- Are you wasting your time on team-building exercises?
- Common reasons for team-building exercises?
- Why am I doing this team-building exercise?
- What type of event should I select for team building?
- What are good team-building exercises to consider?
- How do team dynamics play a role in team building?
- Team-building exercises - Summary
Are you wasting your time on team-building exercises?
What do team-building exercises mean for your company? Are you wasting your time? This is a question often asked by managers who are working with fair-sized teams. My personal view is that it depends on how you plan for it.The fuzzy feeling of having fun with colleagues wears off very quickly. Managers see smaller teams doing all the wonderful things that are deemed to be motivating exercises. The whole idea is to strengthen your whole organization through teamwork.
How do you present team-building exercises and how do you measure if it is paying off. Before you embark on a team-building exercise you must know why you are doing it.
Common reasons for team-building events?
These reasons can include:
- The team is not getting along with each other and only operates as individuals
- An interdepartmental rivalry has a negative effect on the business
- More than one new member joined the team and needs to be introduced as part of the team
- As a reward for achievements
- Before big organizational changes that can affect the current composition of teams
Maybe you just want to splash out. The reason will influence directly what the team-building exercise will entail but it is important to know your team well enough to know what can work and what won’t.
Having a misjudgment here will be costly with no positive outcome.
Ask yourself this question and unless you find a solid answer don't do it for the sake of doing it.
There are basically three types of team-building exercises:
There are basically three types of team-building exercises:
- For social interaction and relaxation
- For reward
- Pro-business
If you decided it is just time for the team to relax and have fun as a group then team-building exercises can be the opportunity for teams to do something they wouldn’t do every day.
It can go down even better if the team-building event is a combination of work and play.
A conference with relaxing activities after hours build experience and employee engagement for the long term.
A common mistake is to arrange a team-building exercise doing something the boss would like to do.
It can go down even better if the team-building event is a combination of work and play.
A conference with relaxing activities after hours build experience and employee engagement for the long term.
What type of event should I select for team building?
Building new experiences and overcoming the learning curve can boost individual confidence as well.A common mistake is to arrange a team-building exercise doing something the boss would like to do.
This will sound too much like a normal day’s work and will be shunned by most employees.
If the boss loves mountaineering it does not mean that he's 50 years old, the 120kg front office manager will have a fun time.
Keep it simple without too much work or responsibility attached.
A company fun day where randomly picked teams are to compete for one-year bragging rights in various events is a good but very expensive way of getting everyone to relax.
This can be done instead of the annual Christmas Party but the timing must be right as it will involve the employee being away from his family for the day.
If the idea is seen as a reward it should have 5 or 6 options presented and then have a vote on it.
This must be kept realistic as you will find that the employee’s choice will always fall on the most expensive.
Don’t propose something you can’t afford as changing the employee's choice will leave a bitter taste.
Online Course: Leading teams for better performance
If the boss loves mountaineering it does not mean that he's 50 years old, the 120kg front office manager will have a fun time.
Keep it simple without too much work or responsibility attached.
A company fun day where randomly picked teams are to compete for one-year bragging rights in various events is a good but very expensive way of getting everyone to relax.
This can be done instead of the annual Christmas Party but the timing must be right as it will involve the employee being away from his family for the day.
If the idea is seen as a reward it should have 5 or 6 options presented and then have a vote on it.
This must be kept realistic as you will find that the employee’s choice will always fall on the most expensive.
Don’t propose something you can’t afford as changing the employee's choice will leave a bitter taste.
Online Course: Leading teams for better performance
What are good team-building exercises to consider?
Some popular ideas:- An evening at the movies for all inviting the spouse with
- A day at the fun park with spouses invited
- A game drive with spouses
- A workshop focusing on corporate culture but ending with a relaxing activity
It is good to reward the spouse with the employee as they have to be the one keeping up with your work demand as much as the employee himself.
Having the spouses as part of the team can be a huge motivating factor for all.
Finally, is my favorite called pro-business venture. This can act as a stress-relieving exercise at the same time as it is a reward and business motivator.
Talking to people in the business for a long time you will notice what they remember the best are those days they went away for two or three-day conferences to discuss business expansion and solving common problems.
In South Africa, we call it a “Bos beraad” which loosely translates to “meeting in the wild”.
This is because in the past management teams were often taken to game reserves to discuss and strategize on short to long-term organizational plans.
Working hard in the day being focused (no cell phones or contact with the business) and relaxing with co-workers around a fire at night or popping out for a quick game drive can do wonders for the thinking process.
I remember one of our best meetings was in a hideout overlooking a waterhole in Pilanesberg with a cooler box full of beer and dry wors (Jerky).
By the end of the day, we have solved all our concerns and knew exactly what must happen over the next few weeks.
Looking back I think all my motivating and inspirational ideas came from these gatherings.
Don’t ever arrange a team-building then ask the employee to contribute. If they wanted to spend the money they would’ve spent it on spoiling their family.
By structuring it correctly team-building exercises can mean a lot for your company and the efficiency of your team.
Having the spouses as part of the team can be a huge motivating factor for all.
Finally, is my favorite called pro-business venture. This can act as a stress-relieving exercise at the same time as it is a reward and business motivator.
Talking to people in the business for a long time you will notice what they remember the best are those days they went away for two or three-day conferences to discuss business expansion and solving common problems.
In South Africa, we call it a “Bos beraad” which loosely translates to “meeting in the wild”.
This is because in the past management teams were often taken to game reserves to discuss and strategize on short to long-term organizational plans.
Working hard in the day being focused (no cell phones or contact with the business) and relaxing with co-workers around a fire at night or popping out for a quick game drive can do wonders for the thinking process.
I remember one of our best meetings was in a hideout overlooking a waterhole in Pilanesberg with a cooler box full of beer and dry wors (Jerky).
By the end of the day, we have solved all our concerns and knew exactly what must happen over the next few weeks.
Looking back I think all my motivating and inspirational ideas came from these gatherings.
How do team dynamics play a role in team building?
As the manager planning all these outings you must always bear in mind:- No two people are the same. Some people will never be motivated but if you end up having someone like that only you are to blame.
- In general, people don’t like to participate if it is outside of working hours and interfering with their personal duties.
- The average age of your group.
- The average physical condition of the group.
- The affordability of the exercise.
- Too much involvement and instruction will feel like work unless you want it to work. (Pro-Business)
Don’t ever arrange a team-building then ask the employee to contribute. If they wanted to spend the money they would’ve spent it on spoiling their family.
Team building exercises - Summary
The only time team-building exercises will have any sort of meaning for your company is when you can see measurable outcomes in the period after such an event.By structuring it correctly team-building exercises can mean a lot for your company and the efficiency of your team.
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