Are you looking for some team building problem solving activities?
Your employees’ ability to solve problems and make better decisions can highly contribute to creating a happy workplace.
How good is your team of employees at dealing with complex projects or day-to-day life problems?
Perhaps, this is a tough question for you.
So, why don’t you spend a little time with your teams to see how they work together to solve problems?
In this article, let’s see the top 10 problem solving activities that you can try. They will help your employees deal with obstacles and find solutions to any complicated issues.
Top 10 Team Building Problem Solving Activities
Here are some of the best team building problem solving exercises that you can conduct with your staff.
If you want to know how you can conduct team building activities, you can read this article for inspiration: How to Facilitate Team Building Activities in Your Workplace?
So, let’s go!
#1. Brainstorming Session
The goal of this activity is to brainstorm ideas based on a topic through collaboration.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Paper and pen
Participants: Any number of members per group
Instructions
- Start by giving a topic to each group and instruct them to brainstorm ideas based on that topic.
- Appoint an individual to write down the ideas of each group member.
- Once this is done, check the ideas and share them with everyone.
Debrief
Identify how each group member felt during the activity and how it can help them with problem solving in their day-to-day life. Also, discuss the importance of finding solutions together.
#2. Code Breaking
The goal of this game is to break the secret code as quickly as possible.
Time: You decide
Materials: Paper and pen
Participants: Any number of members per group
Instructions
- Provide a secret code to each team. This secret code can be anything like picture puzzles, logic problems, riddles, etc.
For example,
“Find the two-digit secret number using the following clues:
The secret number is divisible by 4.
The sum of the digits in the secret number is 12.
The tens digit of the secret number is greater than the ones digit.”
- The goal is to break the code fast. Set a time limit to complete the task if required.
- The first team that breaks the code will win the game.
(Note: By the way, the secret number in the above example is 84. Feel free to come up with similar puzzles and challenge your teams to solve them in a very short time. Enjoy!)
Debrief
Discuss how the employees worked together to solve the challenge. Encourage them to share their ideas and strategies.
#3. Create an Ad
The goal of this game is to create an advertisement for the suggested product. This is one of the problem solving activities to improve the creativity among team members.
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: Poster papers and Markers
Participants: 3-8 people in a group
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small teams.
- Introduce a new product to each team and explain its features as well as benefits.
- Now, instruct them to create an advertisement for this product.
- Then, each team should create an ad script through discussion.
Debrief
Discuss the strategies and ideas used in creating the ad. How did the employees come up with creative solutions? Encourage them to share their learning points from this game.
#4. Human Knot
The goal of this activity is to create a knot by holding the hands of others and untangling everyone without letting go of their hands.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: 6-12 individuals per group
Instructions
- Instruct the team members to form a circle by standing shoulder to shoulder.
- Then, each person should lift their right hand and try to catch the hand of another person who is standing across the circle.
- After that, each person should lift their left hand in the air and catch the hand of a different person.
- Make sure that no member is holding the hand of someone who is standing directly next to them.
- Ask the team members to untangle everyone without letting go of their hands.
Debrief
Discuss how the employees worked together as a team to achieve this goal. What strategies did they use? How did their communication style help them in solving this problem? Encourage the employees to reflect on the importance of teamwork and collaboration.
#5. Inter-Group Problem Solving Challenge
This is one of the interesting problem solving games you can try with your employees. Here each group should create a unique problem and challenge the other groups to solve it.
Time: You decide
Materials: None (But can use paper and pen if needed)
Participants: At least 2 people per group
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small groups.
- Instruct each group to come up with a self-created, unique problem and write it on paper.
- Now, ask each group to share their problems with the other groups and let them find the solution in a given time.
- Finally, find out the best-performing group by evaluating which group created the most complicated problems and which group solved more problems.
Debrief
Discuss how the groups came up with unique problems and solved the problems created by others. Encourage the group members to appreciate the efforts of each other and think about ways to improve their problem-solving skills in the future.
#6. Jigsaw Puzzle
This activity is to improve the problem solving skills of employees through discussion, negotiation, and collaboration. In this activity, participants are required to complete a puzzle with the help of others.
Time: You decide
Materials: Jigsaw puzzle pieces and small bags
Participants: 4 or more people per team
Instructions
- Have a jigsaw puzzle for each team.
- Split each team into 2 small sub-teams.
- Divide the jigsaw puzzle and put an equal number of pieces into two different small bags.
- Ask each sub-team to choose one bag.
- Instruct each sub-team to assemble the puzzle within a certain time limit.
(Note: Each sub-team may think they are competing against each other, but they can’t complete the puzzle unless they discuss and collaborate with the other sub-team.)
- Allow extra time for each sub-team to discuss, negotiate, and collaborate with the other sub-team and complete the puzzle.
Debrief
Discuss how the teams communicated and collaborated while working on this activity. Ask them to reflect on their decision-making processes and team dynamics.
#7. Scavenger Hunt
The scavenger hunt is one of the popular problem solving exercises. The goal of this exercise is to find a list of items based on the clues given.
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: Clues and a list of items to find
Participants: At least 2 people per group
Instructions
- Split the participants into several groups.
- Give each group a list of items they need to find out along with certain clues.
- Set a time limit for the activity.
- Now, the group members should search for the items based on the clues given and get back within the allowed time limit.
Debrief
Discuss the decision-making strategies used by the groups during the activity. Also, ask each group to share their experience and what they learned from the activity.
#8. Spider’s Web
The goal of this activity is to move through the spider web from one side to the other without touching it.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: String, rope, or yarn to form the spider web
Participants: Any number of individuals in a group
Instructions
- Create a spider’s web between two trees using duct tape or Nylon cord.
- Instruct the group members to stand on one side of the spider’s web.
- Now, group members must travel to the other side of the web without touching it. They are not allowed to travel over, under, or around it.
- If somebody touches the web, ask him to go back and restart again.
Debrief
Figure out the strategies used by each group to solve this problem. Ask them how they came up with the solution and what other solutions could have been used.
#9. The Great Egg Drop
The goal of this game is to build a structure that protects the eggs while dropping from a certain height.
Time: You decide
Materials: Cardboard, paper, tape, scissors, and eggs
Participants: Any number of members in a group
Instructions
- Instruct each group to find several materials to build a structure.
- Give some time for each group to plan their strategy and build the structure by putting the egg inside.
- Once this is done, tell them to drop the structure from at least 10 feet in height.
- Check how many groups have survived their eggs successfully? If there is more than one group, then the one that utilizes fewer materials for building the structure can be declared the winner.
Debrief
Compare each group’s outcomes and discuss different methods of problem solving. Also, discuss the importance of planning and being mindful of how resources are used.
#10. Toxic Waste
The goal of this activity is to neutralize toxic waste and save the world. Here each team should transfer the toxic waste from the radiation zone to the safe zone without causing any harm to its members.
Time: You decide
Materials: Balls, Buckets, and Ropes
Participants: 3-8 members in each team
Instructions
- Form a circle of 8 feet in diameter with a rope and place a small bucket with balls (toxic waste) in the middle to represent the radiation zone.
- Create a safe zone by placing a large bucket (neutralization bucket) around 30 feet away from the radiation zone.
- Instruct the teams to neutralize the toxic waste by transferring it from the radiation zone to the safe zone within a certain time. They must maintain a safe distance from the radiation zone during this time.
- Now, give the teams two ropes to transfer the toxic waste, and also allow them 5 minutes for planning. Then, they can execute their plans.
- Finally, see the results.
Debrief
Discuss how each team approached the task and how teamwork played a crucial role in completing it. Also, emphasize the importance of planning before executing any task.
Want Some Unique Team Building Activities?
If you want some unique activities (both in person and virtual) for your employees, you can get my new e-book:
Or Want Some Unique Leadership Development Activities?
If you want some unique activities to equip your employees with leadership skills, qualities, and mindset, you can get my new e-book:
Final Words
By engaging in the above activities, employees can develop their problem solving and decision making skills. Thus, it is important to include them in any team building sessions. This will not only help build trust among your employees but will also help them become better problem solvers and more effective communicators. Ultimately, this will lead to stronger teamwork and overall success for the organization.
Like this article on “Top 10 Team Building Problem Solving Activities”? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Looking for scavanger hunt for our CPA Firm retreat in solvang. Please call my cell
626 394 1486
Mike
Hi Mike, Thanks for reaching out. Please check your email. Thanks