Constellation

Subject

Empower People / Team start-up

Participants

The entire team

Facilitator

Agile Coach / Agile Master

Summary

The constellation exercise can be used during team start-up phases and in agile retrospectives. It enhances a dynamic space where team members get to know each other and have a little fun together.

Definition

A method to get impressions of a team regarding any subject by observing their positions.

Motivation

This method helps to reveal the different beliefs of team members, the way they will interact and what they will or won't accept. This exercise builds a strong basis for moving forward into becoming a self-organizing team.

Results

A quick information how the team members assess a situation or statement.

Benefit

Empowering people to think outside the box and reflect about themselves.

Procedure

The facilitator puts an object on the floor. This can be any kind of object and represents the center of the constellation/universe. Then, the team forms a circle around this object. The facilitator continues to read out some statements aloud while the team members will move closer or further away from the object, depending on how true / false the statement is in their view. If someone totally agrees with the statement he/she will move himself/herself directly next to the object. The strength of the true or false state determines the person's distance relative to the object placed on the floor.

Tools

Flipchart / whiteboard / any random object / enough space that all embers can spread as desired

Hints

This method may be used for people/teams that do not feel comfortable talking openly about their opinions or feelings.

See also

Lyssa Adkins, 'Coaching agile teams'