Duct Tape Game

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Test how working within a single rigid constraint influences group problem-solving and idea generation.

Use it when: Use as a light warm-up before a problem-solving session to break rigid thinking habits and illustrate creative constraints.

Skip it when: Skip when the group is working on serious crises that require technical feasibility, or when participants need direct analytical planning rather than playful lateral thinking.

Group arrangement: Subgroups of 3 to 5 participants (at group_max 24, form 5 to 6 subgroups; odd headcounts flex to 5 to avoid isolated leftovers)

Timing: UWT 15-minute pacing based on the 5-minute problem brainstorm in TrainerBubble sources.

Materials and tools

• 1 flipchart pad or whiteboard
• Marker pens (1 per small group)
• Scratch paper or sticky notes (1 pad per small group)
• Optional: 1 roll of duct tape as a physical visual prop

Before participants arrive

1. Set up a flipchart or whiteboard visible to the whole room.
2. Arrange seating into small groups of 3 to 5 people.
3. Distribute scratch paper and markers to each group table.

Say this to open

We are going to practice creative problem-solving under a tight constraint. First, we will name common everyday workplace friction points. Then, each team will solve them using exactly one tool: duct tape. You can apply the tape literally, symbolically, or humorously, but duct tape must be the core mechanism.

How to run it

1. List common problems 4 minutes

   Deliver the opening script. Ask groups to call out everyday workplace or daily friction points. Write 4 to 6 concise examples on the flipchart. Neutral examples include: nobody reads the staff handbook, coffee mugs get misplaced, or recurring status meetings run 15 minutes over time.

2. Draft duct tape solutions 5 minutes

   Assign each small group 1 or 2 problems from the flipchart list. Teams spend 5 minutes inventing solutions that rely entirely on duct tape. Instruct them to think beyond literal repairs to absurd or symbolic uses. For example, taping the handbook cover to a laptop lid led to making it a permanent digital home screen.

3. Share group pitches 3 minutes

   Have each subgroup present one favorite duct tape solution in 20 seconds or less. With up to 6 subgroups, this takes 2 minutes, leaving 1 minute to transition between speakers.

4. Debrief the constraint 3 minutes

   Facilitate a short group reflection on how the duct tape limit affected idea generation. Ask the debrief questions and take 2 or 3 brief observations from volunteers.

Debrief questions

• Did having only one tool make generating ideas harder or easier than starting with an open field?
• Which ideas revealed an underlying useful principle once you looked past the absurd duct tape mechanism?
• How can placing an artificial boundary help when a real project feels stuck?

Finished output: A list of 4 to 6 identified problems paired with creative constraint-based solutions generated by small groups.

Remote

Run on a shared digital whiteboard with separate problem and solution frames. In Step 1, participants post problems on digital sticky notes in the main room. Move participants into breakout rooms of 3 to 5 for 5 minutes in Step 2 to generate duct tape solutions on digital sticky notes. Return to the main room for rapid verbal sharing and debrief.

Hybrid

All participants share a single digital whiteboard displayed on the main room screen. Remote participants work in virtual breakouts while in-person subgroups draft ideas on physical notes at tables. Each in-person subgroup nominates a scribe with a laptop to post their final duct tape ideas onto the shared digital board before group pitches.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may contribute ideas verbally, in writing on sticky notes, or via digital chat.
• Any participant may observe without presenting an idea during the rapid share phase.

If the session gets stuck

Groups offer only literal fixes, such as repairing broken chairs.

Prompt them to use duct tape metaphorically, visually, or procedurally, such as taping a reminder to a monitor or marking quiet zones on the floor.

One team gets stuck trying to be realistic and finds no solution.

Remind them that exaggerated, impossible, or humorous proposals are encouraged as stepping stones to fresh thinking.

Terms used here

• Creative constraint: An intentional boundary or rule placed on a problem to force alternative ways of thinking.