Afghanistan: Team Rug Co-Design Workshop for Values

tl;dr

Teams can bond through a contemporary workshop inspired by Afghan weaving and run with Afghan weavers as partners. In a guided session, small groups match their values to simple motifs, choose a layout and colors, and give a short brief. The weavers use it to make the rug over the next few months under fair work standards. The result is an Afghan-made rug for your shared space that reminds people of your values and supports local craft.

Context

For many families in carpet‑making regions such as Andkhoy, Aqcha, and Herat, and among Turkmen, Uzbek, and Baluch communities, carpets are more than décor: they can carry biography, livelihood, and social ties, and meanings vary across regions and urban/rural contexts. Weaving remains one of the country’s most resilient crafts, with Afghan rugs prized for dense hand‑knotting, lustrous local wool, and patterns that carry tribal signatures such as the octagonal gul medallion. Even in recent years of economic strain, carpets have stayed among Afghanistan’s top exports: in the Solar Hijri (Hijri Shamsi) year 1403 (ending March 2025), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce reported 3,632 tons of carpet exports worth about $15.2 million, a figure also covered by state media and international newswires. * *

The craft’s social footprint is significant. Afghan and international organizations estimate that hundreds of thousands of people rely on carpet work—many of them women—with figures varying by year and method, and credible partners document wage floors, no child labor, consent for home‑based work, and safe working conditions under independent audits. Turquoise Mountain, for example, supports thousands of weavers (about 250 in Bamiyan alone), produces and finishes carpets domestically in partnership with the Swiss fair‑trade group Label STEP, and has generated millions of dollars in artisan sales by linking Afghan makers to global clients. * *

For global teams, this heritage offers an unexpected avenue for bonding: co‑design a rug that Afghan weavers then bring to life. The result is a tangible artifact, a daily reminder of shared values, born from Afghan culture and sustained by Afghan hands. Research on organizational culture underscores why artifacts matter: visible, physical symbols encode and reinforce the beliefs of a group. *

Meet the Tradition: Afghan Carpet Weaving

Afghan carpets are a living language. The repeating gul motif (a medallion common across Turkmen and Afghan weavings) telegraphs identity; geometric fields, borders, and color palettes vary by region and lineage. Scholars and curators note how these designs migrate and evolve with communities, making each piece a woven archive of movement and meaning. *

Supply chains, meanwhile, reflect both fragility and ingenuity. After decades in which finishing was often outsourced to Pakistan and Iran, Afghan actors have pushed to strengthen domestic capacity. Turquoise Mountain’s program illustrates the arc: restoration of Kabul’s Murad Khani quarter, training of young artisans, and support for independent workshops across the country, work that has restored more than 150 historic buildings and channeled over $17 million in sales to craftspeople. * *

On the market side, designers and brands have also spotlighted Afghan wool and weaving skill. Christopher Farr’s London Design Festival showcase, produced with Turquoise Mountain, highlighted the quality of Afghan wool and the country’s exceptional weavers, reminding audiences that when design and craft meet, tradition can power contemporary innovation. *

Against this backdrop, a practical, repeatable team ritual has emerged: the Design‑a‑Rug Circle, a facilitated session, offered commercially to companies, where colleagues co‑create a carpet concept that Afghan weavers turn into a lasting emblem. *

The Ritual: Step by Step

Minute	Scene	Purpose
0–10	Welcome and a short primer on Afghan weaving—history, techniques, and design vocabulary (facilitator-led)	Ground the team in the craft; establish shared context anchored in Afghanistan
10–20	Values to visuals: each small group picks 2–3 team values and maps them to pattern ideas as an etic exercise vetted by Afghan designers or weavers, noting that motif meanings vary by region and lineage.	Translate abstract values into visual language; spark participation
20–35	Co‑create one draft layout per group; converge as a whole team on a single concept	Practice constructive debate; build consensus
35–50	Palette selection and texture choices; discuss size and placement back at the office	Envision how the artifact will live in the team’s space
50–60	Handover: facilitator captures decisions and confirms next steps to produce a technical drawing for Afghan weavers	Create closure and clear ownership of the design handoff

A typical workshop runs 2–3 hours, but a pilot can be delivered in 60–90 minutes for up to 10 participants; the partner then converts the team’s concept into a technical drawing for production in northern Afghanistan. Weaving usually involves a small crew and can take up to four months, with an additional month for finishing and shipping, so pilots can use a wall hanging, runner, or digital mock‑up while production is underway. * *

Why It Works

Co‑creating a physical artifact transforms culture from words on a wall into something you can step onto. Organizational research shows that artifacts—the visible, tangible layer of culture—carry and reinforce shared values; when employees help design those artifacts, joint decisions and public installation create shared symbols that cue identity and habits, which can strengthen identification with the group. *

There’s also a social‑psychological lift. Group interventions that ask people to collaborate toward a concrete, meaningful outcome are often associated with small‑to‑moderate increases in social support and work engagement, with effects dependent on context and facilitation rather than guaranteed productivity gains. The act of jointly deciding on patterns, borders, and palette taps the same identity mechanisms that bind effective teams: a sense of “we” over “I.” *

Finally, the ritual is ethically connective. By partnering with Afghan weavers, and, where possible, with groups that keep production and finishing in Afghanistan under fair‑work standards, teams align their bonding with real livelihoods. That link to place and people adds purpose, and purpose increases pride. *

Outcomes & Impact

Teams end the session with a design that becomes a daily touchpoint: an Afghan‑made rug installed in a shared space. As colleagues pass, meet, and problem‑solve atop the woven field, the artifact silently retells a story of collaboration and commitment, what culture theorists would call a “cue” that anchors norms. *

The external impact is equally concrete. Commissioning Afghan carpets supports an industry that, despite headwinds, continues to generate exports and employment. Recent official figures cite $15.2 million in carpet exports in 1403 and millions more in the first half of 2024 alone, with the sector providing income across multiple provinces. When teams choose partners that complete more of the value chain domestically and adhere to fair‑work standards, the signal to Afghan artisans is stronger still. * * *

Internally, the co‑design moment aligns employees with the organization’s promise. Branding research links participatory co‑creation to stronger employee identification and alignment: people are more likely to “own” a value when they helped shape its symbol. *

Lessons for Leaders: Make This Ritual Your Own

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Co‑create a symbol	Shared artifacts encode shared identity	Run a facilitated design session to co‑create a shared artifact (rug, tapestry, wall piece). If partnering with Afghan weavers, coordinate remotely; if that’s not feasible, choose a locally meaningful craft with similar symbolism. Install it where teams gather while avoiding egress routes, respecting religious cleanliness and shoe etiquette, and offering a wall‑hung alternative for those who prefer not to place values on the floor. *
Tie bonding to real livelihoods	Purpose amplifies pride	Prioritize ethical supply chains. If commissioning in Afghanistan, select partners that keep production and finishing in‑country under fair standards; otherwise, work with fair‑trade artisans in your region and acknowledge Afghan inspiration in your design story. *
Make it frequent, not one‑off	Repetition builds culture	Set a quarterly or biannual cadence across offices and time zones within core working hours, and offer recorded or remote participation options for caregivers, shift workers, and global teammates. If budgets are tight, design smaller pieces (runners, cushion covers, wall panels) that accumulate into a larger installation. *
Start with design vocabulary	A little context accelerates creativity	Open with a respectful primer on motifs like the gul and regional styles, ideally delivered or reviewed by Afghan designers or weavers; if adapting locally, introduce the relevant design language from your context, avoid mihrab/prayer niches, mosque imagery, Qur’anic calligraphy, state emblems, and tribe‑specific guls without consultation, and secure Afghan lead‑designer approval before finalizing.
Set clear guardrails	Constraints focus collaboration	Define size, budget, and decision rights up front, time‑box rounds, and explicitly map enablers (identity‑safe climate, co‑located sessions, fair‑trade partner, budget/time) and fragilizers (tight schedules or shift work without async tools, remote‑only without collaboration aids, high power‑distance leader dominance, safety‑critical spaces where rugs are trip hazards, strict procurement/sanctions) to plan mitigations. For cross‑border projects, add checkpoints for translation, production lead‑times, sanctions and export controls, vendor due diligence, Incoterms, shipping insurance, and customs clearance. *

Implementation Playbook

1. Choose a delivery partner and book a 2–3 hour corporate workshop that converts team input into a technical rug drawing for Afghan weavers, or for a 90–day pilot run a 60–90 minute MVP with ≤10 participants that delivers a wall hanging, runner, or a digital mock‑up. If Afghan weaving isn’t feasible in your context, select an analogous locally meaningful craft (e.g., quilt, tapestry, basketry) using fair‑trade standards, publish an all‑in cost cap (facilitator, time, materials, freight/customs), and name RACI roles for owner, facilitator, communications, and data/consent. *
2. Brief participants on purpose, budget, where the artifact will live, and a short primer on Afghan weaving (motifs, regions, materials), make the session explicitly opt‑in with a neutral alternative (e.g., async input or a different task) and no performance implications, and ensure participation is paid working time with clear psychological safety norms (no forced vulnerability), inclusive scheduling within core hours, translation where needed, high‑contrast and screen‑reader‑friendly materials, non‑alcohol options and allergy accommodations, and a short glossary of local terms (e.g., qalīn/farsh, gilim/kelim, gul) with pronunciation. If adapting locally, offer an equivalent primer on your chosen craft. * *
3. Time‑box the session and work in small groups before converging on one design; appoint two signatories for final decisions. For global teams, capture choices in a shared doc and record the session only with explicit consent, posting the purpose and a retention period (e.g., 12 months) and offering a way to opt out or withdraw permission without penalty. *
4. Confirm ethical sourcing: ask partners about keeping the value chain in Afghanistan and adherence to fair‑work standards—or verify fair‑labor and sustainability credentials for your local craft. *
5. Plan the unveiling: when the artifact arrives, host a short dedication where each contributor signs a card crediting the makers and noting the design’s meaning.
6. Repeat with other teams on a cadence your budget allows; smaller units can share a session and co‑own a piece installed in a neutral commons.
7. Capture the story on your intranet so newcomers learn the ritual and what the motifs mean; include photos of the making process and maker credits.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating the session as an open‑ended art jam: without constraints, decisions stall, pre‑set scope and roles.
• Ignoring cultural context: avoid mihrab/prayer‑niche formats, mosque imagery, Qur’anic calligraphy or the Shahada, national or state emblems, and tribe‑specific guls without consultation; confirm placement and shoe etiquette; stick to geometric and widely used motifs introduced by the facilitator.
• Overlooking the production timeline: weaving and finishing take months; communicate milestones up front. *
• Choosing partners without fair‑work commitments, third‑party child and forced‑labor audits, sanctions compliance, or in‑country finishing (or local fair‑trade equivalents); you’ll miss the chance to reinforce positive impact.

Reflection & Call to Action

A rug is a quiet kind of leadership. It gathers people every day: feet on pattern, minds on purpose. In Afghanistan, rugs bind families and communities; your team can borrow that wisdom by co‑creating a piece that turns values into something you can literally stand on. Book the circle, learn a few motifs, argue kindly about a border, and send your design to Afghan partners for weaving. Months later, when the weave lands and unfurls, you’ll feel what culture researchers describe: a shared artifact that makes the “we” visible and durable underfoot. * *

References

• Corporate Workshop — ISHKAR.
• Carpet Workshops — ISHKAR.
• Afghanistan Exported Carpets Worth $15 Million in 1403 — TOLOnews.
• Afghanistan exports carpet worth over 15 mln dollars in past year — Xinhua.
• Supporting Weavers in Bamiyan — Turquoise Mountain.
• Murad Khani — Turquoise Mountain.
• About Turquoise Mountain.
• Culture and Group Cohesion (artifacts, values, assumptions) — National Academies Press.
• The London Design Festival Exhibition With a Connection to the British Royal Family — Architectural Digest.
• Tekke Main Carpet (object page explaining tribal gul motifs) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Afghan Carpets — Expedition Magazine, Penn Museum
• Protecting Childhood, Preserving Craft: Tackling Child Labour in the Handmade Carpet Sector — Label STEP (Afghanistan program and audits)
• STEP Adds New Health Care Programs for Afghan Weavers — Label STEP
• Afghanistan’s women carpet weavers thrown an economic lifeline — UNHCR (2023)
• How to Read Islamic Carpets — The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Walter B. Denny, 2014)