Why Problem-Solving Activities Enhance Strategic Thinking

By Tom Frearson | Be Fearsome Events

Most teams don’t lack strategy.

They lack shared thinking.

And under pressure, even the best strategy breaks down if it hasn’t been built together.

That’s why we use problem-solving activities in our events — not to train people in tactics or models, but to expose how your team thinks under real conditions. Because that’s where the real development happens.

These aren’t just puzzles or games. They’re structured experiences designed to reveal how individuals and teams:

• Frame problems

• Prioritise information

• Make decisions under pressure

• Collaborate or compete

• Lead (or hesitate) when clarity disappears

  
  

Where Strategy Really Breaks Down

In business, we often think the problem is poor planning. But most of the time, the plan wasn’t the issue. The thinking behind it was flawed — and no one spotted it until it was too late.

Here’s what we see in problem-solving activities that mirrors real business life:

• Assumptions go unspoken – No one questions the ‘why’.

• The loudest voice wins – And is often wrong.

• People jump to solutions – Before the problem is understood.

• No shared model – Everyone is solving a different version of the task.

  
  

And because these habits feel normal, no one sees them — until they’re under pressure and it starts to go wrong.

That’s the purpose of structured challenge: to make the invisible visible.

What Makes It Strategic (and Not Just a Task)

Strategy isn’t a single idea. It’s a pattern of thinking, shared across a group, that adapts as new information emerges.

In our challenges, we recreate the stress and ambiguity of real work environments — fast-changing conditions, partial information, conflicting inputs — and then watch how teams respond.

We look for:

• Problem framing – How well do they understand what they’re solving?

• Information processing – Are they spotting patterns or chasing red herrings?

• Role allocation – Is everyone working, or is it leader-heavy?

• Progress checking – Do they pause to reassess, or just keep pushing?

  
  

This is where real strategic insight lives — not in what’s said, but in what’s done.

Case Study: Fast Action vs Structured Thinking

On a delivery of Game of Codes, we split a team into two groups.Each had the same mission: decode a complex sequence of logic and symbols using a set of distributed clues.

• Group A launched straight into action. Enthusiastic. Assertive. High energy. They collected clues fast but missed subtle links. By halfway through, they were overloaded with conflicting data and friction had started to show.

• Group B took 10 minutes to draw a logic map. Slower pace, more deliberate roles. They questioned the pattern before collecting more. They solved the challenge in 75% of the time — with less stress and no conflict.

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The debrief revealed something important:

“We thought we were being slow. We were actually just being clear.”

It reframed how they viewed productivity — not as speed, but as clarity first, movement second.

Why This Matters to Business Teams

These patterns show up in real work environments all the time:

• Sales and ops making decisions on different assumptions

• Senior leaders solving problems their teams haven’t framed properly

• Teams stuck in analysis paralysis — or worse, acting without alignment

  
  

And the behaviours aren’t fixed by telling people to “think more strategically.” They’re fixed when people see their own patterns, and understand why they happen.

That’s what structured problem-solving activities deliver.

The Role of the Debrief: From Insight to Impact

The activity is just the trigger.The learning happens in the debrief.

We don’t score teams. We don’t hand out medals. We hold up the mirror — using the C8 Leadership System as a calm, structured lens to look at what just happened.

We explore:

• Clarity – What did they actually think the goal was?

• Composure – How did the team handle confusion or disagreement?

• Communication – Were key insights surfaced or buried?

• Consistency – Did they stick to a shared approach, or did it collapse under pressure?

  
  

This isn’t theory. It’s lived insight. Once teams experience it, it sticks — because they felt it.

Purposeful Challenge, Not Punishment

Let’s be clear — this isn’t about making things hard for the sake of it.We design our challenges carefully. Enough complexity to stretch people, but with guardrails to keep it safe, professional, and meaningful.

And yes, it’s enjoyable.

People engage more fully when the challenge is active, immersive, and fun. That’s not a gimmick — it’s neuroscience. Adults learn better when they’re participating, laughing, thinking on their feet, and reflecting together.

Play doesn’t dilute the seriousness of the outcome.

It enhances it.

When to Use Problem-Solving Activities

These challenges are ideal when you want to:

• Develop clearer thinking under pressure

• Improve cross-team collaboration

• Break over-reliance on one or two voices

• Sharpen decision-making and confidence

• Surface leadership in people who don’t hold the title

  
  

Whether your team’s new, experienced, or somewhere in between — these activities scale up or down to match your goals.

What Next?

If your team talks about strategy but struggles to think clearly under stress — we’ll design the right challenge to make that visible, and turn insight into action.

Structured, supported, tailored to your business.

📍 Book a Corporate Event Consultation