Escape Room Enthusiasts: Team Building or Group Torture?

When Locking Up Your Team Leads to Unexpected Revelations
Imagine being locked in a room filled with cryptic puzzles and the only escape is to harness the collective brainpower of your team. This is the reality of an escape room event - touted as a fun team-building exercise. But when people from various companies are thrown together, as we experienced in a recent project team event, the outcomes can be hilariously mixed.

Last week, our project team, comprising folks from several different companies, decided to try an escape room as a team-building activity. It sounded like a brilliant idea - until we actually got locked in. As the clock ticked away, it quickly became evident that what was supposed to be a bonding experience was turning into a comic spectacle of confusion and frustration.

The finance expert from Company A was more interested in analyzing the cost-effectiveness of the room’s decorations than in solving puzzles. Meanwhile, the IT guru from Company B had started mentally debugging the electronic lock system rather than focusing on the clues. And let’s not forget the marketing intern who believed every prop was a metaphor for life and tried to philosophize rather than participate actively.

Halfway through, with not a single puzzle solved, the existential dread set in. Was this a team-building exercise or a group experiment on stress endurance? The concept of working together was tested not just by the puzzles themselves, but by the sheer diversity in thinking styles and problem-solving approaches within our mixed team.

By the end, laughter was our main escape as we accepted our fate. We didn’t solve the escape room in time, but we certainly uncovered a lot about how differently we all approach problems and stress. So, was the escape room a success? If the goal was to learn about each other’s quirks and idiosyncrasies under pressure, then absolutely - just maybe not in the way the organizers intended!

Through all the chaos, there was a valuable takeaway: understanding and leveraging the diverse perspectives in a team is crucial. Even if we didn’t escape the room, we definitely left with a better grasp of team dynamics and a few funny stories to share back at the office.

Ready to unlock your team's potential in a less confining setting? Discover how AGILIS can help you build effective, collaborative teams that thrive on diversity and creativity. Contact us today!
 
Christophe
18.03.2024
Christophe Berger
Christophe is founder and CEO of AGILIS. Besides his work as consultant and manager, he is always observing the business word and adores commenting on subject that seem relevant to him.