Delegation Poker

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Compare perspectives on decision authority and record agreed delegation levels for recurring team situations.

Use it when: Use when a team and manager need to establish shared expectations for recurring decisions and team autonomy.

Skip it when: Skip when decision authority is strictly mandated by law or company policy with no room for team autonomy.

Group arrangement: Small groups of 3 to 7 participants running parallel rounds.

Timing: UWT suggested duration for 2 decision rounds plus group debrief.

Materials and tools

• One set of 7 Delegation Poker cards numbered 1 to 7 per participant
• One copy of the Delegation Levels Reference Sheet per group
• One blank Delegation Board template or flip chart per group
• One marker pen per group

Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut 1 to 7 card decks for each participant.
2. Provide one Delegation Levels Reference Sheet with sample scenarios to each table.
3. Draw a seven-column Delegation Board labeled 1 through 7 on flip chart paper for each group.

Say this to open

Delegation is not an on-off switch. It spans seven levels, from telling to full delegation. We will read a decision scenario, pick a card privately, and reveal together. The goal is to talk through our differences and settle on clear decision boundaries.

How to run it

1. Introduce the seven levels 5 minutes

   Distribute card sets numbered 1 to 7 to all participants. Review the seven levels: 1 Tell, 2 Sell, 3 Consult, 4 Agree, 5 Advise, 6 Inquire, and 7 Delegate. Read the opening script and confirm everyone understands the definitions on the reference sheet.

2. Round 1 scenario and vote 8 minutes

   One person at each table reads Scenario A aloud. Each participant privately chooses one card reflecting their preferred delegation level. When called, everyone reveals their card at the same time. Check whether votes cluster together or spread across the spectrum.

3. Discuss and score round 1 7 minutes

   The person with the highest card and the person with the lowest card each share their reasoning. Apply the Highest Minority rule: if an isolated player chose the highest card alone, that card scores zero points, while all others score face value. The group discusses and records the agreed level, or a narrow range if perspectives remain split, on their Delegation Board.

4. Repeat for round 2 8 minutes

   Read Scenario B aloud. Participants choose cards privately and reveal simultaneously. Outlying bidders explain their rationale. Award points while checking for isolated high minorities. The group agrees on an autonomy level or range and records Scenario B under that column on the Delegation Board.

5. Debrief and close 7 minutes

   Gather the whole room. Review the boards across groups. Take up to 3 observations on where expectations diverged most and how clarifying decision boundaries supports team delivery.

Debrief questions

• Where was the gap between the highest and lowest card widest, and what caused the split?
• How does separating 'advise' from 'consult' clarify who actually owns the final decision?
• What is one recurring team decision we should add to our active Delegation Board next week?

Finished output: A completed Delegation Board displaying agreed delegation levels or ranges for tested decision scenarios.

Remote

Distribute a digital whiteboard containing private voting areas or a poll with options 1 through 7. Place participants into breakout rooms of 3 to 7. Participants submit hidden picks, reveal simultaneously, discuss outliers, and move scenario sticky notes under columns 1 through 7 on the shared digital board.

Hybrid

Keep in-person participants at physical tables and remote participants in virtual breakout rooms. Both cohorts use an identical digital Delegation Board so in-person and remote teams view and record scenario placements in a unified format.

Access and participation choices

• Provide large-print text reference sheets listing all 7 levels alongside the numbered cards.
• Participants may pass on explaining their vote and defer to a peer without penalty.
• Participants may reveal choices via written slip or digital poll rather than speaking.

If the session gets stuck

One person dominates discussion and pressures others toward a single number.

Enforce the turn rule: only the highest and lowest card holders speak first, with a strict two-minute limit each.

The group cannot reach a consensus number after discussion.

Record the decision as a range such as Level 3 to 4 on the board and set a 30-day review date to evaluate how it works in practice.

Terms used here

• Highest Minority: A scoring rule where an isolated player who bids higher than everyone else gets zero points, discouraging unsupported over-delegation.
• Delegation Board: A visual chart with seven columns corresponding to the delegation levels, displaying which decision types sit at each tier.