Values Auction
Corporate trust & communication for modern teams
Give your team a clear way to interact, laugh, and practice teamwork with Values Auction.
Last updated: 2026-08-03
450+ corporate teams
Trust & clearer conversations
Quick overview
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Duration
30–90
Minutes total
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Group size
6–20
Participants
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Energy
Low–Med
Energy level
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Format
In-person
On-site sessions
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Category
Trust & Communication
Activity type
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Best for
Teams
Team resets
What Is Values Auction?
Values Auction team building is a trust & communication experience built around this idea: Teams 'bid' limited points on a list of values to reveal group priorities. Corporates use it to strengthen listening, feedback, and psychological safety through structured practice.
HR and people leaders deploy Values Auction during onboarding, offsites, and team resets because the structure reduces awkwardness while still inviting personality. That balance is why it shows up on so many lists of team building activities for employees.
For small teams, Values Auction stays intimate; for larger groups, breakouts preserve voice equity. Either way, the story people leave with is shared effort, exactly what corporate culture programs try to buy with less effective formats.
How it works
A clear session flow from brief to debrief
Follow these steps to run Values Auction with confidence, timing included so you can plan the room or Zoom agenda.
Align on purpose
Name the business reason for Values Auction: onboarding, engagement, celebration, or skill practice. Then explain the mechanic: Teams 'bid' limited points on a list of values to reveal group priorities.
2–3 minutesSet up for success
Confirm materials, teams, and tech. Preview how success looks for Values Auction so people know what “good participation” means.
3–6 minutesRun the core experience
Facilitate the heart of Values Auction: Teams 'bid' limited points on a list of values to reveal group priorities. Keep coaching light, rotate attention across the group, and use a timer so momentum stays high. Protect confidentiality and model reflective listening.
10–45 minutesShare highlights
Invite a few teams or individuals to share a surprising moment from Values Auction. Spotlight listening, creativity, or support, not only who “won.”
3–8 minutesDebrief into work
Ask what behaviors helped during Values Auction and where those show up in projects, meetings, or remote collaboration. Capture one team commitment before closing.
3–7 minutesTeam engagement & team building benefits
Values Auction works as one of our team building activities to build trust, scoped for employee engagement, team bonding, and outcomes HR teams can feel in the room.
Safer onboarding moments
New hires can participate in Values Auction with clear structure, meeting peers without pressure to perform in a high-stakes exercise.
Remote and hybrid inclusion
With thoughtful facilitation, Values Auction gives distributed teammates equal airtime in corporate team building moments.
Less silo friction
When departments mix during Values Auction, shared wins reduce “us vs them” distance and open informal collaboration paths.
Clearer real-time communication
Values Auction surfaces how people listen, clarify, and decide when time or information is limited, skills that transfer to project work.
Safer contribution norms
Done well, Values Auction rewards contribution over perfection, helping quieter voices take smaller social risks.
Visible teamwork behaviors
Managers watching Values Auction can spot helpers, synthesizers, and encouragers, useful signal for coaching conversations later.
Culture people can feel
Values Auction reminds startups and enterprises alike that culture is built in micro-moments, not only in handbooks.
A productive energy spike
A well-timed Values Auction session interrupts meeting fatigue and restores attention before strategic work continues.
Who It’s Best For
Cross-functional groups
Values Auction works when departments meet for the first time: shared structure reduces status gaps and sparks informal collaboration.
Large enterprises
Enterprises scale Values Auction with breakouts, table hosts, or timed stations so intimacy survives even when headcount is high.
Remote & hybrid teams
Facilitators adapt Values Auction for video, chat, and breakouts so remote employees are not spectators in corporate team building.
Small teams
Among practical team building activities for small teams, Values Auction keeps airtime personal so everyone can contribute without rushing.
Startups
Resource-conscious startups use Values Auction to build culture quickly, high signal, manageable prep, and energy that fits a busy build cycle.
Preparation
What You’ll Need & Facilitator Tips
What You’ll Need
- A facilitator who can keep time and psychological safety
- A clear goal for the session (kickoff, bonding, celebration, or skill practice)
- Agreed ground rules for confidentiality and respect
- Prompt cards or structured conversation guides
- Quiet space or breakout rooms for pairs/small groups
- A closing circle format for insights
- No elaborate production required for a strong first run
Facilitator Tips
- Use timed shares so airtime stays equitable.
- Intervene kindly if advice-giving replaces listening.
- Offer pass options; trust work should never coerce disclosure.
- Pair across functions to reduce echo chambers.
- End with one communication habit the team will try for two weeks.
- Set confidentiality norms before Values Auction begins.
Variations
Variations & Adaptations
Adjust the format for remote rooms, large groups, low prep, or themed workshops, without changing the core game.
01
Large-group adaptation
Split into tables or channels of 6–10. Each pod runs Values Auction, then nominates one highlight for the full group.
02
Remote adaptation
Run Values Auction on video with chat prompts, reactions, or breakout rooms. Keep instructions on screen and assign a chat moderator.
03
Low-prep / no-materials version
Strip Values Auction to verbal or chat-only prompts so you can launch in a regular meeting with almost no setup.
04
Themed variation
Theme Values Auction around onboarding stories, customer empathy, values, or a product launch so play reinforces a business narrative.
Browse the library
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Values Auction, quick team building exercises for work
Values Auction is one of the team building activities teams use when they want team building activities for work without a heavy workshop agenda. Gotezu facilitators scope the session for your group size, format, and outcomes, whether you are planning corporate team building activities for an offsite or team building activities for employees in-house.
When teams choose Values Auction
HR and people leaders pick this format for kickoffs, culture resets, and employee engagement days where the goal is genuine connection. It fits alongside other indoor team building activities in a longer office team building activities or stands alone as a focused quick team building activities.
Related team building ideas
- Team building activities, explore similar formats in our activities library.
- Team building activities for work, explore similar formats in our activities library.
- Corporate team building activities, explore similar formats in our activities library.
- Team building activities for employees, explore similar formats in our activities library.
- Indoor team building activities, explore similar formats in our activities library.
- Office team building activities, explore similar formats in our activities library.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can do Values Auction?
Most teams run Values Auction with about 6–20 people. For larger headcounts, split into smaller rooms or tables so participation stays high.
How long does Values Auction take?
Plan for roughly 30–90 minutes, depending on group size, debrief depth, and whether you add competitive rounds.
Is Values Auction suitable for remote or hybrid teams?
Yes. Use video, chat, and breakouts so remote teammates get equal airtime during Values Auction.
What are the benefits of Values Auction for employee engagement?
Values Auction boosts employee engagement by creating shared energy, recognition, and safer familiarity, especially useful at kickoffs, offsites, and culture resets.
Is Values Auction good for small teams or startups?
Yes. Small teams and startups often prefer Values Auction because it creates visible culture signal without requiring a massive production budget or multi-day agenda.
Do we need special equipment for Values Auction?
Requirements vary by format, but most trust & communication sessions need only a prepared facilitator, a suitable space or platform, and the core materials for Values Auction, not a full event build.
How do you keep Values Auction workplace-appropriate?
Brief clear boundaries up front, model the tone, offer opt-in intensity levels, and redirect anything that risks exclusion, unsafe behavior, or oversharing.
Can Values Auction work as a corporate team building opener?
Absolutely. Many L&D and HR teams use Values Auction before workshops or strategy sessions because it warms the room without stealing the entire agenda.
If Values Auction feels like the right fit, or you want a mix of formats for employees, startups, and enterprise groups, explore more activities or talk to Gotezu about a tailored agenda.
