Metaphors

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Examine a shared problem or project through the mechanics of an unrelated topic to surface overlooked assumptions and practical solutions.

Use it when: Use during a project review or problem-solving session when a team feels stuck or repeats the same explanations.

Skip it when: Skip during acute operational crises where immediate factual triage is required, or when team members do not yet share a defined subject to examine.

Group arrangement: Small groups of 3 to 5 participants, followed by whole-room debrief

Timing: Source suggests 60 to 180 minutes; UWT provides a focused 45-minute modular version suited to typical working sessions.

Materials and tools

• 1 worksheet per participant or blank notepad paper
• Pens or markers
• 1 timer for the facilitator
• 1 shared flipchart or digital whiteboard for summary notes

Before participants arrive

1. Select one specific challenge, team process, or project for the session.
2. Write the focus subject clearly on the board before participants arrive.

Say this to open

Today we are looking at our project through a metaphor, which means understanding one thing in terms of another. We will compare our current workflow to something completely outside our field. For example, if our focus is our quarterly onboarding cycle, we might compare it to running a restaurant kitchen or maintaining a bicycle. This highlights details we take for granted. You will work individually first, then test the idea with your small group.

How to run it

1. Introduce topic and select metaphor 5 minutes

   State the shared focus topic. Introduce two or three unrelated domains, such as a community garden, a busy restaurant kitchen, or a regional rail network, or let groups choose their own external domain. Give one neutral example: 'If our customer service queue is like an airport baggage carousel, what is the luggage, what causes the jam, and who handles lost items?' Groups confirm their chosen metaphor domain.

2. Individual mapping 10 minutes

   Participants write silently on their worksheets or paper. Ask them to map three columns: parts of the metaphor, corresponding parts of our project, and what breaks or works well in the metaphor. Participants can write as much or as little detail as they prefer.

3. Small group dialogue 15 minutes

   In groups of 3 to 5, participants share their comparisons. Each person takes up to 2 minutes to explain their view or choose to listen. The group identifies two structural similarities and one practical lesson that applies directly to their actual project. A volunteer in each group records these insights on index cards or paper.

4. Synthesis and whole-room debrief 15 minutes

   Call the room together. Invite one spokesperson from up to three groups to share one practical insight derived from their metaphor. Facilitator captures distinct operational insights on the main room board. Run the debrief questions to close.

Debrief questions

• Which part of the metaphor matched our real situation uncomfortably well?
• Where did the comparison fall apart, and what does that breakdown tell us about our actual work?
• What is one concrete change we can test based on this new view?

Finished output: A list of group-generated insights and at least two practical workflow adjustments recorded on the shared board.

Remote

Use breakout rooms of 3 to 5 people. Supply a digital document or shared whiteboard board with pre-made columns for Parts of the Metaphor, Parts of the Project, and Actionable Lessons. Keep plenary timer visible.

Hybrid

Pair remote attendees together in dedicated virtual breakout rooms or ensure in-person pods have one laptop with external microphone to include a single remote colleague. Capture all group notes onto a single shared online board so both physical and remote participants see results simultaneously.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may draw diagrams instead of writing text during the individual mapping phase.
• Anyone may pass on speaking during the small group or plenary rounds without needing to explain why.

If the session gets stuck

A group gets caught in technical trivia about the metaphor instead of linking it back to the project.

Intervene gently and ask: 'What does that specific part represent in our actual day-to-day workflow?'

Participants feel the metaphor is too silly or inaccurate.

Remind the group that metaphors are meant to break down. Ask where the metaphor fails, as that boundary often reveals unique constraints of the real work.

Terms used here

• Metaphor: A comparison that understands or describes one subject in terms of an unrelated second subject.