Team Sim: Best Approaches for Your Team

A common issue in Team Sim exercises is when one player works in isolation, leaving others behind and missing the chance to build key team skills. To get the most out of a Team Sim exercise, the focus should be on teamwork – it’s in the name!

Whether your team is meeting for the first time or has worked together every day for many years, here are some common characteristics and actions I’ve consistently seen in the best-performing teams:

1. Team leader

Regardless of the person’s day-to-day role, a nominated team leader is the essential glue for any team. Some responsibilities I’ve seen effective team leaders adopt include chairing discussions, driving the group to a consensus and a clear decision, being the team’s representative for exercise manager communications, ensuring the team stays organized, and encouraging a positive experience for every member.

2. Pre-exercise team meeting

A good plan will start the team on solid footing. High-performing teams bring everyone together before starting the exercise to agree on the approaches and rules of engagement. If you’re meeting the team for the first time, taking the time for introductions is critical to a comfortable environment.

3. Clear communication channels

Establishing clear communications for sharing technical information and virtual conferencing details (if required). We recommend setting up a temporary private messaging group in your organization’s approved communications platform. Every team member should know how and where to ask questions or ask for support.

4. Blocked out exercise time

Depending on how you approach the exercise (more on this later), teams that reserve time in their calendars in advance tend to have greater attendance and engagement.

The effectiveness of team exercises depends on factors like team size, communication medium (in-person, virtual, or hybrid), time zones, skill levels, and goals. For example, do you want to put a well-known team to the test or have junior members learn from experienced analysts? 

In the spirit of collaboration, we have some tried and tested team approaches that we know work well in bringing people together. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, so bear this in mind when thinking about what works best for you and your team. 

One Team

This involves the entire team working through the exercise together, either in person or virtually, maintaining constant communication and progressing at the same pace. This is the most common approach and is great for information sharing and peer learning. However, in larger teams, there’s a higher risk of some members falling behind, reducing their engagement.

 

Chairperson

Somewhat contrary to our earlier sentiments, this approach requires players to conduct portions of the exercise tasks alone, before coming together as a team during regular checkpoint meetings to discuss and validate each other's answers and findings. The team must agree on an answer before a chairperson submits the answer to a question in Team Sim. This is a slower approach, but it provides every player a chance to experience the whole exercise while encouraging knowledge sharing and exposure to different approaches and styles.

Relay

This is best for geographically split teams and perfect for exercising handover communication! Teams work on segments (e.g., specific time blocks or question sets) and pass their findings to the next team. Handoffs should mirror real incidents, addressing findings, uncertainties, and further investigations. A post-exercise debrief is a great opportunity to review and improve handover processes and communication skills.

Team Strengths

No two people are the same, and you may have specialists or people with particular strengths you can lean on. As you progress through the exercise and require different skills and knowledge, engaging those specialists can be an effective way to tackle a problem as a true team. Identify those strengths early on so you know what's in your team’s arsenal! Want a challenge? Do the opposite and encourage the team to use the skills they find challenging!

If you want to save a copy of these approach ideas, check out our Team Sim Player Guide, which you can download and share. 

Share your thoughts

This isn’t an exhaustive list of approaches; be creative with your team to find what works best for you. If you’ve participated in a Team Sim exercise before, let us know your tips for creating a top-class team dynamic!