MAFIA / THE WOLF GAME
The Ultimate Corporate Team Building Exercise for Critical Thinking
Employee Engagement Guide
"Building high-trust teams through
deduction and collaboration."
A Corporate Team Building Legend
"Created by Dmitry Davidoff at Moscow State University in 1986, the Mafia game was designed as a psychological study. Today, it stands as one of the most effective corporate engagement activities for improving team communication."
By simulating a high-stakes environment where an 'informed minority' faces off against an 'uninformed majority', teams learn to spot subtle cues, build persuasive arguments, and improve their collective decision-making skills.
THE GAME WORKFLOW
The Gathering
Role assignment & secret identification
The Moderator (HR or Team Lead) establishes the narrative scene. In a group of 10, the shadows hide 2 Mafia members.
Roles are distributed in absolute secrecy, creating an immediate psychological layer to the corporate engagement activity.
The Detective and Doctor are activated—the only hope for the uninformed majority to win the team game.
Night Falls
Strategic planning in silence
The office goes silent. The 'Night Phase' is a test of absolute non-verbal communication and team coordination.
The Mafia wake up silently, using gestures to choose their corporate target for elimination.
Special roles follow: The Detective investigates a suspect, while the Doctor chooses a player to protect.
The Day Break
Investigation & Critical Debate
The team wakes up. The Narrator reveals the results of the night hits—a key component of the game's engagement hook.
Now, the debate begins. Logic meets intuition as employees analyze behavior, eye contact, and vocal tremors.
Team communication is put to the test as players attempt to identify the infiltrators through cross-examination.
The Trial
Majority Vote & Conflict Resolution
Suspects are brought to trial. This phase of the corporate activity highlights individual persuasion and leadership skills.
The group votes. A majority decision leads to an elimination, forcing the team to live with the consequences of their choice.
The cycle repeats, intensifying the team engagement until the hidden Mafia are defeated or take over.
THE CAST
Diverse roles that mirror corporate dynamics and team hierarchy.
The Mafia
Primary Directive
The informed minority. Excellent for practicing coordination and subtle influence within a team.
Objective
Equal the Villager count
The Villager
Primary Directive
The eyes and ears of the city. Uses logic, behavior analysis, and intuition to find the threat.
Objective
Eliminate all Mafia
The Seer
Primary Directive
The data gatherer. Investigates one person each night to provide critical intel for the team.
Objective
Confirm identities
The Medic
Primary Directive
The protector. Can save one person from a Mafia hit each night, including themselves once.
Objective
Keep the team alive
ROLE ASSIGNER
Intelligence Briefing
Securely distributing roles for your next operation.
Villagers
3
Mafia
2
Educational Value of Mafia
| Dimension | Skill Developed |
|---|---|
| Logic | Critical Thinking |
| Communication | Influencing Skills |
| Psychology | Emotional Intelligence |
| Teamwork | Trust Building |
Breaking down the soft skills developed through the Mafia social deduction game.
Winning Mechanics
Villager Victory
Achieved when the team successfully collaborates to eliminate all hidden Mafia members through logical deduction.
Mafia Victory
Declared if the Mafia outmaneuver the team's logic until their numbers equal the surviving villagers.
Team Engagement
"Mafia is the ultimate test of corporate soft skills—persuasion, active listening, and conflict resolution."
Emotional Intelligence
Developing empathy and reading subtle cues in team dynamics under pressure.
Strategic Communication
Learning to structure complex arguments to influence a majority opinion.
BOOST YOUR ENGAGEMENT
Implement high-impact team building activities with Kiework's engagement playbook.
Engagement Playbook