WorkPlace Department Perception - TeamBuilding Activity

Organizational Perception Charts

Materials:
Multi-Colored markers
3 flip charts per department

Objective:
For team members to explore their perceptions of the other departments and for departments to explore their perceptions of other departments.

Additionally for departments to explain their role to people who are not in their department.

Preparation:
Prepare three flip chart pages per/dept and write the name of the department on the top of the flip chart paper.

Below the department title split each page into 3 sections and label these sections;
Feel free to alter any and all of these.

• High Points
• Low Points
• Goals

Tape these flip chart papers to the walls and allow plenty of room between papers for people to write and move around.

Instructions and Facilitator Script:
In a moment you are going to work as individuals on this following task.
You will see that we have affixed flip charts with each of the departments here today.
I am going to ask all of you to spend about 15 minutes walking to each department and listing what you feel are that departments;

• High Points
• Low Points
• Goals.

Please write on every department except the one you work for.
Please be honest and share your knowledge of the other departments.

Following the 15 minutes of writing on the flip charts please sit with your department, take down the flip chart papers about your department and spend about 10 minutes as a department discussing what others have written and perceive about your department.

Take time as a department and reflect and question each other as to why other people would perceive and not perceive these things about your team.

After the 10 minute discussion each department will have time to explore, clarify, define, and answer to what the perception of their department is.

Facilitator Notes:
With this be careful and ask the participants to keep an open mind.
If you feel that this will turn into a negative complaint-fest then DON’T DO IT.

Department and Teams can be insulted and challenged when faced with how others perceive what they do.
Work is a very personal thing to people, respect that and encourage the people to also respect that.
Do not rush this activity, allow it to move slow and take time.


Potential Processing Questions:
• What were some key items that you noticed during this time?
• What areas of our work could our own teams be blind too?
• How can we increase the knowledge of what is happening inside the organization?
• What are some factors that cause departments to have incorrect perceptions?
• In what ways can this incorrect perception affect our organization?
• How can we change this?
• How can knowledge of other departments high points, low points, Goals, etc… enhance our work and increase customer satisfaction?
• What are we going to do with this knowledge?
• What actions can we take when in the office to change these perceptions?



-Michael Cardus is the founder of Create-Learning-Team Building, an experiential based training and development consulting organization, as well as a blogger for TeamBuilding NY. Mike specializes in team development and leadership development consulting and training, creating team-building programs that retain talented staff members, increase production and effectiveness of your team. He lives in Buffalo, NY, and travels to you to serve your team-building and leadership training needs, wherever and whenever fits your schedule.