Effective Problem Solving Exercises

When there is effective communication between all the employees, it has a direct effect on the productivity and efficiency of the company, and thereby the performance of the organization as a whole. In this direction, there are several problem solving exercises used for team building and encouraging communication. And that is exactly what we will focus on.

Any organization needs to focus on including certain problem solving activities from time to time so that team building becomes possible. Here are some of these problem solving games and activities for adults that you can use:

The objective of the game is that they need to recreate that picture, 5 times the size of the original one. That is all the instruction should read. After the stipulated time has run, ask each participant to arrange the piece in the bigger picture. They'll find that the picture does not make a complete and equal one.

This will help the participants understand what it means to be working as a part of a department with other departments and the kind of problems that they can encounter. It will teach them how important communicating effectively is.

For this one, divide the people into equal number of teams. Each team has to then nominate a member from their team who is blindfolded. He/she is brought into an area that has a whole lot of objects scattered around the floor.

The objective of this game is that the tagged member has to find as many objects as possible from the floor, but since they cannot see what they are doing, the rest of the team has to help them by giving the member instructions. This game helps build effective communication in team members.

You'll find that when the whistle blows, more often than not, everyone will start the giving instructions at the same time and that'll confuse the tagged member. It is only through trial and error that they will reach a rapport that will help them understand each other and ensure success for an effective problem solving activity.

Have a small structure built from kids' blocks or paper mache that is simple and easy to replicate. Divide the participants into equal numbers and allot them to different teams. Provide them with the required material needed to replicate the exact structure.

At the blow of the first whistle, a representative from each team comes forward and observes the structure for a total of 15 seconds. When the whistle blows again, he has to return to his team and give them instructions on what the structure was about and how to duplicate it.

The whole exercise will last for an hour, in every 10-15 minutes (depending on the number of participants that there are) one participant comes forward to observe the structure and returns to the team to relate more details. At the end of the hour, the team that has been able to replicate the structure sufficiently well, wins.

This group problem solving activity is very effective in building effective communication among team members because it shows them how to work on a project as a team and the importance of communicating effectively to get their work done.

These were some of the most effective problem solving exercises that you can use to ensure increased communication and improved efficiency in any organization. Try these and you'll see how it opens the lines of communication among the team members.