Knowledge Base · Engagement
What improvement games or activities work in a team session?
The activities the book describes are practical rather than elaborate: escape rooms, scavenger hunts, team trivia, problem-solving game nights, gamified quizzes, and a one-hour mini-Kaizen on a real workflow problem. Each one asks a team to communicate, notice what others miss, and solve something together. The point is shared problem-solving in a low-stakes setting, not entertainment for its own sake.
Start with the purpose. The book treats these activities as a way to build the trust and collaboration improvement needs. In an escape room, for example, natural leaders emerge, creative thinkers shine, and quiet observers often notice the one clue everyone else missed. That is a small version of the problem-solving a team needs every day.
- Escape rooms, scavenger hunts and team trivia: shared puzzles that need communication and quick thinking.
- Problem-solving game nights: a retail company used these, with food and a facilitated session on creating a better customer experience, including reverse brainstorming on how to create a terrible one.
- Gamified training quizzes: platforms such as Kahoot! turned dry material into a competitive game in the book's account.
- A mini-Kaizen: map one small process on a whiteboard, choose one or two changes, and try them for a week.
Watch what the session shows you. The book links these activities to Patrick Lencioni's hungry, humble, smart pattern: who dives in, who asks for help and cheers others on, and who makes sure everyone is heard. Choose the activity that develops the quality your team needs most.
Related questions
- How do I get my team engaged in improvement?
- Does gamifying improvement actually work?
- What is a rapid improvement event (a kaizen event)?
Source: Continuous Improvement in the Workplace, Ch. 10 (Engaging Activities for CI).