Successful Teams Focus on the Positive
Team Building Needs a Healthy Environment and A Little Fun
Aug 20, 2009
Team building is the watchword of the 21st Century. Corporations hire consultants to come in and help build a team environment. There are team building exercise, team building excursions, and team building retreats. According to the "experts" having a strong team can mean the difference between success and failure of an organization. But what exactly is a strong team, and more importantly, how does a company encourage seemingly disconnected employees to find common ground in order to foster a team environment?
Workplace culture that emphasizes the value of the team and its efforts is difficult to create and easily broken down. All it takes is one negative person to destroy the efforts. This is why it is important for companies to guard against destructive influences.
Planning for Teamwork in the Workplace
Managing workplace culture is a difficult task. Often times managers are in their positions because they were very good at their job. The problem is that they are no longer doing their old job. A manger's primary responsibility is to manage their team. Sometimes people who were good at a job are not necessarily good at motivating and inspiring others.
If a company or business values teamwork, they need to plan to make this possible by placing employees into management positions who can perpetuate the team spirit. Managers should be trained in the use of activities to foster camaraderie and encourage team members to work together. This will improve the effectiveness of the smaller teams and the company at large.
Team Building Activities
With more and more business understand the importance fostering a team environment, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of team building activities. Organizations that function as a team are living, breathing entities that have a life of their own. Choosing activities to improve the workplace culture for this living entity requires careful consideration.
The demographics and interests of team members should be considered when selecting team building activities. By carefully observing the team interaction, a strong manager can identify the core elements that are missing from that team, then choosing activity that will foster the team atmosphere while improving on the missing element.
There are countless types of activities available. Even simple games can bring out the best in people and encourage a connection between previously disconnected individuals. Board games like Clue or Scrabble, word games like crossword puzzles, or even games like charades can unite people toward a common goal in a fun, lighthearted way. The goal is to get people to relax, let down their guard and start to open up by talking and laughing.
Because the goal is to build a feeling of camaraderie, games that require team members to compete for rewards is not a good idea. If rewards are to be used, they should be awarded to the entire team for working as a team.
Shared Goals Inspire Teamwork
Goal planning within teams encourages individuals to work toward a common end. By working together to set goals and develop a plan to achieve those goals, individuals feel connected to the result and tend to do their part.
Remember that the ultimate goal of team building activities is to raise the bar for the company while improving the workplace culture and environment for all employees.
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