What is it?

A structured workshop that takes the insights from your Team Temperature Check and converts them into concrete, repeating patterns of friction. Instead of vague complaints or surface symptoms, the team identifies the 3-5 moments where things consistently go wrong, traces them back to specific triggers and behaviours, and distinguishes between what looks like the problem and what actually is the problem.

Why is it useful?

Most dysfunction repair fails because teams never get clear on what is actually broken. This workshop creates shared truth by helping teams see their patterns objectively, understand what drives recurring friction, and identify the highest-value changes that would make the biggest difference. It moves teams from abstract frustration to concrete action by naming the real issues beneath surface complaints.

Target Audience

• Team leaders who have run a Team Temperature Check and need to turn diagnostic data into actionable patterns
• Internal HR and L&D partners supporting teams that keep hitting the same problems repeatedly
• Consultants working with teams stuck in recurring conflict or communication breakdowns
• Project leads managing cross-functional groups where friction points are predictable but unresolved
• Any facilitator helping a team move from "we know something is wrong" to "we know exactly what to fix"

Workshop Objectives

• Identify the 3-5 recurring friction moments that create the most damage or drain
• Trace each friction pattern back to specific triggers, behaviours, and conditions
• Distinguish between surface symptoms and underlying root patterns
• Create a shared picture of what is actually broken versus what just looks broken
• Generate a shortlist of high-value changes the team can pursue in subsequent workshops

Summary

Duration: 120 mins
Group Size: 8-16 people
Format: In-person, highly interactive

Materials Needed

• Large wall space or multiple flip chart sheets
• Sticky notes in 4 different colours (enough for 8-10 notes per person)
• Markers (one per person)
• Printed Friction Mapping Template (one large version on the wall, see handout)
• Printed summary from the Team Temperature Check session
• Dot stickers or markers for voting (5 dots per person)
• Timer or phone for timekeeping
• A4 paper for individual reflection
• Printed Symptom vs Root Cause Guide (see handout)

Process

Step 1: Review the Temperature (10 mins)

Goal: Ground the team in what emerged from the previous session and set the focus for today's work.

Activity:

1. Welcome the team and briefly recap the Team Temperature Check session, highlighting the key themes that emerged across Energy, Trust, Clarity, and Communication.
2. Explain today's purpose: "Last time we took the temperature. Today we map the patterns. We are looking for the moments that keep happening, the triggers that set them off, and what is really going on beneath the surface."
3. Put the summary from the Temperature Check on the wall where everyone can see it.
4. Set the frame: "This session will feel more direct. We are going to name specific moments and dig into what drives them. That might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. We cannot fix what we cannot see clearly."
5. Remind the team: we focus on patterns and systems, not personalities or blame.
6. Outline the session structure so people know what to expect: friction moment collection, pattern clustering, deep dive mapping, symptom vs root cause analysis, and identifying the most valuable changes.

Debrief Questions:

• Does this feel like the right next step based on what came up last time?
• Is everyone clear on what we are trying to achieve today?

Step 2: Silent Individual Reflection (12 mins)

Goal: Give everyone time to think independently about friction patterns before group discussion begins.

Activity:

1. Hand out A4 paper and markers to everyone.
2. Ask the team to reflect silently on the past 3-6 months and think about moments where friction consistently shows up.
3. Put these prompts on a flip chart:
   • What situations keep causing problems?
   • When do things predictably go wrong?
   • What moments make you think "here we go again"?
   • What patterns from the Temperature Check keep showing up in day-to-day work?
4. Give them 10 minutes to write notes privately. Emphasise they are looking for repeating patterns, not one-off incidents.
5. Let them know they will use these notes in the next activity, but will not have to share the paper itself.

Debrief Questions:

• Was anything harder to pin down than you expected?
• Did any patterns surprise you when you wrote them down?

Step 3: Friction Moment Collection (15 mins)

Goal: Capture the specific, repeating moments where things consistently go wrong.

Activity:

1. Hand out sticky notes (one colour) to everyone.
2. Ask the team to use their reflection notes and write down specific friction moments, one per sticky note. Give examples to anchor their thinking:
   • "Every time priorities shift without warning"
   • "Whenever we hand off work between teams"
   • "When decisions get made and then unmade"
   • "During end-of-sprint planning meetings"
   • "When someone raises a concern in a meeting"
3. Emphasise: we want repeating patterns, not one-off incidents. If it has happened 3+ times in the past few months, it counts.
4. Give them 8 minutes to write 5-8 friction moments. Keep each one short and specific.
5. Once time is up, ask everyone to place their sticky notes on the wall in a cluster.
6. Spend 5 minutes as a group silently reading what is there, walking around the wall, and noticing themes and repetition.

Debrief Questions:

• What patterns do you notice across these friction moments?
• Are there any that surprise you or that you had not connected before?
• Which ones feel most familiar or predictable?
• What is not on the wall that should be?

Step 4: Pattern Clustering (15 mins)

Goal: Group similar friction moments into 3-5 clear patterns the team can work with.

Activity:

1. Explain: "We are going to organise these into clusters. Friction moments that have the same root cause or trigger should go together."
2. Ask the team to help you move sticky notes around on the wall, grouping similar items. Do this live, with the whole group participating. Examples of clusters might be:
   • Decision-making breakdowns
   • Information not flowing
   • Role confusion or overlap
   • Meeting dysfunction
   • Handoff or dependency failures
   • Competing priorities or shifting goals
3. Once you have 3-5 clear clusters, give each cluster a short, plain-English name that describes the pattern (e.g., "Decisions that do not stick" or "The handoff gap").
4. Write the cluster names on flip chart paper above each group of sticky notes.
5. Take 3 minutes to review the clusters as a group and adjust if needed.
6. Check with the team: "Do these clusters make sense? Are we missing anything major? Should any of these be combined or split?"

Debrief Questions:

• Which cluster has the most friction moments in it?
• Are there any friction moments that do not fit neatly into a cluster?
• If you had to pick the cluster that causes the most damage, which would it be?
• Which cluster drains the most energy or creates the most rework?

Step 5: Select Patterns for Deep Dive (5 mins)

Goal: Prioritise which patterns to explore in depth based on impact and frequency.

Activity:

1. Explain that the group will now select 2-3 patterns to map in detail.
2. Use dot voting: give each person 3 dots and ask them to vote for the patterns that matter most. They can put all 3 dots on one pattern or spread them across multiple.
3. Tally the votes and identify the top 2-3 patterns.
4. Confirm with the group: "These are the patterns we are going to dig into. Does this feel right?"

Debrief Questions:

• Are we surprised by which patterns got the most votes?
• Is there a pattern that did not get many votes but still feels important to address?

Step 6: Deep Dive Mapping (35 mins)

Goal: Take the top 2-3 patterns and map the triggers, behaviours, and impacts that keep them alive.

Activity:

1. For each selected pattern, use the Friction Mapping Template (see handout) to explore:
   • What triggers it? (What kicks it off? Is it a person, an event, a deadline, a handoff, a decision point?)
   • What behaviours show up? (What do people do or not do when this pattern is active?)
   • What is the impact? (What happens as a result? Wasted time, rework, frustration, disengagement, quality issues?)
2. Split into small groups (3-4 people each) if you have 2-3 patterns to map. Assign one pattern per group. If the team is smaller or wants to work together, map patterns sequentially as a full group.
3. Give small groups 20 minutes to fill in the template for their assigned pattern. Encourage them to be specific and concrete. Push them to identify multiple triggers and behaviours, not just the obvious ones.
4. Bring the groups back together and have each group present their map in 4-5 minutes. Post the completed maps on the wall.
5. After each presentation, allow 2-3 minutes for the full group to add observations or ask clarifying questions.

Debrief Questions:

• What did you learn about this pattern that you did not see before?
• Are the triggers within our control or outside our control?
• What behaviours are we doing (or not doing) that keep this pattern alive?
• What would change if we interrupted this pattern at the trigger point versus later in the cycle?
• Where in this pattern do we have the most leverage to make a change?

Step 7: Symptom or Root Cause? (20 mins)

Goal: Push the team to distinguish between what looks like the problem and what actually is the problem.

Activity:

1. Introduce the Symptom vs Root Cause Guide (see handout) and explain the difference:
   • Symptoms are the visible problems (e.g., "Meetings run long," "People are frustrated," "Decisions get revisited")
   • Root causes are the underlying conditions that create the symptoms (e.g., "No clear decision-maker," "Information does not flow before meetings," "Roles overlap and nobody owns the handoff")
2. For each of the 2-3 patterns you just mapped, ask the team: "Is this a symptom or a root cause?"
3. Use prompts to help them dig deeper:
   • "If we fixed this, would the other problems go away?"
   • "What is happening earlier in the chain that creates this?"
   • "Is this the thing itself, or is it the result of something else?"
   • "What would have to be true for this pattern to stop happening?"
4. Work through each pattern one at a time. Give the team 5 minutes per pattern to debate and discuss.
5. Mark each pattern on the wall with a label: SYMPTOM or ROOT CAUSE.
6. If a pattern is a symptom, ask: "What is the root cause beneath it?" Capture those answers on new sticky notes (use a different colour) and add them to the map.
7. If the team identifies new root causes that were not in the original friction moments, acknowledge them and add them to the wall.

Debrief Questions:

• Which patterns are symptoms of deeper issues?
• Which patterns are the root causes we need to address?
• If we could only fix one root cause, which would unlock the most improvement?
• Are there any root causes we have been avoiding because they feel harder to tackle?
• What surprises us about what we are calling a symptom versus a root cause?

Step 8: Most Valuable Changes (10 mins)

Goal: Identify the highest-value changes the team can pursue in future workshops.

Activity:

1. Return to the full group and explain: "Now that we can see the patterns and root causes clearly, let's identify what would make the biggest difference if we changed it."
2. Ask the team: "If we could change 2-4 things, what would have the most impact on reducing friction and improving how we work?"
3. Capture their suggestions on a flip chart under the heading "Most Valuable Changes."
4. Do not prioritise or debate feasibility yet. Just list the ideas that emerge. Examples might be:
   • Clarify who decides what and when
   • Create a handoff protocol between teams
   • Agree on how we raise concerns without it getting personal
   • Build a light accountability rhythm that feels fair
   • Set up a weekly priority check-in to prevent surprise shifts
5. Once you have 4-6 suggestions, do a quick gut check: "Which of these feel most urgent? Which would be quickest to implement?"
6. Explain that these will guide which workshop from the pack you run next.

Debrief Questions:

• Which of these changes would be quickest to implement?
• Which would require the most effort but have the biggest payoff?
• Are there any changes that feel risky or hard to imagine right now?
• If we did nothing else but implemented one of these, which would it be?

Step 9: Reflection and Integration (5 mins)

Goal: Give the team space to process what they have uncovered and acknowledge the difficulty of the work.

Activity:

1. Ask the team to take 3 minutes of silent reflection and jot down answers to these questions on their A4 paper:
   • What is one thing that became clearer to you today?
   • What is one thing that still feels murky or unresolved?
   • What is one thing you are willing to change in your own behaviour based on what we mapped?
2. After 3 minutes, invite anyone who wants to share their reflections to do so briefly. Make it clear that sharing is optional.
3. Acknowledge the difficulty of the work: "This is hard. Looking at our own patterns honestly is not comfortable. But you did it. And that is the first step toward fixing it."

Debrief Questions:

• What did this process bring up for you that you were not expecting?
• What feels different now compared to when we started?

Step 10: Next Steps and Close (3 mins)

Goal: Lock in the insights and point the team toward the right next intervention.

Activity:

1. Summarise what the team has uncovered: "We started with friction moments, found 3-5 clear patterns, traced them to triggers and behaviours, and separated symptoms from root causes. You now have a shared picture of what is actually broken."
2. Based on the Most Valuable Changes list, recommend the next workshop from the pack. Use the Next Step Decision Tree to guide your choice (see handout from previous session). Examples:
   • If clarity around roles is a key change → 4a: Roles and Responsibility Reset
   • If decision-making is the issue → 4b: Decision Rights and Decision Habits
   • If interpersonal tension emerged → 3a: Making Conflict Useful or 2b: Impact Not Intent
3. Confirm the date and time for the next session if possible.
4. Thank the team for their honesty, focus, and willingness to go deep. Remind them that seeing the patterns clearly is the hardest part. The repair work is just beginning, but they now have a map.

Debrief Questions:

• Does the recommended next step feel right?
• Is there anything we uncovered today that we need to address urgently before the next session?
• What support do you need between now and the next workshop?

Secret Sauce

• Stay concrete, not abstract: If someone says "communication is bad," push for specifics: "What does that look like? Give me an example of when that happened." Vague patterns cannot be fixed.
• Watch for blame creep: If people start naming individuals ("John always does this"), redirect immediately: "Let's talk about the behaviour, not the person. What is the pattern we are seeing?" Keep it systemic.
• Do not skip the symptom vs root cause step: This is where the real insight happens. Teams often want to fix symptoms because they are visible and feel urgent. Push them to go deeper even if it is uncomfortable.
• Use the template as a shield: The Friction Mapping Template creates distance between people and the problem. It is easier to talk about "what triggers this pattern" than to talk about each other directly.
• Pace the Deep Dive carefully: Mapping patterns can get intense. If the energy spikes or people start talking over each other, call a 2-minute break and reset before continuing. The extended time gives you room to pause and recalibrate.
• Validate the difficulty: Acknowledge that naming patterns is hard work: "This is not easy. The fact that you are willing to look at this clearly means you can fix it." This keeps people engaged.
• Keep an eye on the quiet voices: Some people will see patterns others miss. If someone is holding back, check in: "I notice you have not said much yet. What are you seeing that we might have missed?"
• Do not solve in the room: Your job is to map, not fix. If people push for solutions during the session, acknowledge the urge and redirect: "That is a great question. We will tackle that in the next workshop. Today is about seeing clearly, not solving."
• If a pattern feels too loaded: If one pattern is clearly the elephant in the room and people are dancing around it, name it directly: "I sense there is something here we are not saying. What is it?" Sometimes the facilitator needs to go first.
• Use the extra time wisely: The two-hour format gives you breathing room. Use it for deeper reflection, richer debrief conversations, and more thorough pattern exploration. Do not rush through steps just because you have time.
• Schedule breaks strategically: Consider adding a 5-10 minute break after Step 6 (Deep Dive Mapping) before moving into the Symptom vs Root Cause work. This gives people time to process and come back fresh.
• Document everything: Take photos of the maps and flip charts before people leave. This data will inform the next session and help you track progress over time.
• Watch for energy dips: Two hours is a long session. If you notice energy dropping, do a quick energiser (stand up, stretch, pair shares instead of full group discussion) to bring people back.