If you ask any group what they think “team building” means, you will get a many different answers. Some will say that it’s about building trust, others say getting better acquainted, still others say its all about communication, practicing leadership skills, or even learning about creative problem solving and group brainstorming.
But the bottom line, team building is always fun.
A good team building exercise creates positive interaction among a group of people, and in doing so enhances their ability to work effectively as a team when they return to the workplace. Interaction can be working together on a unique project (example: building a race kart), playing games like a team Olympics, putting their heads together to solve a murder mystery, helping each other through a ropes course, playing paintball or white water rafting; the possibilities are practically endless.
Here are the some key considerations to think about when selecting a training modality:
Size of the group: Some activities are limited to minimal sizes (16 or less) while others have no size limits.
Group make-up: Knowing your group make up is vitally important to how you design your program and essential for having a satisfying training experience.
Examples: Male/Female ratio, Age, Occupation, Fitness level, Handicaps, Medical issues
Time frame of the event: In order to get any real value out of a training event, you may need at least 60 to 120 minutes for the activity or series of activities. The average program is either a half or full day (3 – 7 hours of training). (Caution: Don’t overestimate your group’s fitness level. They can get tired easier than you think, so schedule accordingly)
Budget: Events range in price from as little as a few hundred dollars and go be as high as $100,000 dollars or more (depending on the complexity of event and size of team) Make sure that you are very clear about costs, including miscellaneous and expendable materials not stated directly in the proposal. Be aware that most trainers require and will assume that their transportation, hotel and meals are covered.
Theme/ Objective: What is the theme and objective of the training? Is there a clearly spelled out and defined theme, specific objective or desired learning outcome for the meeting? Some common themes are around communication, team effort, leadership, strategic planning, change management, process improvement, and systems thinking.
Participation Level: Does every person need to participate equally? Do you want everyone to participate the entire time? It is ideal for everyone to be as fully involved as possible because then you will hold their attention.
Style: Is the purpose of the training to be competitive, collaborative, or both? In general, sales people thrive on a competitive training with a clear winner and loser. Management and executives like strategically designed programs (with lots of problem solving) where activities can be structured for everyone to attain a specific goals or objectives.
Time of day: The time that the training take place in is significant. You must consider the energy level of the participants. Use high energy, wake up activities early in the morning and right after lunch. Try and alternate an action module and a learning module to keep their attention.
Environment: The temperature and weather always affect performance especially if you are doing outdoor training. If it is too cold or too hot, it can make participants uncomfortable and take away a lot of the fun. I always recommend having a back up indoor facility (or at least a covered pavilion in a picnic area) if you plan an outdoor program. I also recommend having a program where you can alternate between indoors and outdoors when possible, this way people can cool off or warm up as necessary and use the facilities indoors.
Level of Experience: Has you group done any team building in the past, and if so, what did they do; what were the results? Remember that some people are more high strung, nervous and fearful that others. What may seem like a comfortable experience for some is very frightening for others. To have a great team building experience, you want everyone to be happy at the end of the day. Whenever possible, design your program to continuously build on the groups past experiences.
Level of Debriefing: What level of debriefing session do you want, and who can do this? Can the team building company that you are engaging perform this function? Do you want a light debriefing (75% - 90% fun) or a more heavy duty learning program (50-60% learning and classroom oriented). One word of warning here: many organizations and most of the younger groups (under 35) are very action oriented and like almost constant activity or at least an activity after every classroom component. People can only absorb so much knowledge intellectually and then they need a break. (My take on this is that because of all the fast high speed technology that we are exposed to, almost everyone in the workplace experiences Environmentally induced ADHD from time to time)
Metrics and Measurement: Do the team building games themselves offer measurable results? Does the client want you to do a pre and post event assessment to measure the resultant improvements in the team? For many companies measuring their return on investment is of great importance.
The team building companies that you are considering should help you in the design of your program and ask you most of these questions.
Team building can unleash the power of group synergy and improve performance!
In this era of virtual communications, teleconferencing, and constant travel and change, many individuals and teams wind up unintentionally working in silos. Team building breaks individuals and groups out of the silos and allows them to share best practices.
The bottom line is this: team building comes in all shapes and sizes and can act as an anecdote or remedy for the silo mentality that is so easy to develop in this modern work setting.
Great team building is a metaphor (and often a real simulation) for the work place and the skills necessary to succeed there. When members build up positive energy and feelings about their teammates and make deposits in their emotional bankbooks, they have higher levels of sustained success during the peaks and valleys that are bound to come our way. By getting everyone in the same place at the same time, and hopefully functioning on the same page, communication and productivity is dramatically enhanced.
Finally, it makes sense if you structure a team building event to tie in with the goals of your meeting so that it has some lasting effect. Team building had become a form of Edutainment because it combines learning and fun in a way that creates lasting change when done correctly.
