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Successful team building is a delicate balancing act between organizational psychology and fun, and if it's done correctly, those that are taking part will only be aware of the fun. The purpose of these group development days out is to identify and overcome areas within team work that are not conducive to achieving a shared goal. In the workplace, even if it appears that we are working independently, we are in fact interacting with many people. It is essential that everyone within the same working environment has an ability to understand and respect fellow workers, and cooperate for a common good; but how exactly can tasks in team building events be transferred back into the workplace.
It seems implausible to anyone other than a psychologist that a day spent playing The Generation Game or a city-sized version of Monopoly can improve the everyday working environment for a group of employees. Running around and having fun, talking to people you usually barely blink at whilst passing the photocopier and having conversations that don't involve the topic of who had the stapler last can be a liberating process, and it can certainly help bring co-workers together on a more social level. The magic is not in social networking though, although obviously being able to speak to Brenda about something other than printer cartridges is a plus point.
The magic that is hidden within team building exercises is the ability of the event organizer to disguise personal development as a day of fun. By constructing games and activities to force colleagues to cooperate on a new level, weaknesses can be identified and overcome in a way that is so subtle that the participants barely notice. This not only benefits and enlightens the people involved in the team building event, it gives the people running the company a chance to see the way that the staff really interact with each other. This process can open up a whole new perspective on the dynamics at play within the working environment.
After the event, there is inevitably a shift in perspective and a change in the working environment. The purpose of the team development day was to identify weaknesses and strengths that are inherent within a working group or individuals and make adjustments accordingly. This can lead to changes in the working environment to reflect strong working groups, often incorporating the hidden skills of certain individuals whose talents and strengths were being overlooked in the daily routine. The tasks in team building focus on communication, organization, self and team management as well as problem solving.
Although these skill sets seem obvious, the way they are presented to those involved makes them seem like a normal part of everyday activity, which to all intents and purposes it is, but in a development task, they are refined to bring about certain outcomes. If negative consequences arise, ones not conducive to a collective working environment, then the event organizers have the skills to change certain behaviors and ways of thinking through task development, or suggest counter measures to mitigate the undesirable behavior or action. The results are always positive and constructive, producing a team that is strengthened and cohesive. Team building can be compared to a sugar coated pill; it does its job without leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.
About the AuthorDom Donaldson is an expert in the events industry.
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