Elementary, My Dear Watson

There's more to putting on a corporate mystery than scattering a few clues and handing out magnifying glasses. The basic technique calls for using actors--perhaps augmented by a few theatrically-minded employees--to enact a not-too-convincing crime, then inform those in attendance that collaring a suspect is their job. Granade has, for instance, appeared at meetings as a team-building trainer whose speech is interrupted when a stooge bursts in to announce that the company president has been kidnapped. The employee/crime fighters are asked to search throughout the room or building for clues, then assemble them to come up with a convincing solution.

Beyond these basics, the plot thickens. One trick is to make sure the script fits the company's culture and goals. For instance, Granade says that one client asked him not to base the mystery on a violent crime. So his script revolved around the theft of an important plan. Kidnappings and scavenger hunts are other gore-free options.

It's important to involve as many people as possible. Office clowns and company hams may be recruited as amateur actors. Other employees should be assigned to detective teams whose composition is aimed at achieving team- or relationship-building goals. For instance, teaming salespeople with product developers can help break down the barriers that typically exist between these departments, says Granade.

Whatever you do, don't present a mystery that can't be solved within the time limit, which is typically a few hours. "How would you like to spend three or four hours doing something that couldn't be solved?" asks Palmer. "It would be frustrating and, at the very least, not much fun." Ideally, she says, 10 percent of those in attendance should be able to solve the mystery in the time allotted.

To get the most impact from your mystery, use a script written specifically, or at least adapted, to your goals. Warns Segall, "Don't do team-building in a can."

This article was originally published in the March 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Elementary, My Dear Watson.