Let’s be honest, team buildings have quite a bad rep in a lot of companies. A lot of employees still have the impression when they think about them that they’ll be forced to put on a happy-go-lucky attitude and play some trust fall games to satisfy the higher-ups while an animator annoyingly jumps around them and “motivates” them. Maybe that was the case before, but now the industry is shifting more and more towards the employees. The point is for them to have fun, as this builds connections between them in order for them to connect on a personal level. If done properly it is one of the most important investments into the human potential of your company. It bolsters trust, communication, cooperation and eases conflicts.
What is a team building?
We can call almost any time spent together with coworkers out of the work environment a team building. A picnic, dinner, workshops, sports activities, company trips, … Any situation, where we get the employees out of the workplace to do a joint activity.
Alignment with the company’s goals
Team buildings for companies can have very concrete goals. If you want to spark creativity, there are a variety of different ways to do this. Creative workshops, for instance, offer a great way to engage the employees and to recognise the ones that are creative by nature. An example of this is video filming. In a relaxed environment the participants put themselves in the role of filmmakers and make a video about the company – let’s say about a new product. They try themselves out in different roles (actors, directors, script writers, …) with a given tasks that stimulate them to think about the product. Not only will they have fun, but at the end they will be more engaged with the product (as they’ll have to think about it in a different way) and give new insights about it that you can use in “real world” situations.
Why? What are the benefits for our company?
The main advantage of team buildings is gaining competences in a non-formal way. Although it often seems that they are nothing but employees hanging out we can get great results if we plan them correctly. Formulation of goals, however simple they may be, is the basis to get positive results. When the goals are set we can pick programmes or activities in order to achieve them. The execution of these is equally important, as we want the effects to impact all the participants, not just the ones that are really into it. So the games mustn’t be too goofy, but not to serious, with an emphasis of inclusion and self-evaluation. Of course the goals won’t have the desired impact if the participants don’t know what it’s all about, so at the end usually a recap is in order.
Most of the time however, the main goals of a team building is to increase productivity and motivation. Through having fun glitches in communication are corrected and the atmosphere in the companies become livelier. The benefits are so important that most companies have included them in their strategies and standard trainings.
The benefits of the team building include:
- Strengthening motivation
- Development of team spirit
- Group problem solving
- Enhancement of group productivity
- Inclusion of newcomers
- Inter-personal relationship development
- Company loyalty
- Stress relief
- Cooperation enhancement
- Communication
- Improvement of group management skills
- Understanding group dynamics
Detailed overview of team building benefits:
1) Trust building
The biggest part of a well functioning team is trust. Team buildings are a great way to get people to transcend their barriers and get to trust their coworkers. It is a key element for company especially if we need team work to achieve the goals and growth of the company. Many experienced business people can tell you that trust is intergral for doing business as it makes or breaks a team without which nothing will function. So we try to build interpersonal trust with team building activities. Even the simplest ones can make a difference.
2) Conflict resolution through team building activities
Different personality traits or situations contribute to unnecessary frictions and growing tensions among the employees. Team building activities can play an important role in lowering these conflicts and enable an establishment of interpersonal bonds which increase tolerance among employees. Mixed groups or target groups help us achieve this within games that require cooperation and communication with achievable goals and help of trained animators. It is important that these activities are done on a neutral location to get the best results.
3) Better cooperation – team building games
Team building activities establish a stronger bond between coworkers. It helps in strengthening cooperation between them in work and non-work related business activities. An effective team works as one and realises that theay share the good and bad outcomes. In such cases the team building activities are designed so all every team members are active all the time. For instance: a hypothetical problem is put forth that the teams have to solve. They have to successfully delegate tasks in order to solve the problem, and each one has to recognise the importance of their own task and the tasks of others, no matter how small they are, in order to complete the mission. They have to work in sync and communicate, otherwise the parts won’t complete each other. Through this they begin to value different positions and are aware of precise, simple and clear communication which is needed for a team to click.
Example of a team building for companies: New York stock exchange simulation
This is a dynamic and fun simulation of the New York stock exchange, where teams trade with stock, bonds, gold and currency. The team that reaps the greatest profit at the end of the day wins!
The real fun starts when the value of stock begins to change, so you’ll have to be quick at buying or selling. Different economic and political factors influence the price and the teams can stay up-to-date through different media outlets – TV screens, radio and newspapers. The task of the teams is to process the information as quickly as possible and make the right decisions where to invest their funds.
New york stock exchange is a team building, where your team will have to be responsive to the information given and successfully communicate with each other before making their decisions. So be sure to delegate tasks correctly, because only one team can be the winners!
For short about New York stock exchange:
- Location? Congress hall or other larger indoor spaces
- For whom? We recommend it for your team building weekends, seminars or trainings
- Group size? From 10 to 100 people
- How long? It lasts up to two and a half hours
- Unique team building for the 2016/17 season
- Best possible activity for congress halls
4) Fun
Having fun is an important aspect of all team buildings. This can be achieved in many ways, and it is important to have in mind that the event has to function as a whole – different activities aren’t just individual parts, but parts of a connected whole.
Example of a team building activity: Human foosball
Toys are coming to life and you’re a part of it! The human table football game is a fun spin on the ordinary game – it is a giant-sized foosball table in which you are the players. We strap you on the poles and off you go. Enrich your event with this game if you want something new and to leave your guests laughing and wishing it wouldn’t end. The game comes with a giant inflatable field on which 10 players can play at a time.
And don’t forget – spinning isn’t allowed!
Human table football offers:
- Location? We recommend outdoors on a large enough surface, though indoors in a large hall is also possible
- Who? Suitable for any type of events
- How long? We can organise a tournament that lasts for up to two hours or casuall playing throughout your event
- Fun new game that will attract crowds
- Anyone can join in
- Up to 10 players at a time
5 frequently asked questions – team building for employees:
1) Who should pick a suitable team building and how?
When choosing the right team building the leadership’s involvement is a must: the head of the HR department together with other department leads make the goals, which serve a certain benefit of the company. The goal can be simple (ex. fun) or complex (solving communication problems).
2) One day or multi day event?
At the end it comes down to the time available and what goals we set. One day events are more common, but multi-day events are more effective, as the team is more involved in the world that is created among them. So the one day events are for bolstering motivation, while multi-day events are for addressing problems. In this case it is important to create an isolated environment, like glamping trips.
3) Educational, fun or recreational team building?
Here, again, the goal-setting is the most important part. Another aspect is the company/workforce profile – their age, preferences, …
About us
ETC Adriatic is your best choice for team building and incentive companies in the region. We offer great programs, complete organization and we believe we can make your event the best possible. Contact us for a custom and unique offer for your preferred location in Slovenia, Croatia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy).
Ps: more about team buildings here