Successful teams are built on trust, collaboration, and communication. These skills don’t always come naturally, but they can be cultivated through intentional team building activities.
With 90% of business owners agreeing that a sense of community is important to business success, activities that foster connection and collaboration are key. We’ve put together a sample list of professional and engaging corporate indoor team building ideas, suitable for a variety of team types, time frames, and skill development needs. Each activity can be customized to fit your team’s unique dynamics and objectives.
1. Heads Up
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 20–30 minutes
Ideal group size: 5 to 40+ participants
Skills developed: Team bonding, problem solving, continuous improvement
How to play: In this competitive challenge, each participant is armed with a deck of 9 unique exercise cards, each displaying a one-of-a-kind number. The facilitator will announce a wild, randomly picked target number. It’s go time. Working as a team, participants must each select one card from their deck to contribute to a group sum that exactly matches the facilitator’s target number. Through multiple fast-paced rounds, this seemingly simple activity drives higher levels of collaboration, sharpens problem-solving skills, and encourages effective two-way communication under time pressure. Teams race against the clock to strategize and succeed, making it an exciting and interactive way to increase collaboration and boost team performance.
2. Pipeline
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 40 to 50 minutes
Ideal group size: 6 people per team, unlimited teams
Skills developed: Team bonding, problem solving, continuous improvement, quality
How to play: Pipeline is a high-energy team building activity focused on collaboration, quick thinking, and constant motion. This exercise challenges teams to band together, execute with precision, and successfully deliver rolling objects to fulfill as many customer orders as possible before time runs out. Each order must meet the customer’s specifications and land in the bucket at the end of the pipeline. With clear guidelines on time, requests, and standards, teams will know whether their output is a win or a miss. Success is assessed by using Key Performance Indicators and will keep your team buzzing with action.
3. Get Your Bearings
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 30–60 minutes
Ideal group size: 4 to 100+ participants
Skills developed: Team communication, cooperation, organization, and critical thinking
How to play: Get ready for a showdown that will ignite your group’s energy and teamwork. Participants are given a critical fragment of information that can only be shared through live verbal exchanges within their intact team. The objective is to race against the clock to pinpoint and label designated locations on a floor-sized map before their rivals can do the same. This fragmented information fuels connection and learning around managing information, listening actively, combining insights, and breaking down silo mentality.
4. Object Retrieval
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 60–90 minutes
Ideal group size: Up to 30 participants
Skills developed: Teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, communication and patience
How to play: Where teamwork, strategy, and precision collide in an unforgettable challenge. The mission is to transfer a stash of objects from a full bucket to an empty one, perfectly positioned on its spot marker, without anyone crossing the contamination boundary rope or touching the ground inside. Armed only with a set of quirky props, your team must engineer and execute a flawless plan under pressure. The strategy must balance creativity and coordination to move each object based on its unique characteristics. One wrong move sends you back to square one, with teams facing potential consequences. This memorable activity increases team engagement, strengthens problem-solving, and reinforces the value of contributions by individual team members.
5. Team Trivia
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 30–60 minutes
Ideal group size: Up to 30 participants
Skills developed: Collaboration, communication, team building
How to play: Divide your team into small groups and prepare rounds of trivia questions, including a mix of work-related and just-for-fun content. You can use engagement platforms like Kahoot!, Slido, or PowerPoint. These can be used in the office or through video conferencing. Have individuals or teams keep score throughout to maintain friendly competition.
Adaptation: Customize trivia to focus on the company’s culture, vision, values, or industry-specific knowledge to create a more personalized and relevant experience.
6. Problem in a Picture (Non-Standard Practices)
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 15–30 minutes
Ideal group size: Up to 25 participants
Skills developed: Problem solving, collaboration, performance discussions, adherence to standards
How to play: To conduct this engaging activity, begin by collecting photos or images from within the organization that highlight visible issues or deviations from established standards, norms, or expectations. For example, quality nonconformance or safety trip hazard could be used. Compile the images into a slide show presentation for the activity. Divide participants into teams of 2 to 6 people for collaboration and competition. Present one image at a time and allow teams to analyze and identify the issue. The first team to provide the correct answer earns points or a small award. Through collaboration, observation, and critical thinking, leaders and supervisors uncover meaningful insights to improve the work environment.
7. Bike Build Charity Challenge
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 90 to 120 minutes
Idea group size: 4 to 8 participants per breakout team
Skills developed: Servant leadership, resource allocation, team communication, collaboration
How to play: Get ready to pedal your team to victory with the Bike Build Charity Challenge. Split into small teams and compete to construct a fully functional bicycle from a kit of parts. By design, each team receives a limited pool of resources, requiring them to acquire tools and materials through strategic decisions. This gives teams a chance to weigh tradeoffs and determine which choices offer a competitive advantage. Completed bikes are donated to each team’s charity of choice, making a real difference in the community. Judging can be based on build speed, functionality, and creative touches that reflect the team’s culture and vision. This hands-on challenge leaves participants connected and uplifted through the power of giving back.
8. Arctic Survival
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 45 to 60 minutes
Ideal group size: Small groups of up to 6 participants, unlimited teams
Skills developed: Problem solving, decision making, consensus and agreement, valuing diverse perspectives, interpersonal relationships
How to play: Brace yourself for a test of resilience and teamwork in the Arctic Survival Challenge. Stranded in the icy wilderness north of the Arctic Circle after a fictional plane crash, your team must work together to survive subzero temperatures. Teams begin by ranking 15 salvaged items, ranging from life-saving tools to limited supplies, in order of importance for surviving several days in this harsh environment. With a limited pool of resources, teams must strategically weigh tradeoffs and decide which choices offer the best chance of survival. Start with individual rankings, then collaborate as a team to develop a unified list based on personal insights, shared values, and team dynamics. Once your team finalizes rankings on the Team Scoring Sheet, submit it to the facilitator and discover how your choices stack up against the actual survival priorities. This activity makes it clear that strong teamwork improves the chances of success. It also sparks healthy dialogue and reflects on how teams are currently operating in the workplace.
9. Break It Down Challenge
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 15 to 30 minutes
Ideal group size: Maximum of 30 participants with 4 to 6 people per team.
Skills developed: Collaboration, decision making, continuous improvement, metrics, scorecards, and KPI’s.
How to play: Get ready to stack the deck in your favor with the high-energy Break It Down Challenge. Teams of 4 to 6 dive into a fast-paced competition to build a precise card stack for a demanding client. Using CMOE’s card decks, each team must construct a single stack organized according to the client’s specific order. With a limited pool of resources, teams must strategically deliberate which tradeoffs will boost their chances of success. The clock starts, and it’s a race to call “finished” with an error-free stack. Speed matters, but accuracy is critical—errors like the wrong suit order or an upside-down Ace cost precious points. After each round, teams plan and adapt, aiming to beat the previous round’s winning time or hit a combined team goal of under two minutes. Add variety with twists like rotating a team member to another group. Across at least three rounds, the team with the fastest, flawless stack claims the client’s contract. This challenge sparks collaboration, sharpens decision-making, and fuels continuous improvement, leaving teams energized and connected.
10. Minute to Win It
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 30–45 minutes
Ideal group size: 6 to 30 participants
Skills developed: Quick thinking, time management, collaboration
How to play: Set up a series of one-minute challenges such as stacking cups, balancing objects, or moving cotton balls with a spoon. Teams compete to complete each task under time pressure, rotating through stations or participating in timed rounds. Points are awarded based on successful completion and speed. This activity encourages fast decision making, clear communication, and shared accountability within a tight time frame. It’s a flexible and energizing option that can be used to kick off a team-building session, re-engage participants midday, or reinforce collaboration through light competition.
11. Inroads to Riches
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 2.5 hours
Ideal group size: Up to 30 participants
Skills developed: Strategic planning, resource allocation, competitive analysis, strategic leadership
How to play: Step into the cutthroat world of business with the Inroads to Riches Challenge, a thrilling strategy simulation where only one team emerges as the industry leader! Up to five teams compete head-to-head, each tasked with crafting and executing a winning strategy to outmaneuver rivals and achieve market dominance. Teams must implement their strategy in a way that will boost their chances of success. Choosing a prime market location, determining which target markets to serve, and providing the right product mix to those markets makes for a nail-biting experience. Teams will need to monitor competitors’ moves while executing their strategy with precision. From deciding whether to play it safe or take bold risks, every choice shapes your path to victory. This simulation mirrors real-world business dynamics, offering insights into competition, resource allocation, and strategic foresight. The debrief provides important lessons on leadership and strategy, leaving everyone motivated and ready to conquer the real business world!
12. Project Gemini
Team type: In-person
Time needed: 3 hours
Ideal group size: 4 teams, 8 to 14 per team
Skills developed: Team communication, execution excellence, continuous improvement, process management, collaboration, results
How to play: As employees of Gemini, your team is tasked with building a fully functional Mars rover, TrailBlazer, in a simulated production operation. Assigned to one of 12 departments, teams work together to meet production goals and pass strict Quality Assurance tests.
Round 1 reveals gaps in communication, planning, and execution. After a customer meeting and improvement discussion, teams redesign their approach for Round 2. The goal is to boost efficiency, teamwork, and results. The simulation builds leadership, trust, and collaboration. A final debrief connects lessons to real-world challenges and ends with personal team commitments.
13. Rapid Sequence
Team type: In-person or remote
Time needed: 20–50 minutes
Ideal group size: Up to 70 participants
Skills developed: Execution excellence, planning, team communication, roles and responsibilities
How to play: Divide into subgroups of 3 to 7 individuals, each group is provided with a unique poster numbered 1 to 60. Your team’s mission: execute a process to touch every number in sequence (1 through 60), as fast as possible, with every tap moving your group closer to victory. In this multi-round experience, teams will plot their approach, make revisions, and work together to outpace rivals. When the timer starts, the action begins. Every second you shave off brings you closer to winning the contract. The team with the best accuracy, time, and teamwork emerges as the winner. Multiple rounds offer teams a chance to refine their strategy and dominate. This fast-paced challenge builds focus, coordination, and team cohesion under pressure. These are skills teams can immediately apply to real-world tasks.
14. Name Game
Team type: In-person or remote
Ideal group size: 10-20 participants
Time needed: 10 minutes
Skills developed: Active listening, team bonding, networking
How to play: Gather everyone in a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder and facing the center. Starting to the right or left of the facilitator, the first person says their name and something unique about them, like “Hi, I’m Sara. I play the guitar.” The next person introduces themselves: “Hi, I’m Eric,” then points to Sara and says, “This is Sara, she plays the guitar.”
The third person continues, stating their name and listing all prior names in order, pointing to each person: “Hi, I’m Brian, and these are my new friends Eric and Sara.” This continues around the circle, with each person reciting all previous names by memory. The facilitator goes last, recalling everyone’s names. If anyone stumbles or forgets a name, they start over until they get it right. This works best with groups who don’t know each other and is a great way to break the ice while building connections.
Empower Your Team with a Partner Like CMOE
Planning effective corporate indoor team-building activities takes time, creativity, and coordination, which can be time-intensive. That is where CMOE comes in. With over 250 customizable training solutions, we help you find the right experience for 5 to 500 people.
Our expert facilitators lead engaging corporate indoor team-building activities that strengthen collaboration, improve communication, and build in valuable learning, reflection, and takeaways that create a lasting impact for both individuals and teams.
Whether you are looking to boost collaboration, improve communication, or prepare your team for future challenges, we will partner with you to design a strategy that aligns with your unique goals without the stress of organizing it all yourself.
Get in touch with CMOE today to learn how we can create an unforgettable experience that meets your objectives.
