Circles and Soup
The goal of the game is to efficiently form high-quality plans through retrospective analysis by recognizing factors that are within the team’s control.
Goal
Identify factors related to a project that the team controls.
Materials
Instructions
Preparation
1. Before your meeting, collect sticky notes or 3×5 notecards. In a white space (a poster, whiteboard, etc.), draw three concentric circles, leaving enough room between each one to place the notes. Each circle represents a different element:
- Inner circle: “Team Controls” – what your team can directly manage
- Middle circle: “Team Influences” –persuasive actions that your team can take to move ahead
- Outer circle: “The Soup” – elements that cannot be changed. This term refers to the environment we work in and have adapted to. Ideas from the other 2 circles can identify ways to respond to the barriers floating in our “soup.”
Flow
- Hand out the sticky notes to your internal team members and describe the significance of each circle.
- Allow time for each person to write their ideas on sticky notes. Once finished, ask them to post their notes into the respective circles.
- As a group, collaborate to identify how each idea can be used to improve your project. Ask team members to expand on their ideas in order to further develop potential plans.
Note: A neutral facilitator is recommended to keep the activity from becoming too emotional. Evaluating negative aspects of your project is a sensitive but necessary exercise, and can leave people feeling upset or hopeless. Avoid any discussions about blaming people or wishing something would happen. Keep the atmosphere fun and enjoyable so people will feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
Background
Source: Gamestorming
Author
Gamestorming is a set of co-creation tools used by innovators around the world. Think back to the last time you played a game. What was the game? Why did you choose to play? Was it a simple game like tic-tac-toe, or something more complex, like Monopoly, Scrabble or Chess? Or maybe it was a game of basketball? Did you play with friends? With family? Try to recapture the feeling you had as you played the game. How did it feel? Would you like to have more of that feeling at work? Games come naturally to human beings. Playing a game is a way of exploring the world, a form of structured play, a natural learning activity that’s deeply tied to growth. Games can be fun and entertaining, but games can have practical benefits too. These games are designed to help you get more innovative, creative results in your work. We’ll show you not only how to play them but how to design them so they fit your own specific work goals.
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