Team exercise on "Trust in the Team System"

POSITIVITY – TRUST

„TRUST IN THE TEAM SYSTEM“ Exercise

TEAM: not more than 15 members

ENVIRONMENT: a large room, with closed doors for the team to feel safe.

The exercise should not be done too early in the process – TRUST issue should be called up by the team and the participation needs to be agreed on with the team.

MATERIALS: A4 paper

TIME: 1 -2 hrs depending on te size of the team and the number of questions asked. AFTER SEEING THE POLAR GRAPH. After „The Best Team“ exercise.

PURPOSE:
1. TO HELP TEAM REALISE WHAT IS THE REAL LEVEL LEVEL OF TRUST ON THE TEAM.
2. To start the trust building trust and reveal some needs for particular actions to have a higher level of trust developed.

CONTENT:
1. Distribute A4 pieces of white paper among team members.
2. Write TRUST on one piece with large, well visible letters.
3. Place that TRUST piece of paper somwhere inthe middle of an empty space.4
4. Invite the team: Stand around TRUST piece of paper and find enough space for yourself. The sheet of paper you hold is your „here and now“. Get a feeling of the level of trust on this team. How far is it from a full, 100% trust on a BEST TEAM? Place your „here and now“ piece of paper on the floor as far from the center „TRUST“ piece of paper as you feel it is an appropriate picture of that difference. Step on it.
The questions below are a suggestion. Exact questions depend on the coach feeling of the team’s direction of discovery.
1. What do you see? What does it tell you? How do you feel?
2. What are the three most important things that influence what you see?
3. Which one holds the most power?
4. What wants to happen here?
5. What do you, as a team member, choose?
6. What is the possibility for the team resulting from your choice?

Coach asks one question at a time. Do not do more than 3-4 questions.

Summary: all team seated on the chairs.
1. Coach asks: What has just now happened here?
2. Then divides the team into small groups and invites them to discuss the exercise briefly and put together a short list of 3-4 conclusions from the exercise. How can we have more trust? What do I need to have more trust?
3. The team creates a list of actions to increase trust.