Team Exercises
Creativity

Brainstorming
Authors: Robert Sutton & Holly A. Schroth
Source: DRRC

Brainstorming is an exercise that can be used to teach group creativity and group process, including norms, roles, status, and power.

Preparation: 20-25 minutes
Negotiation: 40 minutes

Food for Thought
Authors: Hoon-Seok Choi & Leigh Thompson
Source: KTAG

The purpose of Food for Thought is to examine creativity in brainstorming groups.The key learning points include: (1) optimal brainstorming techniques, (2) how to evaluate the creativity of ideas, and (3) analysis of why groups are not as creative as individuals.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Exercise: 20-45 minutes

Funny Business
Authors: Hoon-Seok Choi & Leigh Thompson
Source: KTAG

The purpose of Funny Business is to examine creativity in groups while brainstorming. The key learning points include: (1) optimal brainstorming techniques, (2) how to evaluate the creativity of ideas, and (3) analysis of why groups are not as creative as individuals.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Exercise: 20-30 minutes

Healing
Authors: Maddy Jannsens & Jeanne M. Brett
Source: KTAG

The purpose of this exercise is to have participants experience the frustration of working on a global team where members have different status in the company, different objectives they want to incorporate into their solution for the task, as well as different cultural values and norms for social interaction and group decision making.

Preparation: 40 minutes
Negotiation: 45 minutes
Debrief: 60 minutes

Insite!
Author: Leigh Thompson
Source: KTAG

Teams composed of 3-6 members engage in a brainstorming session at INSITE!, a design company in Silicon Valley. The goal of the session is to generate as many original ideas as possible that are potentially feasible for the client, following Osborn's (1957) guidelines for successful brainstorming.

Exercise: 60-90 minutes