Employees are often told that they need to perform their secular duties as a team and that mutual cooperation is of paramount importance. However, few understand why.
An organisation of any size and industry must function as one, cohesive whole. Like the human body, it is made up of various elements. In the case of the body, these are things like the skin, muscles, eyes, livers, kidneys, nails and so on. In the company, these elements are the individual employees. The little toe may be a seemingly insignificant member of the entire body; but, when we hurt it, we certainly focus on its presence and notice how often we use it. Similarly, every member of a company needs to know that, no matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ their role in the company, their presence is necessary and appreciated.
Formal team building exercises are designed to get employees together on a platform of fun and challenging activities with one main aim: to create and deepen the individuals’ senses of belonging to a holistic team.
Team building exercises and activities can be conducted in a number of contexts and for a number of reasons. They may be held for the management team, the Human Resources Department, or the entire company, for example. The main goals of such activities include:
- Familiarity – putting individuals into teams with others will help them to get to know one another.
- Improving communication – this is the opportunity for employees and employers to express themselves in less formal, more neutral surrounds.
- Bettering the work place – by letting employees know that you value them in this way and want them to work well together, the atmosphere at work is generally improved.
- Motivation – seeing success in these group activities motivates each employee to mirror such success in their working environment.
- Information dispersal – team building activities are the ideal opportunity to get all staff members up to the same level of information and understanding regarding goals, setbacks and protocol.
- Personal assessment – by involving individuals in certain exercises, they are able to get to know themselves and their abilities better.
- Public assessment – outsiders and fellow team members also have the opportunity to see where their colleagues’ strengths lie, which will help in office dynamics and utilising the best person for the job.
- Productivity – by allowing the staff members to get to know one another better and to identify one another’s strengths (and possible areas for improvements), productivity is increased.
- Independent regulation skills – leaving a team to run with a certain project (or, in this case, exercise), teaches that team to regulate their process, think ahead and exercise their problem-solving skills. This lesson will be carried back to the workplace for future projects.
- Cooperation – regular team building initiatives will teach those that may be a little rebellious to cooperate and contribute within a team.
There are a number of different team building exercises. These are chosen based on the company, the size of the group, the purpose of such initiatives, and so on. For example, some exercises may be designed to improve communication, while others encourage independent problem solving, adaptability or trust amongst the employees or sports members.
The benefits of team building are manifold. Not only does it enforce a bond amongst participants, but it also teaches them much about themselves and each other. In addition, it enables the employers and the employees to enjoy informal time together, which improves interpersonal relationships and cross-communication. These are invaluable assets to any organisation in today’s power-hungry market.
Photo Courtesy of LAPIS
