minutes thinking through if they have any issues they’d
like to raise.
3. You then invite participants to briefly explain their issues explain to the group.
4. If there is a general agreement that the issue has enough support and passion behind it
invite the issue owner to add the issue to the schedule.
5. Once all issues have been added invite the participants to sign-up for the sessions
they’re planning on attending (they are free to change their mind later if they want to).
6. Your sessions start.
 9-10am 10-11am 11-12pm 1-2pm 2-3pm

How to raise How to use

Stream 1 corporate
awareness?
storytelling to
improve
How to engage
politicians?
How to involve
the community?
How to balance
work & home?
relationships?

How to measure
How to bridge the How to be more How to get better How to reduce
Stream 2 performance the
right way?
funding gap? creative? equipment? employee churn?

What leadership How to manage What tools can

Stream 3 How to increase
perceived value?
How to stimulate
our employees?
style should we
adopt?
conflict
situations?
we use to
improve?

How to create What can we do How to manage

How should we What is our
Stream 4 make decisions?
successful
partnerships?
to feel more
motivated?
issues & risks
better?
corporate vision?
 Process for a Session
1. Each session should be a round group of chairs (no table in the middle) with
preferably one facilitator to lead the discussion and a scribe on the flipchart.
2. A session starts with the issue owner welcoming and thanking the group for
coming and then giving a brief description of the issue as they see it.
3. The facilitator then leads the discussion inviting people to give their input at
their request.
4. The scribe records the discussion on flip chart paper making sure to mark
Issues, Ideas, Questions (that can’t be answered today) & Actions. When a
flip is finished they should tear it off and put it in the center of the circle or
on a nearby wall for people in the group to see.
 Process for a Session
5. Allow people to leave and arrive as they see fit though don’t
allow them to interrupt or slow-down your progress. It is a
new arrival’s responsibility to catch-up with the discussion
using the flip chart outputs no matter how high up or important
they are.
6. When the issue looks like it has been covered and there are no
more inputs coming from your group thank them for their time
and invite them to join other groups if the session time is not
over.
 Harrison Owen’s 1 Law

If at any time during your time here you find

yourself in any situation where you are neither
learning nor contributing, use your two feet, and go
somewhere else.
 Guiding Principles

1) Whoever comes are the right people

2) Whenever it starts is the right time

3) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

4) When it’s over, it’s over (in this session)

image source
 Guiding Principles
1) Whoever comes are the right people
This is to remind participants they don’t need top management or lots of people to get
things done. The only people it’s important to have are those who feel passionately about
the issue. And if they don’t come then they’re not passionate enough.

2) Whenever it starts is the right time

This is to remind participants that you are not late (or early for that matter) in discussing
the issue at hand. Removing the feeling of anxiety allows the group to focus better.
 Guiding Principles
3) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
This is to remind participants that whatever comes out of the discussion is the right
thing. Once it’s done, it’s done and the only direction to move now is forward.

4) When it’s over, it’s over (in this session)

This is to remind participants that once they feel the issue has been resolved they
should move on to the next one. There’s no need to keep talking about the same
topic just because there’s still time left in the session.
 Open Space Secret Sauce
• When you’re setting the schedule before event, if you are running
parallel streams (different groups looking at issues at the same time) try
and put similar topics together at the same time. That way people can
move between the groups freely and find the right discussion for them.
• You should stress to issue owners that they are expected to have lots of
passion for their topic.
• Each issue owner must take responsibility for creating a report after the
discussion has taken place so that all other participants can access the
content at any time (otherwise you’ll be left with carrying the
responsibility).
 Open Space Secret Sauce
• If the issue owner is the only one who shows up for their session that
person can either use the session to think it through on their own, join
another discussion, see if someone else who is running a session would
like to join together, or drop the topic altogether.
• Try your best to have small groups of no more than 12 so those who
want to speak are given plenty of opportunity.
• No single person should be allowed to dominate a session whether they
are a facilitator or participant.
 Tools & Activities

Balanced Scorecard PPCO

Creative Problem Solving RACI

ABC Avalanche Culture Triangle

Association Flower Team Review Workshop

SCAMPER Open Space Technology

Selecting Ideas & COCD Box World Café

 Objectives
• To help your participants have collaborative dialogue, engage
actively with each other and create constructive possibilities for
action.
 When Would You Use It?
• The World Café is a discovery tool that helps a large group
understand a set of issues at their own pace. It’s great for
helping people reach a state of common understanding and
alignment.
• It’s not a problem solving tool so keep your group away from
creating solutions as much as possible (however tempting that
might be).
 Design principle 1 – Set the context

• Focus on the reason you are bringing everyone together.

• Holding onto the purpose of your meeting helps you choose the
most important elements to realize your goals: e.g. who should
be there? What questions should be tackled?
 Design principle 2 – Create hospitable space

• As the Café Host you must create a hospitable space - one that
feels safe and inviting.
• You know yourself, when you feel comfortable, you do your
best creative thinking, speaking, and listening.
• In particular, consider how your invitation and your physical
set-up contribute. You’re looking to create a welcoming
atmosphere.
 Design principle 3 – Explore questions that matter

• Find questions that are relevant to real concerns of the group.

• Powerful questions attract energy, insight, and action.
 Design principle 4 – Encourage everyone’s contribution

• Most people don’t only want to participate, they want to make a

difference through action.
• You should encourage everyone to contribute ideas, while also
allowing anyone who wants to participate by simply listening
to do so.
 Design principle 5 – Connect diverse perspectives

• The unique process of asking people to move between tables

and contribute their ideas whilst meeting new people is one of
the distinguishing characteristics of The World Café.
• Prepared to be surprised for a flood of new insights from your
group as the session progresses.
 Design principle 6 – Listen together for patterns & insights

• Encourage the group to listen for what is not being spoken

along with what is.
• The quality of listening is one of the most important factors that
determine the success of a Café.
 Design principle 7 – Share collective discoveries

• The last step plenary of the World Café, often called the
“harvest”, involves surfacing any patterns so they are visible to
everyone in a large group conversation.
• Invite a few minutes of quiet reflection on the patterns, themes
and deeper questions from the smaller table conversations.
• Make sure you have a way to capture the harvest.
 Resources required
• 1.5 hours.
• Small round tables of about 1m diameter are perfect (40 inches).
• Enough chairs for all participants and presenters.
• White paper tablecloths to doodle on for each round table (or colorful
tablecloths covered in large pieces of white paper).
• Colored water-based markers or crayons scattered on each table.
Preferably dark colors so the results are easy to read.
• A side table packed with fruit and refreshments (to keep those energy
levels up).
• Flip-chart to capture the final plenary discussion.
 Café Etiquette
• Focus on what really matters
• Contribute your ideas & thinking
• Speak your mind and heart with humility
• Listen to understand
• Connect your ideas with others
• Play, doodle and draw – use your tablecloths to full effect
• Have fun!
 Process
1. Setup small café-style tables in a rooms and seat 4 or 5 Participants at
each. These are your ‘conversation clusters’.
2. The Facilitator then explains to the group they will now have 3
rounds of conversation of approximately 20-30 minutes each.
3. Questions or issues that genuinely matter to your work, life or
community are discussed while other groups explore similar
questions at nearby tables.
4. The Facilitator encourages the table members to write, doodle, and
draw key ideas on their paper tablecloths or to note key ideas on large
index cards or placemats in the center of the group.
 Process
5. After completing the 1st round of conversation, the Facilitator asks each table
to agree a ‘table host’ who remains at the table while the others travel to
different tables.
6. The travelers now get up from the table and move to another. They can go to
whichever table they prefer carrying with them key ideas, themes and
questions from their old table into their new conversations.
7. The Facilitator asks the Table Hosts to welcome their new guests and briefly
share the main ideas, themes and questions from the initial conversation (max
2 mins). Encourage guests to link and connect ideas coming from their
previous table conversations – listening carefully and building on each other’s
contributions.
 Process
8. At the end of the 2nd round, all of the tables and conversations will be cross-
pollinated with insights from previous conversations.
9. In the 3rd round of conversation, people can return to their home (original)
tables to synthesize their discoveries, or they may continue on to new tables,
leaving the same or a new host at the table.
10.An optional step is for the Facilitator to pose a new question that helps deepen
the exploration for the 3rd round of conversation.
11.After your 3rd round of conversation, initiate a period of sharing discoveries
and insights in a whole group conversation.
12.Make sure you have someone flipchart this plenary conversation so you capture
any patterns, knowledge and actions that emerge.
 World Café Secret Sauce
• Pay close attention to the reason you are bringing people together. Knowing the
purpose of your meeting enables you to consider which participants need to be there
and what parameters are important to achieve your purpose.
• You need to create an hospitable space – one that feels safe and inviting. When people
feel comfortable to be themselves, they do their most creative thinking, speaking and
listening.
• The question(s) you choose or that Participants discover during a World Café are
critical to its success. Your café may explore a single question or several questions
that support a logical progression of discovery.
 World Café Secret Sauce
• Bounce possible questions off of key people who will be
participating to see if they sustain interest and energy.
• Always choose a new Table Host at the end of each round - not at
the beginning (the same person should not be a Table Host for more
than one round).
• There are no facilitators in a World Café, only hosts. Everyone at
the tables is responsible for hosting themselves and each other.