Alone and Together

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Compare personal satisfaction and problem-solving experience when performing an identical analytical task alone versus in a team.

Use it when: Use during team formation, retrospectives, or workflow design workshops to help teams assess when to collaborate and when to assign solo work.

Skip it when: Skip when the group is working through an urgent real-world crisis or when participants require a domain-specific exercise rather than a logic puzzle.

Group arrangement: An even number of teams (2, 4, or 6 teams). Teams may have 2 to 6 participants each. Uneven overall counts are handled by letting one team have an extra participant. Half the teams work collaboratively while the other half work solo, then they swap conditions for round two.

Timing: Original source states 20 to 40 minutes. UWT run sheet standardizes the duration to 25 minutes.

Materials and tools

• One copy of Mini Sudoku Rules and Example per participant
• Puzzle 1 Team handouts (one copy per collaborative team)
• Puzzle 1 Solo handouts (one copy per person in solo teams)
• Puzzle 1 Solution sheets (one copy per participant)
• Puzzle 2 Team handouts (one copy per collaborative team)
• Puzzle 2 Solo handouts (one copy per person in solo teams)
• Puzzle 2 Solution sheets (one copy per participant)
• Optional Letter Grid versions of Puzzles 1 and 2 with solutions for accessible choice
• One pencil per participant
• One countdown timer
• One chime or bell

Before participants arrive

1. Print puzzle sheets, instruction handouts, and solution keys according to group count.
2. Organize the room into an even number of small table clusters (2, 4, or 6 tables).

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we will explore the real trade-offs between working alone and collaborating as a team. We will solve two mini sudoku puzzles. In each three-minute round, half our teams will work together on a single page, passing the pencil with every entry. The other half will work alone in complete silence. Afterwards, you will rate your personal satisfaction from 1 to 5.

How to run it

1. Introduce rules with walk-through example 4 minutes

   Distribute the Mini Sudoku Rules and Example handout. Explain that every row, column, and 2x2 box must contain the digits 1 through 4 exactly once (or letters A through D for those choosing the letter variant). Point out the walk-through example on the sheet. Confirm everyone understands the constraint logic. Check for questions before splitting into teams.

2. Run round one under split conditions 5 minutes

   Form an even number of teams (for example, two or four teams). If participant numbers are odd, assign the extra person to any team. Designate half as Team Solving and half as Solo Solving. Give each Team Solving group one sheet. They must talk aloud and pass the pencil after every number entered. Give Solo Solving participants one sheet each to solve in silence. Start the 3-minute timer. Stop on time, distribute Solution 1, and have everyone record a score from 1 (frustrated) to 5 (energized) on their sheet.

3. Run round two with reversed conditions 5 minutes

   Reverse roles. Teams that worked collaboratively now receive individual sheets and work in silence. Teams that worked solo now receive one shared sheet per team, speaking aloud and passing the pencil after each entry. Start the 3-minute timer. When time expires, hand out Solution 2. Ask each person to write down their 1 to 5 satisfaction rating for round two.

4. Discuss reactions in small groups 5 minutes

   Have participants discuss their two ratings with their immediate tablemates. Ask them to compare: How did your score change between solo and joint solving? What felt easier or harder about each structure? Give each person time to share their impressions within their small group.

5. Facilitate full room reflection 6 minutes

   Reconvene the full room. Ask three or four volunteers to share whether their satisfaction score rose or fell when moving between solo and group work. Highlight how individual speed, peer communication, and task familiarity influenced their experience. Connect insights to practical workplace decisions about when to delegate solo tasks versus gathering a team.

Debrief questions

• Did your satisfaction score increase or decrease when you moved from solo work to group work?
• What types of operational tasks benefit from joint collaboration, and which work better independently?
• How did prior familiarity with the puzzle format influence your comfort under each condition?

Finished output: Each participant generates two personal satisfaction ratings (1 to 5) contrasting individual versus team puzzle solving, resulting in small-group takeaways on task allocation.

Remote

Group collaborative participants into breakout rooms of 2 to 4 people with one shared collaborative document link. Keep solo participants in the main room with microphones muted. Run the 3-minute timer centrally. Collect ratings through an anonymous poll or direct chat message.

Hybrid

Keep in-person participants at distinct tables and place remote participants into virtual breakout rooms. Ensure remote solo workers mute their microphones while in-person solo teams work silently at their desks. Collect reaction ratings via a shared digital whiteboard or chat.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use an alternate letter grid (A, B, C, D) instead of numbers to avoid numeracy strain.
• Anyone may decline to disclose their 1 to 5 satisfaction rating to the room.
• Participants who wish to bypass timed problem solving may choose to serve as timekeepers or solution checkers.

If the session gets stuck

A participant experiences anxiety around numbers.

Provide the letter-based alternative grid immediately, using symbols A, B, C, and D.

One participant monopolizes the pencil during the collaborative round.

Reiterate the rule: the pencil must pass to the next team member after every single number written.

Terms used here

• Mini Sudoku: A 4x4 logic grid where every row, column, and 2x2 box must contain four unique symbols without repeats.