10 Lateral Thinking Exercises for Corporate Teams

Lateral thinking exercises help teams approach a problem from a different direction. Instead of following the first familiar route, participants question assumptions, introduce another perspective or explore an unexpected connection.

The exercises below are suggested activities for workplace meetings and workshops. They are not a list of the exercises included in a particular Spy Games programme. Choose a real but manageable problem, explain its context and allow time to discuss what the activity reveals. The purpose is to find useful possibilities, rather than reward whoever produces the strangest answer.

1 Reverse the objective

Allow ten minutes. Ask the group how it could make a familiar process worse. For example, how could a team make a project handover as confusing as possible? Collect suggestions such as hiding the deadline, leaving ownership unclear or scattering information across different places.

Then reverse each suggestion into a possible improvement. Hiding the deadline becomes displaying it clearly beside the next action. The exercise can make everyday obstacles easier to recognise. Finish by choosing one reversal that addresses a problem the team actually experiences.

2 Identify the rule nobody checked

Give participants five minutes to list the rules they believe govern the problem. These might concern who approves a task, which tool must be used or when information has to be shared.

Sort the list into confirmed requirements and assumptions needing verification. Do not remove a rule simply because it is inconvenient. Instead, assign someone to check its basis. The value comes from discovering where the team has mistaken an inherited habit for a necessary constraint.

3 Generate three genuinely different routes

Present one clear objective and allow eight minutes for independent work. Ask each participant to propose three approaches that differ in method, rather than three versions of the same solution.

For a delayed internal update, alternatives might include a scheduled written summary, a shared live record or an exception-based notification. Compare how each option would work and who would use it. This exercise helps teams notice when apparent choice is limited to small variations around their first idea.

4 Borrow a method from another setting

Choose an unrelated but familiar setting, such as a restaurant kitchen, library or theatre. Ask what it does to coordinate people, organise information or prepare for busy periods.

Spend ten minutes exploring which principles might apply to your problem. A theatre’s rehearsal process could suggest testing a handover before a major launch. Treat the comparison as a source of questions, rather than proof that a borrowed method will work. Identify what would need adapting before trying it.

5 Describe the problem without workplace shorthand

Ask pairs to explain the problem in ordinary language to someone unfamiliar with the department. Allow six minutes and avoid internal acronyms or vague expressions such as improving alignment.

Then ask the listener to describe what they believe needs to change. Differences between the two accounts can expose an unclear objective. Agree a short description that states who is affected, what happens now and what a useful outcome would be. Clearer language can reveal choices previously hidden by jargon.

6 Work with a different constraint

Introduce a temporary condition: no additional meetings, no new software or only one page of instructions. Give the team eight minutes to develop an approach within it.

The constraint is an exploration tool, not an instruction to ignore real requirements. Removing a familiar option can make other possibilities easier to see. Afterwards, ask which parts of the idea remain useful when the artificial restriction is lifted. Keep the promising principle even if the complete solution needs to change.

7 Ask what the next person needs

Map a simple process and choose one handover. Invite participants to consider the person receiving the work: what must they know, what decisions must they make and what usually causes uncertainty?

Spend ten minutes designing the handover around those questions. Where possible, involve an actual recipient or check the proposal with them afterwards. This exercise shifts attention from completing an internal task to making its output useful. It can reveal why technically complete work still generates questions or delays.

8 Connect the problem to a random object

Choose an everyday object, such as an umbrella or a keyring. List its properties before discussing the workplace problem. An umbrella might suggest portability, shared shelter and opening only when needed.

Allow eight minutes to explore connections. Opening only when needed could inspire updates triggered by meaningful changes rather than routine messages. Most associations will not become useful ideas, which is fine. Select one promising connection and explain how it could improve the specific situation under discussion.

9 Draw two possible futures

Give participants paper and ten minutes to sketch two versions of a process: one where the problem continues and one where it has been addressed. Simple shapes and arrows are enough; drawing skill is irrelevant.

Ask them to identify the decisions that separate the two versions. Perhaps an early clarification prevents later rework, or a visible owner stops a task being passed around. Turning an abstract discussion into a sequence can expose a missing step. Offer a written alternative for anyone who prefers it.

10 Design the smallest useful test

Choose one idea and spend ten minutes deciding how to learn whether it helps. Specify the limited setting, the person responsible, the observation you will collect and the date for reviewing it.

For example, test a shorter handover template on one project and ask recipients whether essential information is easier to find. Agree what would lead you to keep, change or stop the trial. This exercise ensures creative discussion ends with a practical next step rather than an expanding list of suggestions.

Build a session around a useful question

For a short workshop, try explaining the problem, completing one or two exercises, comparing the ideas and agreeing a test. Leave room for quieter participants to think independently before discussion. Avoid trying to complete all ten activities simply because they appear on the list.

Spy Games’ Breakthrough Thinking programme explores creative approaches to problem solving and combines workshop activity with a team challenge in its published outline. Explore corporate team events to discuss a session suited to your group and objectives. Regular practice and thoughtful follow-up give new approaches a better chance of becoming useful at work.