Thinking Bee Odyssey
A practical, engaging way to strengthen team thinking and decision-making
Why clear and critical thinking can be challenging
Clear and critical thinking is the cornerstone of sound decision-making and effective evaluation — yet it remains one of the most underdeveloped capabilities in organisations today. We recognise its value in principle, but rarely treat it as a deliberate practice.
The challenge is threefold:
It's invisible as a skill set
We assume good thinking "just happens," rather than recognising it as a collection of learnable, teachable competencies
It gets confused with expertise
Subject matter knowledge is not enough; how you analyse and question that knowledge is a distinct skill
Pressure undermines it
Time constraints and cognitive biases push us toward instinct over rigour when stakes are highest
Why games work
Building clear and critical thinking in teams requires practice.
A game-based approach to honing nine core thinking skills offers a powerful and engaging way to make that practice stick. Games create the conditions for real skill development in a way that conventional training can't replicate.
Learning by doing
Games place participants in situations where they must actively apply thinking skills under realistic conditions, creating experiential learning that transfers back to real work.
Safe to fail
Motivated to improve — the game environment lowers the stakes of getting it wrong, encouraging teams to take intellectual risks, test assumptions and reflect without fear of judgement.
Builds a shared language
When a team plays together, they develop common awareness, frameworks and vocabulary around thinking, making it easier to challenge assumptions and support better decisions collectively.
After participating in the Thinking Bee Odyssey game, teams report:
Sharper analysis of problems and focus on what matters most
Considered decisions that hold up to scrutiny
A common 'thinking' language skillset
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Core skills that are transferable to other aspects of work
Facilitator's Course - Basic
149
Every year
Online step-by-step course
Facilitator guide
Presentation videos
Facilitator powerpoint pack
Community of practice
Reflection and feedback tools
Facilitator's course - Premium
249
Every year
Online step-by-step course
Facilitator guide
Presentation videos
Facilitator powerpoint pack
Community of practice
Reflection and feedback tools
Two live group coaching sessions
Creator feedback
Certificate of completion
Choose your package
Find one that works for you
What participants say...
I loved that Thinking Bee game because it forced me to consider a perspective that that I wouldn’t naturally take. When we needed to decide whether we would accept/recommend the scenario school reading program, my natural instinct and training was to look at the research/evidence base. It was interesting to see the different decisions that were made based on which thinking profile teams were given – some chose to accept the program, others rejected it depending on the type of thinking that they used. I thought that was really interesting! This would be an powerful but fun tool to use for program designers.
Andrea
Senior Evaluation Advisor, Victorian Government Agency