SEE HOW YOUR TEAMS REALLY WORK

What we see: A team member finds a folded note, reads it, and puts it in a pocket to “come back to later”. The rest of the team spends nine minutes searching for exactly that information.

What it usually signals: Information is treated as personal rather than shared. Common in teams where being the one who knows is rewarded more than being the one who tells.

Debrief question: “At what point did you decide the note was not worth announcing? What would have happened if you had read it out loud?”

Development area: Transparent communication and psychological safety.

What we see: The whole team crowds around a single four digit lock, each person trying combinations over the others’ shoulders. Two puzzles on the far wall have not been touched.

What it usually signals: No task allocation and a bias towards the visible problem. Effort is duplicated while the real bottleneck is ignored.

Debrief question: “Who decided that lock was the priority? Did anyone say it out loud, or did you all just drift there?”

Development area: Delegation, prioritisation and situational awareness.

What we see: Person A tries 4 7 1 2 and fails. Person B, who was not watching, tries it two minutes later. Person C tries it again at minute 26.

What it usually signals: No shared record of what has been ruled out. The team is busy but not learning as a unit.

Debrief question: “How did you keep track of what had already failed? What would a shared system have looked like?”

Development area: Closing communication loops and building shared mental models.

What we see: The most senior person in the room states a theory early and with authority. By minute 30 three clues contradict it. The team keeps trying to make the theory fit rather than challenge it.

What it usually signals: Hierarchy overriding evidence. The cost of correcting the boss feels higher than the cost of being stuck.

Debrief question: “When did you first suspect the theory was wrong? What stopped you from saying so?”

Development area: Speaking up, receiving challenge and sunk cost awareness.

What we see: The team is fully stuck. Some want to ask the Game Master for a hint. Others see it as failure. Six minutes are lost to the argument before anyone presses the button.

What it usually signals: How the team relates to help and to external resources. Some teams never ask and run out of time. Some ask immediately and never build resilience.

Debrief question: “What did asking for help cost you emotionally? What did not asking cost you in time?”

Development area: Resourcefulness, ego management and decision speed.

What we see: Fifteen minutes to go. Everyone is talking at once and louder than before. Instructions are shouted across the room and misheard. Two people are now doing the same task.

What it usually signals: Stress response replaces structure. The team has no agreed way to communicate under pressure, so it defaults to noise.

Debrief question: “Who was actually coordinating in the last fifteen minutes? Did the team need a single voice, and who should it have been?”

Development area: Communication under pressure and role clarity.

What we see: In the final rush a team member who barely spoke all game says “I think it is the painting” and is right. On the log, they first pointed at the painting at minute 20. Nobody responded.

What it usually signals: Ideas are filtered by who says them, not by what is said. The team is losing its best thinking to its loudest voices.

Debrief question: “What would it have taken for the group to hear that idea at minute 20?”

Development area: Inclusion, active listening and idea evaluation.