SPIRIT Team Canvas
Structures team collaboration with a focus on transparency.
PURPOSE
The SPIRIT Team Canvas is used to structure collaboration in teams based on transparency and shared values. It addresses the problem that teams often discuss their collaboration only superficially and fail to make important aspects like trust, communication, and shared principles explicit. This creates a deeper, scientifically grounded foundation for productive teamwork.
HOW TO USE
Conduct a workshop with the entire team and work through the six SPIRIT dimensions one by one. Discuss each aspect openly in the team and capture the agreements on the canvas. Use the results as a working foundation for daily collaboration and review them regularly in retrospectives. Involve all team members equally to create ownership.
WHAT IT IS
The SPIRIT Team Canvas is a scientifically grounded tool developed at the University of Trier that structures team collaboration across six dimensions. SPIRIT stands for Shared Purpose, Interaction, Roles, Information, Trust, and Transparency. The canvas combines academic findings on team dynamics with a practical canvas structure.
EXAMPLE
Example: You take over an existing team that has problems with information flow and use the SPIRIT Team Canvas to work through the six dimensions – Strengths, Purpose, Interpersonal, Results, Improvements, and Transparency – together in a workshop. It becomes visible that the team delivers strong individual performances but lacks transparency about work progress.
PREREQUISITES
- Team at its start or a restart moment
- Skill: Basic facilitation experience
⚠️ WATCH OUT
- Overlaps with Team Canvas — don't run both in sequence
- Common mistake: Discussing values abstractly instead of via examples
💡 SUCCESS FACTORS
- Anchor every value with concrete behavior