IPEC Domain/Competency 

Teams and Teamwork

Sub-Competency

TT2 Appreciate team members’ roles, responsibilities, expertise, and authority to enhance team effectiveness

Goals and objectives

• Demonstrate shared coordination toward a common goal
• Practice negotiating roles and responsibilities in real time
• Reflect on how communication, power, and frustration influence team functioning

Materials

• 6 cups per team; 1 rubber band; 1 string per participant; timer

Activity description

Participants are placed in small teams and provided with cups, strings, and a rubber band. Teams first construct a shared tool by tying the strings to the rubber band. Using only this tool, teams must stack the cups into a pyramid formation. Participants may not touch the cups directly. The task requires coordinated movement, clear communication, and continuous adjustment among team members. Facilitators observe how teams organize themselves, how leadership and influence emerge, and how teams respond to mistakes or frustration. The activity concludes with structured reflection focused on team roles, power dynamics, communication strategies, and behaviors that supported or limited effectiveness.

Debrief Questions

1. How did your team organize roles and responsibilities during the activity?
2. What communication strategies helped your team coordinate successfully?
3. How were individual strengths, ideas, or contributions used to support the team's performance?
4. How did your team respond when mistakes, frustration, or setbacks occurred?
5. Did any leadership roles emerge during the activity? How did they influence the team's effectiveness?
6. What did this experience teach you about the importance of understanding and valuing team members' roles, expertise, and perspectives?

Closing Reflection (optional)

What is one thing you would do differently in a future team activity to improve collaboration and team effectiveness?

Use

Early to mid-program teamwork development (e.g., Storming stage); introductory IPE or IDE sessions emphasizing team process

• Setup & instructions: 5 minutes
• Activity (build + attempts): 10–12 minutes
• Debrief/reflection: 10–15 minutes
• Total: 25–32 minutes

Variation for IPE or IDE experiences

• IPE: Form interprofessional teams; reflection emphasizes professional roles, hierarchy, and coordination across disciplines
• IDE: Use in preparation for an interdisciplinary group project; reflection emphasizes functional roles, collaboration, and shared responsibility in decision making considering multiple disciplinary perspectives

Additional Resources

• MOST Network. Cup Stacking Teamwork Activity.
• CCF New York State Mentoring Program. Cup Stacking Activity Guide.
• PBS Learning Media. Stacking Cups as a Team.

References

• Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384–399.
• Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (2010). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. Group Facilitation, 10, 43–48.
• Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “Big Five” in Teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555–599. Link

Adapted by: CHBS IPE and IDE Council, James Madison University
Suggested Citation: CHBS IPE and IDE Council. (2026). Cup Stacking. CHBS IPE & IDE Instructional Toolkit. James Madison University.