How can team building activities improve athlete performance. What are the most effective team bonding exercises for sports teams. Which team building games build trust and communication among athletes. How to choose the right team building activities for your sports team.
The Importance of Team Building for Athletes
Team building activities play a crucial role in developing cohesion, trust, and communication among athletes. These exercises go beyond mere fun and games – they are essential tools for enhancing team performance and achieving success on and off the field.
Why are team building activities so important for athletes? Here are some key reasons:
- They foster trust and mutual understanding between teammates
- They improve communication skills vital for on-field performance
- They help identify and leverage individual strengths within the team
- They boost morale and create a positive team atmosphere
- They enhance problem-solving and decision-making abilities
By incorporating regular team building exercises into their training regimen, coaches and team leaders can create a more cohesive and high-performing athletic unit.
Ice Breaker Activities to Energize Your Sports Team
Ice breaker activities are perfect for introducing new team members, breaking down barriers, and setting a positive tone for more intensive team building exercises. Here are some engaging ice breakers specifically tailored for athletes:
1. Sports Trivia Challenge
Divide the team into small groups and conduct a sports trivia quiz. Include questions about various sports, famous athletes, and team history. This activity not only serves as an ice breaker but also helps expand athletes’ knowledge of sports beyond their specific discipline.
2. Athletic Alphabet
Have team members stand in a circle. The first person starts with the letter “A” and names a sports-related word beginning with that letter (e.g., “Athlete”). The next person continues with “B” (e.g., “Basketball”), and so on. This fast-paced game encourages quick thinking and sports knowledge recall.
3. Two Truths and a Lie: Sports Edition
Each team member shares three statements about their athletic experiences or achievements – two true and one false. The rest of the team must guess which statement is the lie. This activity helps teammates learn interesting facts about each other and promotes bonding.
Physical Team Building Activities for Athletes
Physical activities are particularly effective for team building among athletes, as they tap into their natural competitive spirit and physical abilities. Here are some engaging options:
1. Obstacle Course Relay
Create a challenging obstacle course that requires a combination of physical skills such as agility, strength, and coordination. Divide the team into smaller groups and have them compete in a relay format. This activity promotes teamwork, strategy, and physical fitness.
2. Blindfolded Soccer
Pair up team members and blindfold one person in each pair. The sighted partner must guide their blindfolded teammate to kick a soccer ball into a goal. This exercise builds trust, improves communication, and enhances spatial awareness.
3. Human Knot Challenge
Have team members stand in a circle and grab hands with two different people across the circle. The goal is to untangle the “knot” without letting go of hands. This activity requires problem-solving, communication, and physical coordination – all crucial skills for athletes.
Strategic Team Building Games for Athletes
Strategic team building games help athletes develop critical thinking skills, improve decision-making abilities, and enhance their ability to work together towards a common goal. Here are some effective options:
1. Sports Strategy Simulation
Create a board game or computer simulation that mimics strategic decision-making in your team’s sport. Have team members work together to make choices and see the outcomes of their decisions. This activity improves strategic thinking and teamwork.
2. Escape Room Challenge
Organize a sports-themed escape room experience where team members must work together to solve puzzles and challenges within a set time limit. This activity promotes problem-solving, communication, and time management skills.
3. Team Treasure Hunt
Design a treasure hunt with sports-related clues and challenges scattered around your training facility or a local park. Divide the team into smaller groups and have them compete to find the treasure. This activity encourages strategic thinking, teamwork, and physical activity.
Communication-Focused Team Building Exercises
Effective communication is vital for any successful sports team. These exercises focus on improving verbal and non-verbal communication skills among athletes:
1. Silent Line-Up
Challenge team members to arrange themselves in a line based on specific criteria (e.g., height, birthdate, jersey number) without speaking. This activity emphasizes non-verbal communication and problem-solving.
2. Back-to-Back Drawing
Pair up team members and have them sit back-to-back. One person describes a sports-related image or diagram while the other tries to draw it based solely on the verbal description. This exercise improves clarity in communication and active listening skills.
3. Telephone Charades
Combine the classic games of Telephone and Charades. Start with a sports-related phrase or action. The first person acts it out silently to the second person, who then acts it out to the third, and so on. The last person guesses the original phrase or action. This game highlights the importance of clear communication and interpretation.
Trust-Building Activities for Athletic Teams
Trust is the foundation of any successful team. These activities are designed to build and strengthen trust among team members:
1. Trust Fall Circle
Form a tight circle with one person in the middle. The central person falls backwards, trusting the circle to catch and support them. This classic trust-building exercise can be particularly powerful for athletes who must rely on their teammates during competition.
2. Blind Obstacle Course
Create a simple obstacle course and have team members navigate it in pairs. One person is blindfolded while the other provides verbal guidance. This activity builds trust and improves communication skills.
3. Team Tightrope Walk
Set up a low tightrope or balance beam. Have team members attempt to cross it while their teammates provide physical support and encouragement. This activity promotes trust, teamwork, and mutual support.
Problem-Solving Team Building Games for Athletes
Problem-solving skills are crucial for athletes both on and off the field. These games challenge teams to work together to overcome obstacles:
1. Sports Equipment Tower
Provide teams with various pieces of sports equipment (balls, cones, jump ropes, etc.) and challenge them to build the tallest free-standing tower possible within a time limit. This activity encourages creative thinking, teamwork, and resource management.
2. Minefield
Create a “minefield” using various objects spread across an open area. Divide the team into pairs, with one person blindfolded. The sighted partner must guide their teammate through the minefield using only verbal instructions. This game improves communication, trust, and spatial awareness.
3. River Crossing Challenge
Mark out a “river” on the ground and provide the team with limited resources (e.g., planks, ropes, mats) to cross it without touching the ground. This activity promotes problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork skills.
Creative Team Building Activities for Athletes
Creative activities can help athletes think outside the box and approach challenges from new perspectives. Here are some engaging options:
1. Team Mascot Design
Challenge the team to design and create a new mascot that represents their collective spirit and values. This activity encourages creativity, collaboration, and team identity building.
2. Sports Equipment Art
Provide various sports equipment and art supplies, then task the team with creating a piece of art that represents their sport or team values. This exercise promotes creative thinking and teamwork.
3. Team Anthem Composition
Have the team work together to compose a short team anthem or chant. This activity fosters creativity, builds team spirit, and can result in a lasting team tradition.
Incorporating these diverse team building activities into your athletic program can significantly enhance team cohesion, communication, and overall performance. Remember to tailor these activities to your specific sport and team dynamics for maximum effectiveness.
How often should teams engage in team building activities? While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, regular team building sessions – perhaps monthly or quarterly – can help maintain strong team dynamics. Additionally, incorporating brief team building exercises into regular practice sessions can reinforce team bonds consistently.
Can team building activities replace traditional training methods? Team building activities should complement, not replace, traditional training. They offer unique benefits that enhance overall team performance when used in conjunction with sport-specific training.
What if some team members are resistant to team building activities? It’s important to communicate the purpose and benefits of these activities clearly. Start with low-pressure, fun activities and gradually introduce more challenging exercises. Encouraging feedback and allowing team members to suggest or lead activities can also increase buy-in.
How can virtual team building activities be incorporated for teams that can’t always meet in person? Many of these activities can be adapted for virtual settings using video conferencing tools. Virtual escape rooms, online trivia games, and digital problem-solving challenges are excellent options for remote team building.
By implementing a variety of these team building activities, coaches and team leaders can create a more cohesive, communicative, and high-performing athletic team. Remember, the goal is not just to have fun (although that’s important too!) but to develop skills and relationships that will translate into improved performance during competition.
21 Team Building Activities and Games That Your Team Won’t Sigh At
Before we move forward, please keep in mind that:
- Team building activities for adults are not a one-time silly event but an ongoing process. Their aim? To build trust between team members and ensure everybody is heading in the same direction following a shared set of values.
- Success doesn’t depend on the number of hours spent at the office but on the quality of your work. In turn, this stems from your well-being. A high workload can cause fatigue and burnout in the long run. Resting has advantages, as it helps you see problems from a different, more creative perspective.
Technology giants and start-ups, in particular, have already adopted this mindset, providing office perks and socializing events through free lunches, ping-pong tables, hackathons, and regular parties.
They realized early on that efficiency and performance are linked with a stress-free work environment, where everybody is content and gives their best while also taking time to blow some steam off. After all, adults are grown-up children who need to play to engage the creative side of their brains.
Still not convinced? Look below at the positive effects of team-building exercises for work.
Benefits of team building activities
- Increased trust – This is the magical ingredient of every high-performing team. Fun team-building activities can be used in the workplace to build trust. People who trust their colleagues in character and capability are more willing to step out of their comfort zone and pursue a common goal. They have each other’s back, so they don’t need to worry about someone constantly checking their work. Instead, they rely on each of their coworkers’ strengths and build something more significant together than they would have done alone. In the end, nobody wants to work with semi-strangers they’re afraid of. Gary Vee sums it up better when he says, “People work much better when you deploy honey instead of vinegar.”
- Constructive criticism – Refers to the courage to speak your mind without fearing the consequences. This means you can share information freely, even when wrong, and pick up someone’s brain effortlessly. Sure, mistakes can and will happen, but it’s better to rely on a supportive team that points you in the right direction instead of one who will keep the score.
- A leaner and faster onboarding – We’re talking about helping new hires adapt to the company culture. The sooner you help them understand company roles and procedures and meet their coworkers in person, the faster they will become ready to work and contribute meaningfully. Get this part right, and you have higher chances of retaining valuable talent for more extended periods.
If you still feel clumsy about team bonding activities, don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of team-building activities for small groups to serve as a go-to resource whenever you feel like it’s time to strengthen your team. It contains 21 team-building games and activities divided into five categories, depending on the goal you want to achieve:
- Ice Breaker Games
- Strategic
- Problem-Solving
- Teamwork Building Activities
- Creative Activities
Ice Breaker games
Often we work like cars: we need to be warmed up to function correctly. If this is your goal, use icebreakers to loosen up the atmosphere, set the stage for more complex activities, or introduce new hires to the team. Good ice breakers can provide numerous benefits that are more significant than any potential negatives. Unlike the standard way of introducing oneself, an icebreaker can make introductions more engaging and exciting, thus making it easier to remember names and initiate conversations.
You’ll need: an email address for each person on your team
Time: 3 minutes per week
Group size: 3 to 50
QuizBreaker is a weekly quiz delivered by email to get to know your team better. It’s online, simple, fun, and less time-consuming. They answer icebreaker questions and then have to guess who said what answer. For example, was it Sarah or Rob who said their favorite series of all time is Game of Thrones? To set up your account, just invite each person on your team to your QuizBreaker account and have them answer at least five icebreakers. The quiz will then start going out automatically every Friday afternoon or at a time of your choosing.
Campfire/Memory Wall
You’ll need: a whiteboard, sticky notes, markers
Time: 30-45 minutes
Group size: 8-20
Instructions: Jot down between 5-10 work-related words on sticky notes like “First” day at work,” “Teamwork,” “Side projects,” or “Celebrations.” Place the sticky notes on one side of the whiteboard to be visible to the team. Next, gather your colleagues in a circle and ask a volunteer to peel off a word to share an experience. Once done, they can post it on the other side of the whiteboard to mark the beginning of a story thread. The others can think of similar stories and develop their own words. They can stick them on the whiteboard to continue the story thread or pick a word that already exists if nothing pops up in their minds. The goal is to create interconnected stories that act as the campfire’s archive.
Tip: this game is a great solution to popularizing Kanban methodology within your team. Instead of a physical board and sticky notes, use Kanban software for the board, list, and cards—the story thread will be all the more satisfying.
Office Trivia
You’ll need: 20-25 index cards
Time: 30 minutes
Group size: Unlimited
Instructions: Who knows most about your office? Find out through a simple team-building activity like trivia. Think of 20-25 fun icebreaker questions about your workplace’s small details that can go unnoticed. “Which movie is featured on the conference room’s poster?”, “What color does the coffee machine have?”, “How many people with the name ‘Andrew’ work in the company?”, “How many people are using Windows PCs?” etc. This will test your team’s observation skills and spark serious laughing sessions. Remember not to ask questions that are too personal and would put a team member into an embarrassing situation, like “Who has the biggest mouth in the office?”.
Trading Cards
You’ll need: index cards, markers
Time: 10-15 minutes
Group size: Unlimited
Instructions: Remember baseball or Pokemon trading cards? For this fun team-building activity, you’re the one who’s being “traded.” Give out large-scale index cards and markers to each team member. Ask them to create a personal trading card of themselves, with their name, self-portrait, nickname, and one fact about them that everyone is less likely to know about. Then have the cards go from one person to another in no particular order. Participants can hold onto a card if they find the card’s facts interesting and want to know more about it from its owner. The exercise is great because it gives everyone a visual snapshot of each player while triggering conversations on the go.
Penny for Thoughts
You’ll need: pennies or any coins with listed years, box, or bucket
Time: 10-15 minutes
Group size: Unlimited
Instructions: It might be not easy to start working on a project without properly knowing your colleagues. To loosen up the atmosphere quickly, gather coins with listed years on them so that you have one for each member. Then drop them in a box or bucket. Remember to check every coin so the dates are not older than the youngest team member. Finally, have each team member draw a coin and share a memorable moment from their lives that happened in the year when the coin was minted. This brings a sense of familiarity among them and smoothens future conversations.
Strategic team-building activities for small groups
They might look like icebreakers at first glance, but don’t be fooled. They aim to foster a shared team identity by looking into how your employees perceive the company and what influences their opinions.
All the News
You’ll need: newspapers, a whiteboard, tape, scissors, markers
Time: 60 minutes
Group size: 6-20
Instructions: Have you always wanted to get a quick peek into your employees’ minds to see how they perceive the company? Now’s your chance. To do this group team building activity, divide people into teams of 3 or 6, preferably by department. Give each team a newspaper and ask them to create headlines about what they think the company or the department will achieve in the future. There are no rules in particular. They can either paste newspaper clippings or write the headlines directly on the whiteboard. When the time’s up, teams pin up their work and discuss each idea to see if they’re feasible or not. The exercise is great for spotting hidden opportunities or threats. It also instills a sense of loyalty as each team member feels they’re appreciated and have a stake to play in the company’s development.
Mad Lib Mission Statement
You’ll need: paper, pens
Time: 45 minutes
Group size: 6-20
Instructions: Building a brand is hard if the world doesn’t know what you stand for. That’s why you have the mission statement: to convince other people about what your product or service can (and can’t) do and why you matter. Like in the previous activity, divide your team into groups of 3 to 6, then grab a copy of your mission statement for each team so they can replicate it. The team that comes up with the most authentic mission statement wins. It’s also perhaps an opportunity to change your old one or make everyone aware of your company’s values.
Company Concentration
You’ll need: index cards
Time: 45-60 minutes
Group size: Unlimited
Much like the “Concentration” game from childhood, where you flipped over two cards at the same time to find the matching pairs, this activity demands agility and observation spirit. Create a deck of cards with photos or words about your company. These might be photos of your team, logos, products, or value statements. Face all the cards down, then split the group into teams. Each team has to take turns and lift only two cards at a time to see if they match. The one that finds all the pairs in the shortest time wins. The activity is ideal for new hires who need a fun yet quick way to learn more about the company. But it isn’t limited only to them. Old hires can also brush up their knowledge and stay updated with the latest organizational changes.
Group Timeline
You’ll need: a pinboard, pins, paper, pens
Time: 60 minutes
Group size: 5-8
Instructions: On the pinboard, draw a blank timeline. Remember to date it back to when your oldest employee was born or the company was founded. Add years to it, then write down on paper slips the most critical company dates (like when it was founded, merged, etc.). Pin them to the corresponding year. Next, ask your team members to think about 3 or 4 events that marked their lives (like graduating college, moving abroad, having a child, etc.) and pin them on the timeline when they occur. The activity brings into perspective the gap between generations. It’s a great starting point for debates concerning how you collaborate as a team.
Problem-solving activities
Getting your team to work together productively is not a walk in the park. Decide on problem-solving activities to help them get out of their comfort zones and strive for a common goal. Some of them require little logistics and time. Others are more elaborate and involve prolonged states of focus.
Web of Wools
You’ll need: yarn
Time: 30 min
Group size: 9-12
Instructions: Break the group into teams of equal numbers. Then have each team form a web of wools. The more intricate, the better. Here comes the best part: switch the teams, so everyone has a different web than their own. Each team should then blindfold a team member and have them untangle the web following only their verbal instructions. The first team to do it wins. Sounds easy, right? In reality, it’s not. You have to give concise advice and be receptive enough to follow your colleagues and instincts – should you be the blindfolded one.
Murder Mystery on the Train
You’ll need: a smartphone
Time: 90 min
Group size:4-6 (can accommodate up to 250 per session)
Instructions: Thinking of remote team building activities? This murder mystery team-building activity combines an engaging challenge with a twist! When the session starts, the Event Manager will brief the group virtually, providing intel about the murder. You’ll virtually travel back in time to the 1920s in order to solve this murder case that’s on the move. Teams then use their smartphones to work their way through the evidence by tapping on the interactive map and objects. Whilst picking up clues, participants must also use video and augmented reality on their smartphones to collect intel and figure out who the killer is. The winning team will be those who find the killer and score the most points.
Bridge Build
You’ll need: building materials (like legos, toy bricks, straws, marshmallows, etc. ), tape, paper, pens, and sheets.
Time: 50 minutes
Group size: 8-16
Instructions: Before entering into meetings that require serious brainpower, warm up with this game. Split the group into two teams. Then explain how they each have to build half of a bridge with the materials provided. In the end, the bridges should be similar in design and connection. The trick is they can’t see each other, so they’ll have to rely on verbal communication. Remember to set the room up first and place the sheets to divide them. Also, provide the same number of items to each team. In terms of timing, give them 10 minutes to come up with a design and 30 minutes for building.
The Barter Puzzle
You’ll need: puzzles
Time: 60-90 minutes
Group size: 12-20
Instructions: Not sure how your co-workers reach an agreement when they’re under pressure? This is one of those team bonding activities that let them negotiate to find out. Divide them into teams of 4 or 5. Then, give each team a different jigsaw puzzle equal in complexity. Explain to them that the puzzles are scrambled, containing parts from the others. The goal is to be the first ones to complete their puzzle while engaging in negotiation activities like bartering, exchanging team members, assigning leader roles, etc. Remember that these actions need to be taken by the whole team, not individually. To make things more interesting, you can hand each team a few trading chips with no value assigned to them. Although time-consuming, this activity brings up the best negotiators in each person and gives you a sneak peek into how they strategize decisions.
Gutter Ball/Pipeline
You’ll need: half pipes, marbles
Time: 45-60 minutes
Group size: 8-15
Instructions: This exercise aims to cross marbles of different sizes from one side of the room to the other without touching the floor. How? Through short lengths of half pipes. Each team member gets one and has to balance it so that it passes down seamlessly. Here’s the trick. The facilitator, you, in this case, can add obstacles between the start and endpoints to make the activity more challenging. You can even come up with extra rules which require team members to take turns or both feet need to remain on the floor, for example. Break the group into teams, let them come up with a plan, then time how long it took for the marbles to pass down. The team that keeps the marble going for the longest time wins. A small word of advice: try to make the race hard, but not impossible, so that each team member is aware of what they can achieve together. This is also one of the fun team-building activities.
Teamwork activities
Communication, balance, and trust – are the traits of healthy teamwork. The following games and fun team-building projects for work will test you and make you realize that a team’s value is greater than the sum of all its team members.
Robots
You’ll need: a rope to mark the start line, blindfolds, a “bomb” in the form of a ball
Time: 30 minutes
Group size: 6-12
Instructions: This group team-building activity is a great way to see how your team works together in an uncontrolled environment. The objective? To communicate in such a way as to retrieve a fake “bomb” before the other teams. Each team contains 3 to 5 members. There are three key roles to remember:
- Robot (1) – stands blindfolded in front of the start line, facing the bomb, and is the only one allowed to move.
- Communicator (2) – stands behind the line and doesn’t face the activity area or the robot.
- Observer (3) – stands in front of the communicator facing the activity area but is not allowed to talk.
The team game begins with the observer, who can use any other communication channel to signal the direction to the communicator. The communicator, in return, has to interpret those signals and give instructions to the robot to retrieve the bomb. As a facilitator, your goal is to observe how each one communicates verbally and in a nonverbal way. Pay special attention to the robots when it comes to active listening. This team activity is excellent for people who want to understand Scrum mechanics better. Robots might represent the Scrum team that carries out the sprints. The communicator is the Scrum Master, who acts as a servant-leader for the Scrum team. Meanwhile, the observer resembles the Product Owner, who prioritizes product specifications and coordinates the Scrum team.
Magic Cane or Helium Stick
You’ll need: a light stick or cane
Time: 20 minutes
Group size: 8-12
Instructions: Magic Cane or Helium Stick is a simple yet frustrating activity requiring teams to lower a lightweight stick to the ground using only their index fingers. To start with, the group forms two lines and faces each other. They then hold their arms out with their index fingers in front of the cane placed on top of them. Advise the group to balance their finger heights until the cane stands horizontally, then lower it down. They’ll probably raise and drop it first, but they’ll get the knack out of it. Don’t forget that all feet have to remain on the ground. Pinching or grabbing the stick is not allowed. The activity encourages co-workers to recognize that each one of them is needed for the team to succeed.
Blind Formation/The Perfect Square
You’ll need: a long rope, blindfolds
Time: 20-25 minutes
Group size: 4-8
Instructions: Bring your team in a circle and have them sit down. Next, blindfold them and hand each one a long rope tied at each end. Their task is to form a perfect square together. Once they’re done, they can take off their blindfolds and see what they’ve accomplished. If the results are sloppy and there’s enough time, give them a second chance to do it better. You can also increase the difficulty by muting a random participant or changing the shape (a star or a square, for example). The challenge demands increased collaboration and trust since the muted person has to rely on something other than sight and verbal communication to perform their job.
M&M Arm Wrestle
You’ll need: a bag of M&M
Time: 15 minutes
Group size: 4-20
Instructions: Ask the participants to pair up and assume an arm wrestling position. They can either stand on the floor or at a table. Whenever they pin down their partner’s arm, they win a point. The goal is to earn as many points as possible before the time goes out – usually 10 seconds. You’ll notice that people will focus more on competition and wrestle arms with each other (Win-Lose situation) rather than work together and win points for both sides (Win-Win situation). Give them a couple of extra rounds so they can figure it out for themselves. The bottom line is that winning at all costs, even at your co-worker’s stake, is counterproductive. But wait, where does M&M come into play? For each point earned, the participants will get an M&M candy. A great incentive for both kids and adults alike. And you can use them during all activities for team building.
You can also play this team activity using Skittles instead of M&M, just like our clients at Flourish Marketing did.
Creative teamwork activities
Quite often, the creator in each of us lies dormant and undisturbed. To wake this spirit up, try the following team-builder activities that rely on improvisation and dealing with things as they come.
Sales pitch
You’ll need: any random desk object
Time: 60 minutes
Group size: 6-12
Instructions: This team-building game is all about improvisation. Each colleague should grab a random object from their desk and bring it to the conference room. This is their product now, and they need to improvise a sales pitch around it. Let them devise a name, logo, and motto to make the drill more realistic. Have them deliver a two minutes presentation to convince the others to buy it. Instruct the participants who want to buy any product to raise their hands and keep score of them. In the end, discuss which were the top-sold products and why. This simple team activity is excellent for reframing the status quo and seeing things differently.
Grab Bag Skits
You’ll need: paper bags, random objects
Time: 45-60 minutes
Group size: 12-20
Instructions: Play grab-bag skits to loosen up the tension in a fun and energizing way. Teams of 3 to 6 get a paper bag which is filled with random objects – from the office or pre-purchased ones. Their task? To create a 4-5 minute skit using those objects. The gist is that nobody knows what’s in the bags. This encourages the use of common objects as replacements for different terms (a pair of glasses can act as a bicycle, for example). Remember that each team member needs to be the speaker at least once. At first, this will frighten introverts, but it will also give them the opportunity to get more casual and bond with their colleagues.
Shark Tank
You’ll need: flipchart, paper, pens
Time: 60-90 minutes
Group size: 6-24
Instructions: Ever wanted to invest side-by-side with Mark Cuban or present your idea to a jury? Now’s your chance. This team-building activity is a spin-off of the popular TV show Shark Tank.
Divide the group into teams of 2 to 6 and have them develop a business idea that needs to be pitched in only 10 minutes. It can be anything from a brick-and-mortar shop to an e-commerce website – even an additional feature or service that can be part of your product. To keep the atmosphere professional, ask them to draft a business plan that includes data about their target market, pricing strategy, financial forecasts, and unique selling proposition. Next, choose four sharks to form the jury and give them fake money to invest in the ideas. Encourage them to put themselves into the investors’ shoes by asking detailed questions about the business models. The team that gets the most funding wins. The office will bubble up with an entrepreneurial spirit and creative thinking, traits that are necessary to succeed in a competitive market.
Company Emblem
You’ll need: paper, pens, markers
Time: 30-45 minutes
Group size: 3-12
Instructions: Split a group into smaller teams, preferably by department, to focus on the group’s shared identity. Distribute paper, pens, markers, and crayons to each and tell them they need to draw a company emblem or shield. This can reflect the company’s values and past and present achievements, as well as its future direction. In the end, you’ll notice the different visions of each department. Debrief the session by allowing all teams to comment and ask questions about the meaning of each emblem. This will build trust among team members and remind them once again that they’re in this together.
Into other team-building games for the office?
These are only a few fun team-building activities and ideas that you might want to try out. You could also go for the “classical” ones too: board games, table football, ping-pong, or even arcade consoles, like our clients at Thankium do:
Want to get out of the office altogether? Try outdoor team-building activities like building a real campfire, going rafting, or doing a scavenger hunt – depending on how adventurous your team feels. You could even pair these with a social cause, as our clients at MECLABS participated in a beach cleanup with their families.
Or how about some corporate team-building activities? You could try Guinness World Records like the US-based retailer Aaron’s Inc. did when they formed the most significant human mattress dominoes with 1200 participants at its national manager meeting as a physical team-building activity.
The bottom line is to socialize and get to know your co-workers outside of work in a fun, entertaining environment. As the saying goes, you can learn more about a person in one hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Virtual team building activities
But what if you’re working from home? Can you still build your company culture from miles away? Of course, you can, although not as easy as before. Non-verbal cues are basically inexistent and technical difficulties might happen too often. But it’s even more imperative under these conditions to proactively engage your team as an antidote to remote work’s inherent loneliness- unaddressed, which can cause a drop in motivation and overall productivity.
BONUS! Here’s a bunch of virtual team-building activities to help you out. You can also download a bingo card to make things more fun at your next video call.
It’s your turn now
Too many teamwork activities to digest, right? There’s nothing to worry about. Using them depends mainly on your purpose, team size, and available time. Most are hands-on and can be played indoors, in your office, so logistics are minimal. There’s no better time to start than now. Whether you are a seasoned project manager or still figuring out how to get into pm, focusing on nurturing your team is always a good idea.
Additional Team Building Activities Resources
Venture Team Building – A collection of 60+ activities for team building from top trainers, with tips on how to set up the atmosphere and suggested learning outcomes.
Gamestorming (the book) – A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
37 Fun Team Building Activities for Teenage Athletes
Inside: The best team-building activities for teenage athletes.
Being a part of a team is such a wonderful experience. I remember when I was a teen, my team was like my family. It’s so funny to think that those girls were ever strangers to me.
I know how hard it can be to bond with your team in the beginning. That is why I have created the ultimate list of fun team-building activities for teenage athletes! Doing any one of these ideas will be just the icebreaker that the doctor ordered. I’ve made sure to add more affordable options along with some spendier ones, so whatever your team needs… you will find it here.
So take a look and think about which ones would be the best fit for you and your group. Look around, they are strangers now, but pretty soon, they’ll be family.
Easy Team Building Activities for Teenage Athletes
For this first list, I wanted to give you some of the simpler team activities. This way you can build upon them as the list goes on. You can choose as many as you want to do. There is never too much fun!
1. Tug O War – This is a classic way to go, but it will never steer you wrong. Just grab a robe, and have everyone split down the middle.
2. Wheel Barrow Races – If you are hoping to get some laughs, this is the way to go! How can you resist laughing when being held by the ankles?
3. Potato Sack Race -Another classic, but they are classics for a reason, right? See who has the best hops!
4. Car Wash – Holding a car is a time-honored tradition for athletic teams. You get to bond AND earn money for your team.
5. Charades – Charades may be an old game, but it’s a fun one as well. We even have lots of charades ideas to help you out.
6. Scavenger Hunt – Scavenger hunts are a great way to get everyone working together after one goal.
7. Group Crafts – See what they can make with some crafts put in front of them; there is a trick to this, though…they have to make one thing together.
8. Decorate a Cake – This one will be hilarious. Take them completely out of their athletic element to see how cute their cake will be!
9. Build a Table Challenge – Give them simple supplies like a cardboard box, a book, and some duct tape to see how well they can put together a sturdy table
10. Egg Toss – Another classic, but this will also teach them to work on their hand-eye coordination.
11. Human Pyramid – This one is a silly idea, but it is great for team building.
12. Trust Fall – Another classic; I am sensing a pattern here. Just have everyone pair up and catch another person. In the end, have the whole team catch the coach.
13. Truths and a Lie – This is a less hands-on game, but it is very effective nonetheless.
Activities for Bonding
Bonding is one of the most important parts of having a team. You need to be so connected with your players that you know the exact second they are going to throw the ball without even looking at them. To do that, you have to be comfortable with them. These will help!
14. Escape Room – Escape rooms will help them put their heads together to be able to get out. By the end, they will already be a solid team.
15. Ice Cream Social – Ice cream bonds everyone. So take them all out for some ice cream to get to know each other. Just avoid doing this before practice, though.
16. Bowling – Bowling alleys were literally made for bonding. Okay, maybe not literally, but they are great for it. Just try it out, and you’ll see what I mean.
17. Water Park – Going to a water park(if you have one near you) is perfect for getting your team to bond. They get to have some fun in the sun without the constraints of practice. How awesome.
18. Go See A Movie – Seeing a movie on the big screen is a great way to get your teens hanging out and getting used to each other. Make it a specific sports-themed movie, and it’ll be a winner.
19. Decorate T-Shirts – Have your team make their own themed t-shirts together. This will be a fun experience for everyone.
20. Mad Libs – This is a simple one, but it is hilarious. You can do one of these at the beginning of every practice to get everyone to have fun.
21. Trivia Night – See how much your team knows about the world with a trivia night. This classic is always a winner.
22. Blind Draw – Have everyone split up into pairs and then take turns having one person use the other’s back as a table for drawing on paper. If the person can guess what they are drawing, that team wins.
23. 20 Questions – This is another one that you can play at the beginning of every practice. I wish my coaches did stuff like this!
24. Hula Hoop Pass – Have everyone hold hands and put a hula hoop on one person; they have to get the hoop to the next person without breaking the hold or dropping it.
25. Jumbo Jenga – This one cracks me up because it is literally the small game turned large. Tensions will be high, and relief even high when it doesn’t fall.
Team Building Activities for Teenage Athletes
Here are some more great options for you and your team to choose from if you haven’t found anything that you like already. I find that hard to believe, but hey, the more options, the merrier, right?
26. Game of Horse – This classic basketball game is a great way to get the teens working on their aim while having fun.
27. Trampoline Center – Go to a bounce room, aka a place with a bunch of trampolines and obstacle courses for the team to kill some energy(and nerves) in. These are too funny.
29. Make a Mummy – Give them a roll of toilet paper(or five) and see how quickly they can create a mummy from their partner.
30. Try Not To Laugh – These videos on YouTube are challenging. The goal is to see how long you can go without laughing. This is great for bonding!
31. Would You Rather – A classic game that is meant to be played with many! Have everyone come up with questions, or find them here. I love this because you get to know people in better ways than just asking what their name is and where they were born.
32. Ice Skating – Ice Skating is a fun and out-of-the-box team-building exercise unless your team is a hockey team.
33. Go to an Amusement Park – If your team can afford it, an amusement park will be the perfect place for your team to bond.
34. Corn Hole – Have everyone split up into Teams to play the classic game of cornhole.
35. Mall Scavenger Hunt – Doing a mall scavenger hunt is an affordable team-building exercise.
36. Cup Stacking Tournament – Have you ever heard of speed stacking? Well, it would be such a fun bonding exercise!
37. Play Mini Golf – Mini golf is one of the best games to bond with your teammates. I love it.
So, which one are you going with? Or are you going to choose more than one? I think any way you go; you will love the results. I understand how awkward it can be in the beginning when you are just meeting the people who you will soon be playing with, but these will help make it so much easier.
Just bypass the nerve-wracking part and dive straight into the fun! That’s what I wish I did.
Mom to teens with lots of ideas and inspiration to share for travel, food, parties, school & fun!
Team building games – EVENTO | Event agency
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Event agency “Evento”: team building games (team building)
Each of us has heard this word, but not everyone knows what it means.
Teambuilding translated from English – building a team. That is, this is an event aimed at rallying the team in order to maximize the efficiency of its work. The second name of such events is team building.
Team building
For the first time, team building began to be held in the 40s. 20th century in the USA. In Russia, team building began to be used at the end of the last century.
Team Building Methods
Teambuilding is a very important part of the personnel management policy, because the process of forming a sense of team cohesion can and should be influenced!
In business, as in sports, it is not the team that consists of the best athletes that wins, but the most played one. Since the rise of large companies with numerous employees, team roles have become much more important, because it is necessary to motivate the team to achieve a common goal.
Team motivation
Team motivation has many benefits:
- less time is spent on motivating the entire team at once than each employee separately;
- results-oriented employees help each other and solve complex problems much faster;
- in a well-coordinated team cannot do without informal leaders, on whom you can always shift part of the authority, saving your time.
Creating Traditions
A good team should have its own traditions, like any family. Here you can talk about generally accepted traditions, such as celebrating the birthday of employees, and about individual ones, for example, going out into nature every two months, going to football games together, etc. Events can be diverse, it all depends on the team, you need to take into account gender, average age, hobbies, etc. The main thing is that the event was interesting for all employees.
Remember, if there are no traditions in a company, this means that there are no interpersonal relationships between employees either. Employees may not even know when colleagues have a birthday.
Organization of team games
There are many team building activities in which the team performs a variety of tasks. Their success, first of all, depends on the cohesive work of the team, and not on the efforts of each employee separately. All team activities are divided into office and out of office.
Sports team
A very common practice in large companies is to create their own sports team for football, volleyball, basketball, etc. Competition within the company or with competitors is an excellent team building for team building and team building.
Corporate holidays
At the moment, many firms refuse holidays with feasts and alcohol. But if a feast with alcohol cannot be avoided, it must be led! And if everything is organized correctly, for example, including competitions in the program, preparing speeches for employees, i.e. involve the entire team in the process as much as possible, and also limit the amount of alcohol, then the consequences that everyone fears can be easily avoided.
Team building goals
Let’s try to formulate the main goals of team building:
- Formation of a team spirit, team spirit
- Replacing the feeling of competition among company employees with a sense of cooperation.
- Teaching people to communicate effectively with each other
- Development of mutual understanding and trust among employees
- Strengthening the authority of management in informal settings
- Opportunity to give employees psychological relief
Team building process
In order to create a successful team, it is necessary to analyze the prevailing atmosphere in the team. Only after this comes the understanding of the general psychological mood. Here it is already possible to evaluate the role of an individual employee and his understanding of the company’s goals.
It happens that only at this stage managers, HR-specialists, top managers begin to understand what team building is and its importance for the company.
Of course, you can organize team building on your own, but in order not to waste precious time, effort and, most likely, extra money, the best option is to order team building from professionals. Only they will competently assess the situation and build the work, taking into account all the circumstances of a particular company.
Now there is a lot of various literature on the market dedicated to the organization of team building, but even after reading several books, no leader will be able to independently organize and conduct an effective team building event.
The second step after analyzing the situation in the company is to draw up a team building plan, which includes a number of different activities.
Office games for team building
Nothing supernatural is needed to organize team building games in the office. The first is the room where the event will actually take place, here it is necessary to take into account the size of the room and the number of participants. Second, think about the equipment you will need: tables, chairs, paper, markers, etc. And most importantly – do not forget about the coach! You need an organizer who can explain to the participants the meaning of the task and its rules.
Here are some examples of office games for team building.
- Interview
All employees sit in a circle and each one talks about himself in the allotted time: about his childhood, about his family, about his hobbies, about his favorite films and books. This game is mainly held to introduce employees in a new team.
- Choir
Each worker sings his own name in turn, followed by the rest of the team singing his name together.
- find common ground
Participants line up by height. After the announcement of some other sign by the leader, for example, the color of clothes, date of birth, etc., employees line up in the required order.
Away games for team building
Active team building is now gaining more and more popularity, because it is much more useful and interesting to hold a team-building event somewhere in the fresh air, in nature, than in an office building.
A place for active team building can be a park, a sanatorium, a boarding house, etc. The most important thing is that all employees there feel comfortable and convenient.
Usually such team building has a sports orientation. An important aspect: such an event not only contributes to the excellent mood of employees, but also allows them to express themselves, show the team their capabilities.
Here are some examples of offsite team building.
- Rock Climbing
Competitors line up on a large bench or log, pressing tightly against each other.
The players are counted in order, after which the leader speaks in another sequence of numbers, and everyone lines up in that order.
The meaning of the game is team building – the participants must not fall off the cliff (step on the floor), it is also impossible to talk.
- Assembly
The essence of the game is simple: participants need to use one large rope to tie a knot on it, and the rope must not be let go. It looks very funny from the side and, of course, cheers up all the players.
- Treasures
The facilitator hides tasks for team building participants in different places in advance and gives them hints. Players must, using the hint, find the places where the tasks are hidden and complete them. This is the same quest and the theme for it can be very different.
Team building games (team building) from the event agency “Evento”
EVENTO event agency has been on the event market since 2008, we have been organizing and holding various events for over 10 years!
Our team consists of only professionals: screenwriters, directors, producers, presenters, artists. All of us are united by one quality – we make every effort, we do everything possible and impossible to make the event of our customers the best!
EVENTO event agency organizes any turnkey events, from the development of a creative concept to its full implementation. And we can safely say that the organization and conduct of team building is our forte.
There are a lot of team-building events that are completely different in format – these are sports team building, creative, role-playing, extreme, etc.
Our team is ready to offer you about thirty previously implemented team building scenarios, or come up with a completely new program personally for your company, in accordance with your wishes and needs.
If you want to hold a cool, most effective team-building event, please contact the event agency “Evento”.
Call: (861) 24-777-50; 24-777-50, or order a callback on our website.
We guarantee quality and results!
Team Building – Trainings and Team Building Games (Moscow)
Teambuilding is a team building activity in an organization. This is a purposeful, very time-consuming process that brings results to the business. How does the team influence? Influences directly. The more cohesive people, the more well-coordinated the team, the more effective it will work. Why is the process of team building not easy? And sometimes it is long, complicated and thorny. Let’s figure it out together with the specialists of the training company TimBy. Team building – is it necessary or not necessary?
“Don’t even think about doing a team building! You don’t need it! At least for now!”
Can an organizer of team building training say such a phrase? Think not? Actually it can! He speaks when he understands that team building will not be useful now, and may even harm.
We are used to thinking that team building is always a useful thing. It’s good, it’s good for everyone. And here it is not. It happens that it is better to postpone or cancel it altogether. First, solve internal problems in the company, and only after that conduct training for team building.
Let’s figure it out. There are three options for the state of the organization, when:
- team building is urgently needed;
- spend useful, but no urgency;
- is not worth doing now.
Urgently need team building training?
When do you need it urgently? When global shocks occur from outside – crises, wars, pandemics, markets collapse, habitual patterns of work die, innovative approaches arise . People are in a panic, uncertainty, do not know how to quickly reorient themselves in a new reality. For managers, this is not easy – in addition to work tasks, you need to find ways to rally people, how to quickly build or rebuild a team in a company in order to stay afloat.
Shocks are internal – when the way of work collapses or changes greatly. For example, a new super ambitious task has been set, one that has never been completed before. It can be a new project, a merger of two organizations, a restructuring, a massive recruitment of new employees or a reduction in old ones . .. All this is a serious shock for employees. They are disunited, frustrated, demotivated.
Rescue measures to be taken urgently . The training company evaluates the situation, at what stage is the creation of a cohesive team. Is it already there or is it not there at all? And then he offers a team building program for a specific case. Tools are chosen based on the complexity of the situation and the specifics of the company. For example, it could be:
- Team Building Active Training Rope Course
- Strategy Game Reaching Goal
- Scenario team building program
When useful, but not urgent
If the company works stably, develops according to its plan, gradually increasing its capacity, the general situation in the country is calm, then team building is always useful . In this case, we consider team-building activities as preventive vaccinations to support the body and protect ourselves from serious diseases. Systematic trainings on team building support the corporate spirit, motivation, mood for teamwork. They are held according to plan, once or a couple of times a year. They have a supportive format, they can be held on all gender holidays, the new year, etc. They are included in the classic action plan, which the event or HR manager draws up for several years in advance. A working option would be to hold one planned event and the second additional, timed to coincide with some holiday.
Now is not the time!
Sometimes it is not necessary to rally the team, at least at this stage of the company’s development. For example, an organization has gone through a major crisis or completed a very complex project. People are exhausted physically and mentally. It is better to let them just relax, set aside extra days off, and not force them to go somewhere, do something.
When internal problems are not solved business processes are not adjusted. For example, if the office is small, very cramped, then until normal working conditions are created, it makes no sense to carry out something . .. After all, the effect will be very short-lived …
Or they constantly delay salaries, reduce them, cut bonuses… in this case, team building can be perceived negatively. They do not pay money, but allocated a corporate budget.
Not all team building activities that take place
Not all joint activities outside the office are team building activities. The following principles are taken into account in the correct teambuilding:
- There is a common goal for all, a common victory
- Participation is comfortable for every employee, regardless of age, build, sports uniform, gender.
It is wrong to call any sports competition team building. Sport is a priori a competition in which someone wins, someone loses. This is contrary to the principle of common victory. Sports are a great element of corporate culture, but participation in such programs should be voluntary. Conditions for training are created in advance for employees.
If any action with colleagues is called team building, then it is better not to expect “good” from this. A trip to paintball is not the same. There is no teamwork in paintball, on the contrary, it is a “war game” where you kill each other, albeit pretend. This event has nothing to do with team building.
If the manager decides to hold the event too clumsily, without considering whether the chosen format will suit the majority of employees, then it is better to refuse this too. Gendir, a lover of outdoor activities, organizes rafting on a mountain river, not taking into account that 60% of the employees are women and elderly people, for whom such extreme sports will not only not be useful, but may be dangerous … As a result, he gets negative.
Team building is a training or a series of trainings that teach the ability to work together, in a word, unite the team. Prepared by professionals. Based on the principles of creating effective teams, on psychology and special techniques.
An event carried out without proper knowledge, at the wrong time, may not only not give a result, but also harm the work of the organization.
How to rally a team of employees?
People working in the company are not robots. They cannot simply be “tuned” into a command mode. Each team needs its own approach based on knowledge of psychology, on working with leadership qualities, on knowledge of team management technologies.
Team building is almost always a very necessary thing. But without the participation and feedback from the head of the company or HR director, without an integrated approach to work, it will not be possible to achieve a result. It makes no sense to conduct team building trainings as a tribute to fashion. All done – I’ll do it too.
Competent team building is not a magic pill that solves all existing problems at once. But this is an excellent tool, without which the overall team building process will be very difficult or even impossible to implement.
What is effective team building, why teambuilding is needed, what are the principles of successful teamwork – read on.
The essence of team building
Definition of the term “team building” came from the English concept of “team building” (team – team, building – construction, construction) comes down to the fact that this is a continuous process that includes various non-standard activities to create special interaction in the team, the formation of team spirit, as well as informal relationships to achieve common business goals.
The purpose of teamwork is for employees to act as a unit for the good of the company. Why is it given such a big role? Because the role of people in business is huge. The most important asset of any organization is its staff. If people are passionate about their work, do their job well, are motivated and professional, any business will go uphill and succeed.
Synonymous with team building is the concept of “bringing the team together”. When the staff works together, the result of the work will be much better than if everyone does something in discord.
Therefore, the main reason for creating a team is the managerial desire to succeed in business. And not vice versa.
Some businessmen have an opinion “now I will succeed, I will get super profits, then it will be possible to spend money on all sorts of team building”. This is fundamentally not true. The success of any enterprise depends on its team. A businessman will bring his organization to the top in the market much faster if a well-coordinated team of professionals works for him, where everyone trusts each other, is ready to insure, lend a shoulder. This is exactly what training companies that are engaged in holding corporate events to rally staff achieve. At the startup stage, you need to invest not only in advertising, marketing, and equipment. We have to invest in people. You can buy new equipment quickly, but you can’t create and rally a team.
The essence of the concept team
The definition of the concept “team” is that it is a group of people united by a common goal. In psychology, this concept means that they have common motives, interests, ideals. In order to unite employees around one common idea (except for making a profit), HR specialists, together with the director or owner, develop the mission and values of the organization, bringing them to each employee.
Corporate events, values, clear corporate culture – all this is the basis for the formation of a well-coordinated team of like-minded people within the organization.
The history of creating programs for team building goes back to 20 century. Teambuilding came from sports – coaches tried to rally athletes, teach them interaction skills, communication rules, team behavior in order to achieve goals. Later, this approach and methods migrated to the corporate environment, began to be used in order to rally people at work, to achieve success in business.
Goals and objectives of team building
Understand the essence of team building. The main thing is to create a cohesive team in the organization.
Team building tasks:
increase the efficiency of the team;
increase the motivation of employees to achieve their goals;
to form the key skills of successful team members, to teach how to interact;
remove competition, increase the level of personal responsibility of employees;
raise team spirit;
reveal the hidden leaders, as well as the “gray cardinals”.
It is believed that the goal for any leader is the comfort of his subordinates. The boss thinks about how to make it comfortable and interesting for everyone to work. Of course, this is partly true. But there is one thing – the main goal of management in building a successful team is to make it work better for the good of the organization. Increased profits, cut costs.
Principles, methods, steps of team building
There are different approaches to team building. But they are all based on these principles:
Team Formation Methods : goal-setting, role-playing, interpersonal and problem-oriented.
Key stages of team development:
forming a team and starting to work together
confrontations and conflicts
normalization of the situation
working together at full capacity.
The effectiveness of an organization that pays attention to teamwork is growing before our eyes.
Key features of a team in an organization
Key factors for a successful team are those aspects that directly or indirectly affect the successful development of a team. These are the size and composition of the team, the cohesion of the team, the roles and status of team members, the conflict of participants, the presence of a common goal, mission and values.
Key features of a team in an organization:
All employees give their best at work, use their talents, knowledge and skills to solve problems. The results of the team’s work satisfy the management and bring profit to the organization.
Employees help each other, support and cover each other.
Everyone is interested in the work, there are fewer mistakes. Employees understand their responsibility.
Less emotional burnout, mutual assistance develops.
The number of intrigues and squabbles tends to zero, because employees consider themselves friends, family.
The main motivation of a person is the salary for his work. But the company that cares not only about material, but also about non-material motivation of its employees wins in the competition. You can’t raise wages indefinitely. Team building measures will increase the level of job satisfaction, affect the non-material motivation of the staff, and therefore, in the future, will reduce the costs of indexing salaries and recruiting new staff. People will hold on to pleasant working conditions, a good atmosphere and a friendly team, it is a pity to lose this in a new place.
Principles and technologies of team management
Team management technologies are chosen by the manager based on the situation in which he is now. He analyzes the level of development of his team, the goals and objectives facing the unit. It is based on the rules of teamwork and team building methods.
He can choose:
training of project team members to improve their professional and business skills;
team building trainings to rally employees for synergy and development of a team approach;
brainstorming sessions, joint meetings, so that everyone feels their contribution to the work;
team problem log, where you can reflect exciting moments;
drawing up a clear work plan and monitoring its implementation.
The principles of team management and the principles of building effective teamwork are based on knowledge of psychology, identification of leadership qualities, attention to each employee, his talents and needs.
The main characteristics of an effective project team include the distribution of tasks, mutual assistance and assistance to each other, mentoring, well-established communications and high efficiency when working on business tasks.
Team building process
The algorithm for creating an effective team and managing it is based on the fact that the manager selects the necessary people, adjusting their number and competencies, and then begins to establish communications between them. Creates a friendly and trusting atmosphere, while motivating employees to achieve a common result. The value of working in such an organization is multiplied.
Teambuilding trainings become one of the assistants in this process. Such trainings are conducted by TeamB. Our specialists know all the stages of team building, team relationship management and the psychology of team formation.
The team building process should normally not stop. It continues with the development of the organization. Events and team buildings are included in the general event plan for the next year and several years.
Fundamentals of teamwork
Teamwork is a relationship within a team based on the fact that employees understand and accept each other, support and work together. Respect and recognize the achievements and contribution to the work of each member of the group. Everyone has a common vision, ideology, motivation and values.
Such interaction is not achieved immediately – for this you need to work on building a successful team. Activities for such work are based on the features of the formation of effective teams.
The technology for forming such a well-coordinated team is selected based on the characteristics of the organization, the composition of the group, the situation within the team and the vision of the goal that is supposed to be achieved in business.
The mission and values of the team members should be similar, this will ensure the fastest team building. Team development methods in its different phases are chosen together with the director of the company or HR.
How to rally any team at work
Team-building activities will help to do this. They need to be carried out when the team is ready for this. Training for a tired team is not worth it. It is better to do this before the start of a major project, rather than after. After the project, it is better to give people a rest.
Before team building, business processes need to be adjusted. To begin with, it is necessary to make sure that everyone understands what he is doing and what he is responsible for. After that, you can start building communication between employees.
Team building is needed when there are serious internal problems in the company. Any shocks – both internal and external – affect the microclimate of the team, different political views, disputes among employees slow down work processes. A full-time psychologist in a company will not solve the problem in a complex way, he solves local issues of individual employees. Training company TimB looks at the problems of the team as a single organism.
It’s not worth saving on team building – this can only make things worse when another crisis or internal problem breaks out.
Methods of team building
We talked a lot about the ways of team building in this article. But we have not touched on the work with remote employees – and now this is clearly a trend of recent years. Firstly, the pandemic played a huge role here, and secondly, many types of work are now popular, when presence in the office is simply not necessary. People may never see each other live, communicate only online. This does not mean that they do not need to be rallied. Remote employees need to be given special attention so that they feel part of a single organism, see their contribution to the work of the company, do not get bored and do not feel isolated.
The basic principles and approaches to team building will be the same as for employees in the office.
How to rally remote employees?
- For telecommuting employees, it is important to have video meetings so that people can see each other.
- You can create a chat for employees, where they can discuss the progress of work and other issues.
- Now social networks are developed, so you can also add each other as friends and follow the life of your employees.
- The principles and rules for the formation of any project should be taken into account with the specifics of remote workers.
Formation of team spirit
Team spirit for those who are thousands of kilometers apart is very important. Sometimes it happens that remote employees feel lonely, do not understand their role and their contribution to the common cause. It is important for them to receive information about the progress, plans and vision of the company.
Methods and rules of team work can be extended to remote workers, the main thing is to adapt them, taking into account the fact that people may never see each other in reality.
Team building events
An effective method would be field team building event for remote employees, offline. You can hold such an event once a year or if it becomes necessary. For example, before the start of a large project.
At the offline training, employees will get to know each other, communicate, and become a single team. In the future, it will be easier for them to work. And the efficiency of their activities will increase significantly.
Books about team building and team management
Methods and stages of team building, as well as the results from the introduction of a team approach, are described in books on team building. In them you can find recommendations for team building and a description of the technologies for creating an effective team.
Books on team building you can present to your managers and project leaders for review.
They will also be useful reading for any employees for their development.