The Team Safety Boosters card game is a game that can be played in addition to the Team Safety Check. The core idea is to focus on increasing the feeling of safety people have on a team through the guidance of team safety boosters. In the picture above, you can see the card game in action at the Agile Games Day in San Diego 2020.

Game Setup

Materials Needed

You will need the following materials to play the game:

1. Team Safety Booster Cards
2. Magnitude Cards
3. A visible place to capture the results (e.g. an Information Radiator or Poster)
4. A team, of course. 😉

Team Safety Boosters Cards

The Team Safety Booster Cards are statements that help boost the levels of team safety. Below are the cards. You can easily create these cards on index cards, as seen as the green cards in the picture above. (Sources)

1. We search for issues within the system, not within our people
2. We speak up when we feel like someone is not included
3. We all practice admitting to making mistakes when they were made, including leaders
4. We celebrate the messenger for bringing awareness to an issue.
5. We actively frame the effort as a learning opportunity and not just something we “do and deliver”
6. We invest time in getting to know each other as people, not just work colleagues.
7. We let everyone speak their thought fully and do not cut them off.
8. We welcome any clarifying questions when something is not understood yet.
9. We ask for candid feedback and treat what is received as a learning opportunity.
10. We welcome anyone who is courageous to say “I don’t know”
11. We don’t panic and behave calmly when issues arise.
12. We ask for help when we feel like we need it, even when we don’t know who can provide it.
13. We shut down gossip by not talking about others when they are not present.
14. When we delegate effort we trust the person with it and do not keep trying to control it.

Magnitude Cards

Magnitude Cards are cards with the values 1 through 5. Each card has one single value (e.g. “3”). Any deck with the values from 1-5 for a few people will do. For example, good commercial cards that can be used are Uno® cards or Arboretum® cards. You can also use Team Safety Check Cards you may already have.

Starting Position

1. Lay all Team Safety Booster Cards out on a table so that everyone can read each card easily. Spread them out a bit for a better play and avoid any overlapping.
2. Each team member holds their Magnitude Cards 1 through 5 in their hands.

How to Play

1. Take turns reading the Team Safety Booster Cards out loud so that all team members are aware of the cards on the table.
2. The face value of each Magnitude Card represents points. The card with a “1” represents 1 point, the card with the “5” represents 5 points. The equivalent for the other cards. Everyone plays their Magnitude Cards at the same time. No need to take turns. Higher value cards should be matched with what Team Safety Booster Card speaks to a person more. That card will therefore receive more points. Every person places each of the cards in their hands upside-down and underneath a Team Safety Booster Card. Each card is placed upside-down to keep the anonymity of what magnitude someone played and they are played underneath to easily maintain the visibility of the writing on the cards.
3. Once everyone has played all their Magnitude Cards the distribution of points is completed and the values are revealed next.
4. Use the help of the players to sum up the values for each Team Safety Booster Card.
5. Identify the top three boosters by finding that cards that have the highest three scores.
6. Place the top three Team Safety Booster Cards the team amplified in a place that is visible and accessible for all team members. For example, as part of the team’s Working Agreements on an Information Radiator.
7. Discuss with the team how they what to change their behaviors according to the cards that surfaced as important behaviors to focus on next.
   Tip: Determine one ambassador for each of the three boosters to guide the behaviors of the team members should unwanted behaviors creep up again. Again, one ambassador for each card to support shared responsibilities. An ambassador is explicitly given permission to create awareness should someone start drifting into unwanted behaviors. Consider introducing a playful way to do that. Perhaps agree to have permission to wave a Roman Sword when awareness of a drift needs to be surfaced. Be courageous to have some fun. Check for the good stuff in your Halloween custom stash, too 😉

Winning

The team wins when they have identified playfully what three behaviors all team members will focus on next to increase the level of team safety together.

They ultimately win when they repeat this game a few times over time and the safety levels start going up. Use the Team Safety Check to measure levels and observe the trends.

Sources

The sources for the statements on the cards is a collection of behaviors suggested from research and experiences.

• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth – Amy C. Edmondson
• The Psychological Safety Game, agilepeople.com
• Safety in the Workplace, Dana Pylayeva
• Team Safety Boosters and Killers from workshops and agile meetup groups, Harald Koebler & PhilMark Rosete