Define your team identity to support decision-making and collaboration
Looking to strengthen your team alignment and effectiveness? This exercise helps teams define shared values and apply those principles to decision-making and collaboration.
Time Needed: ~60 minutes
Ideal Group Size: 6–12 participants
Materials:
- Pre-selected core values list (provided in pre-work)
- Sticky notes or a digital collaboration tool (Miro, MURAL, or a shared document)
- Flip chart or whiteboard for capturing key themes
- Timer to keep discussions focused
Step 1: Pre-work – Identifying team values
- Provide team members 20–30 potential values (e.g., integrity, excellence, flexibility, innovation, collaboration). Use this simple card-sorting tool to make pre-work easy and enjoyable!
- Ask each person to select the five values that best represent the team’s identity and how they hope to work together.
- Collect responses and look for shared values. Group similar values into nested themes (e.g., Honesty could nest under integrity, decisiveness could nest under leadership, etc.).
Step 2: Opening the session (10 min)
- Set the stage: Explain that this session is about defining the team’s identity and ensuring that values drive decision-making and collaboration.
- Present the top values/themes collected from pre-work. Display them visually.
Ask the group:
- “Do these themes resonate with how we see ourselves as a team?”
- “Are there any missing elements that should be considered?”
Step 3: How values show up in work (15 min)
Ask the group:
- “Where do you see these values showing up in our work?”
- “Can you share an example of a time when we embodied these values?”
- “What challenges do we face in consistently living these values?”
💡 Facilitator Tip: Encourage participants to provide real-world examples to ground the discussion in practical experiences.
Step 4: Connecting values to decision-making (15 min)
This part helps teams align values with how they make decisions and collaborate effectively.
Ask the group:
- “How should these values guide our decision-making as a team?”
- “How should our values guide collaboration with others?”
Step 5: List strategies (10 min)
Use sticky notes or a collaboration tool. Label each note or section with one of the top shared values. Participants list strategies supporting decision-making and collaboration according to each shared value.
Ask the group:
- “What strategies or practices can we adopt to ensure our values are reflected in how we work together and with others?”
- Prioritize: Quickly vote or rank the top 1–2 strategies to implement. Everyone circles or stars their top choices.
Step 6: Personal commitments and next steps (10 min)
Each participant commits to one action that aligns with the values and strategies discussed.
Ask the group:
- “What’s one thing you will do differently after this discussion?”
- “How can we hold each other accountable for our values in action?”
💡 Facilitator Tip: Write these commitments down and revisit them in a future check-in meeting.
Why this works
This exercise gives teams a structured yet flexible way to define and apply their identity to everyday decisions. By linking values to real-world scenarios, teams clarify how they work together—and what needs to change.