| This document is all about understanding teams and | | | | the team for the good of the game, often take |
| team building training; the purpose of team building | | | | centre stage in the workplace. |
| activities; why corporate team building events can be | | | | The oddest thing of all, of course, is that it's not |
| effective; planning a team building strategy; building | | | | always clear who the 'opposition' is. You'd think it |
| creative teams. | | | | would be the competition - whoever your closest |
| Why have a team building activity or event? | | | | corporate rival is. Unfortunately, far too often, the |
| This is a phrase we hear a lot these days: 'we need | | | | opposition turns out to be right at home base: |
| some kind of teambuilding activity'. Corporate team | | | | another team or department, the 'management' or |
| building events are on the increase: everyone seems | | | | someone sitting right beside you. |
| to be having them these days. But are they living up | | | | The common enemy |
| to expectations? | | | | Now the thing about 'opposition' is that it gives a |
| See, from our point of view, often the people talking | | | | common focus, a common 'enemy' if you will. Now |
| about team building don't really know what they | | | | that's great if it's productive. Creative ideas can pour |
| mean. | | | | out of a group when they have to figure out how to |
| The reality is, that many, if not most, team building | | | | handle the competition. |
| activities don't work. They should. All that thought, | | | | However, when the common enemy is someone or |
| effort, money, planning should make your team | | | | some group or some department, or the 'them' and |
| building event exciting, worthwhile and productive. | | | | 'they' are within the same company, the results are |
| It's as if we all know that teams are good. We | | | | divisiveness, gossip, complaining. The end result of |
| understand the sum of the parts thing, but we don't | | | | this is, of course, a loss of productivity and people |
| quite know how to make a team work in the way | | | | working against, not for each other. |
| we'd like it to, so we think, 'My team isn't working as | | | | Then it's all about 'them' and 'us', with people running |
| well as it could; a team building will sort it all out.' | | | | around using their energies to get more of 'us' to |
| Why a team building event? | | | | agree just what's wrong with 'them'. We see this in |
| When people say they want a team building event | | | | company after company after company - people are |
| their picture is of this perfectly working group of | | | | spending vast amounts of time and energy having a |
| people. But they don't take the time to pin that | | | | 'go' at each other rather than using that same |
| picture down and really get clear what the issues are. | | | | amount of time and energy to make things work |
| If they did that then their team building activity | | | | better. |
| would certainly help them get their team working | | | | This is one of the key reasons why team building is |
| more effectively. | | | | such a hot topic. People can easily recognise that |
| So, before you can even tackle the 'how' you need | | | | something needs to be done, but they aren't quite |
| to tackle the 'why'. | | | | sure what. |
| Here are some questions that will help you clarify | | | | Defining your team |
| 'why a team building event'. | | | | Kinds of teams |
| Do you want people working better together? Do | | | | These days we see a lot of 'virtual' teams - people |
| you want to set new team goals and agreements? | | | | who hardly ever see each other, or even work in the |
| Do you need to iron out communication difficulties | | | | same office or even the same country. |
| that have crept in? Do you want a jolly - to reward | | | | Then there are teams that all sit in an open plan |
| the team for being terrific? Do you simply want to | | | | space and chat with each other all day as things arise. |
| get everyone's creative juices going and brainstorm | | | | There are teams where people sit in separate spaces |
| new ideas? Do you need to set clear parameters and | | | | and get together once a day/week/fortnight. |
| boundaries so everyone knows what's expected of | | | | There are teams that seem to do all their |
| them? Do you want to inject some fresh enthusiasm | | | | communicating via e-mail or conference calls. |
| and energy into a group that's been working too | | | | There are teams that work on projects together |
| hard and may have lost sight of the goal posts? | | | | and others where people go off and do their own |
| Have the goals posts moved and you need to let | | | | thing and come together every once in a while to |
| everyone know that? | | | | report and bring everyone else up to date. |
| Benefits of team building activity | | | | Whatever your team looks like, however, it still has |
| A good corporate team building event can tackle | | | | to be able to function well and achieve its goals. |
| many of the challenges facing your team. There are | | | | What teams aren't |
| real payoffs and advantages to being part of a | | | | They don't have to be a family People don't have to |
| well-functioning team. To begin with, it's just | | | | be bosom buddies People don't even have to like |
| pleasanter being around people who get on. | | | | each enough to want to have dinner together |
| More importantly, real benefits include: | | | | Teams aren't group therapy |
| A feeling of identity On-going support Creative | | | | Teams can, however, on occasion, be any or all of |
| pooling of ideas Increased confidence Things tend to | | | | those things. |
| work better as a result of team effort You aren't | | | | Team building training |
| alone Goals that make sense You don't have to keep | | | | Effective team building |
| reinventing the wheel If you do have to reinvent the | | | | Teams are complex machines and it's not surprising |
| wheel for some reason, so is everyone else in the | | | | that they malfunction occasionally or need |
| team | | | | re-alignment. Every once in a while all teams need an |
| A team building training can address a huge range of | | | | MOT, so of course, you want to ensure that your |
| issues you may be facing and certainly make work a | | | | team building event is as effective as it can be. |
| better place to be. | | | | The one thing that everyone recognises is that your |
| How teams work | | | | team building activity needs to be done away from |
| What is a team? | | | | the office environment. The idea is to slow things |
| It may help you decide what your team building | | | | right down; to get away from e-mails, phone calls, |
| activity is going to look like if you understand a bit | | | | questions and demands, being asked to pop into |
| more about how teams work. And, get this - no | | | | unscheduled meetings, people dropping by. |
| matter what the books say (and there are plenty of | | | | It means getting away from all the day-to-day stuff |
| them) - every single team is different: there is no | | | | that sometimes makes it hard to see what's going on |
| model you can follow that will create the perfect | | | | and what's needed. |
| team. | | | | Here are a few hints and tips to make planning your |
| You'll read that you need ideas people, drivers, | | | | team building event more effective: |
| completer-finishers, etc., etc., etc. And yes, possibly | | | | Everyone needs to have some input into what the |
| you do need a variety of 'types'. But for our money, | | | | team building event should accomplish Listen carefully |
| the 'types' are far less important than ensuring that | | | | to people's concerns and incorporate them in the |
| your team knows why it exists and what its aims | | | | team building training No one should ever be put on |
| are. | | | | the spot or humiliated People shouldn't be forced to |
| So let's look first at just exactly what being a team | | | | do things they don't want to People learn better |
| means. You might think that the very word 'team' is | | | | when they're having fun Focus on the positives of |
| clear in and of itself: a group of people working | | | | the team rather than just what isn't working |
| towards shared goals. We wish it were that | | | | Team building activities |
| straightforward. As it isn't, we thought we would | | | | Once you know what you want your event to |
| unpick it a bit. | | | | achieve, then you can decide what it's going to look |
| Sports teams | | | | like. You can do the go-carting thing, the throwing |
| The most obvious kind of team that everyone | | | | people off Welsh mountains thing. You can have the |
| knows about is a sports team. Every team member | | | | cosy get-away in a country hotel thing. You can have |
| is on the same side trying to beat the opposition. | | | | it non-stop fun, be business focused or have a bit of |
| They train together, get to understand how to make | | | | both. |
| the most of each other's skills, and when working | | | | There are hundreds of different team building |
| well, they are able to fulfil the manager or coach's | | | | exercises, games, workshops, courses, all designed to |
| strategy. | | | | get your team working better and handling the |
| They know who their opposition is and they have | | | | day-to-day challenges in the workplace. |
| very clear goals. Yes, there may be personality quirks | | | | There is no 'right' kind of team building activity, only |
| and differences, but the whole truly is greater than | | | | the one that's right for you. |
| the sum of its parts. | | | | The key always is to ensure that your event has a |
| Work teams | | | | positive effect on the morale, motivation, confidence |
| However, it's not quite so straightforward when it | | | | and effectiveness of the team and its individual |
| comes to work teams, though, is it? Personalities, | | | | members. |
| which in a sporting context might get absorbed by | | | | |