60–75 minutes (30 minutes to play, 10–15 minutes to report results, 20–30 for debriefing)
Work L–M P, T, O, D, M
1. To explore the behavioral applications of five important team values
2. To practice turning invisible values into observable behaviors
3. To brainstorm ideas on values as related to teamwork, the organization, or the customer.
• Five value envelopes
• Five index cards for each team
• Flipchart and tape
• A whistle and a timer
• Prize (if Optional Process 1 is used)
1. Organize the participants into five teams. Briefly identify the five values the teams will be discussing; for example, trust, diversity, customer service, quality, integrity, or any five values that are relevant to this group of participants. (Note: If you are working with an organization or team that has written core values, select five of their written values to enhance the relevance.)
2. Give each team an envelope that has one of the five values written on the outside. Inside you will have placed five blank index cards.
3. Round 1: Each team discusses the value shown on their envelope. Give them three minutes to discuss specific behaviors in their workplace that exemplify the value on their envelope. Ask them to generate as many behaviors as possible during the time allotted and to list those behaviors on one of the index cards. At the end of the round, teams will place their index cards into the value envelope and pass the envelope to the next group.
4. Rounds 2–5: Repeat the same process. Each time, the teams discuss the value on the envelope and list specific behaviors that demonstrate the value on a blank index card. They should not look at the applications suggested by other teams.
5. Round 6: Now give the teams their original envelopes. Ask them to combine all of the ideas on the cards and record them on a piece of newsprint to be posted and reported to the entire group. Allow approximately 10 minutes for this process.
6. Each team reports to the group the behaviors that have been identified as demonstrating the value they have been assigned.
1. What happened as you identified behaviors that demonstrated each value? Which values were easiest to identify behaviors for? Hardest? Why?
2. How did you feel about the process?
3. What differences emerged in the group as you described behaviors that demonstrate certain values?
4. What did you learn?
5. How can you apply this learning to your everyday work?
1. We often assume we know what a specific behavior means, or how to express a certain value.
2. Individuals may see the same value in different behaviors or different values in the same behavior.
3. We tend to jump to conclusions (often unconsciously) about what value is being expressed by a behavior.
4. The more behaviorally specific we can be in our expectations, the more likely people are to meet those expectations. Broad value expectations can lead to misinterpretations, judgments, and conflict.
5. Organization or team expectations are not often examined to determine how they affect employee diversity or inclusion.
Option 1—A Competitive Approach. During Round 6, ask teams to evaluate the behaviors on the five cards in their envelope and to distribute a total of 100 points among the five cards. Allow approximately 10 minutes. Check with teams at the end of the 10 minutes to be sure they have had adequate time to evaluate the responses.
Each team will report the value written on their envelope and then share the behaviors written on each index card. The cards should be read from lowest- to highest-scoring cards. After reading the five cards, the team should announce the points that each received and the criteria used to determine the points.
All of the cards should be placed on a table in a line under the “value envelope.” A representative from each team should come to collect the cards from her or his team. Teams then total the points on their cards and announce their points. The highest-scoring team wins the prize.
Option 2—Organizational Implications (following Round 6). After the whole group has time to examine the behaviors listed, ask if any of the listed behaviors might get in the way of valuing diversity, or of being inclusive in an organization. Lead a discussion on issues raised by the group.
Ask if those behaviors that are identified are necessary to conducting the organization’s business in a safe, legal, productive, and cost-effective manner. If they are not, ask how the team or organization might modify their behavioral expectations. If the behaviors are necessary, ask how the team or organization can communicate the necessity for this behavioral expectation in a way that is respectful of employee differences.
Adapted from an activity presented by Sivasailam Thiagarajan at The Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication, 2000.