photo courtsey of michaelcardus on Flickr
Team building events offer a unique way for any group to connect and grow together. Team building exercises can be adapted for virtually any setting, young or old, large or small, and across cultures. Conducting the right team building event can be a fun and effective way to build and empower a group.
Having said that, planners have to be careful to create an event that suits the personality of the group and the members of the team. Asking a diverse group of people to work together for the common good of a company can be challenging, to say the least. Forcing people to “work as a team” can backfire, with some team members actively working towards sabotaging your efforts. So choosing the appropriate team building event is very important. Often companies make the mistake of assuming that everybody will enjoy a karaoke event or will think that trekking through the woods with the people makes for a fun day.
When planning team building activities be sure to ask some pointed questions.
- How active should the event or exercise be? You don’t want to put people who are not up to a certain physical challenge on the spot.
- How well do the team members get along now? If there is any existing friction in the team you will have to be careful to create events that allow people to choose partners or to participate at a level that makes them comfortable.
- What are the demographics of the group? Creating events for more mature, senior executives will call for an approach different from the way you handle a group of newer, front line employees in their twenties.
Once you have an understanding of the group dynamics and the strengths and challenges that exist in the current team get creative. Many companies are opting to get involved, as a group, in a charitable project. Taking time from work to help build a house, create a playground, launch and sustain a fundraising campaign – these are all ideas that can take team building to the next level. Giving your team members a chance to get to know each other on a more personal level, outside of the work environment while doing something good for other people can be a very powerful gesture and a really effective way to bring a group of people together.
From wilderness adventure type events to bringing the group into a recording studio to create a video, wine making to cooking classes, the options can be endless.
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