Take Time Out For Team Building

By most accounts, the term ‘team building’ wasn’t coined until the late 1920’s. So what was happening in organisations before that? What happened in ancient Rome, for example, before gladiatorial combat – did Maximus and co just motivate themselves, avoiding any form of group morale boosting? Undoubtedly not. And, did soldiers before battle not look for unity and strength from their ranking officer? Surely there are countless chapters in history where ‘team building’ (or a concept closely related) has been incorporated to help a group function?

Since the publication in 1927 of the now classic Hawthorne Study (one of the earliest studies of human behaviour in the workplace), the team idea has evolved steadily. Elton Mayo, the Study’s author, realised that the most significant factor to successful team building was creating a sense of “group identity, a feeling of social support and cohesion that came with increased worker interaction”. This formula is just as pertinent today and companies are constantly searching for suitable exercises to create this positive and productive office utopia.

There are many variations of team building exercises that can be used to help improve your company’s internal communications, morale, trust and solidarity. Although these activities are undertaken in the spirit of fun, often they exist outside the office and employers believe that the more elaborate and adventurous actions will be the most beneficial. This can sometimes be the case, but carrying out team building exercises in the office is a much more cost-effective and resourceful way to deliver your message. You really don’t have to scale a mountain while paint balling to achieve cohesion in the work place.

So as a manager, how can you facilitate these internal exercises, and more importantly, what are the options available to get the cooperation of your staff? Having your team members work together in a tangible way is, ultimately, your goal. And the return on investment from this is not something to take lightly. Here are some examples of team building activities that can be carried out in your office. They can help to create an enjoyable work atmosphere, and additionally can also help to improve mental and physical health:

Amazing Secrets is a great, informal icebreaker activity. Each participant writes on a Post It something about themselves that no one else in the room knows. For example they used to play in a band, have appeared on TV, saved a life etc. In their teams/tables each group then guesses which secret belongs to which participant and the winning team gets a prize. This activity reinforces a theme of sharing and discovery and can often produce some surprising information about colleagues that you would never have associated with them.

The Egg Tower is a creative indoor team building activity where teams are issued with a set of newspapers, a roll of Sellotape and an egg. The aim is to build a tower as tall as you possibly can that will support the egg! Teams are allocated two minutes to plan their designs and then the race is on the construct the loftiest tower. Bonus points are awarded for aesthetic design and the best named build. This session can last between five and 30 minutes - be prepared for some toppling eggs!

Crossing the Line is an indoor exercise that introduces participants to the concept of cooperation versus competition. You will need a length of rope approximately 25 foot long (7.5m) and some masking tape. Place the rope in a circle shape and a tape a line down the middle of the circle to create two halves. Then select two volunteers from the group (try to pick the two most competitive individuals as each should have high ego strength). Ask them to enter the circle and face each other; explain that this is an initiative involving power and influence, and that the goal is to use their powers of persuasion, argument and bribery to get the other person to cross completely over the line. The rules are simple in that you cannot touch each other physically and the audience may not contribute suggestions. The duel can last between five and 30 minutes.

Pipe Dreams is not only a fantastic indoor team building challenge, but a good ice-breaker too. It is a rudimentary activity that gets the entire team involved and instantly makes them feel relaxed and united. The teams (can consist from groups of two upwards) have to create something - an interesting or topical object - out of a packet of pipe cleaners, and then give a short presentation of what they have made. The results can be very creative and surprisingly amusing! Expect the assignment to last between 45 to 60 minutes.

Professional team building companies can also offer more tailored programmes. Fresh Tracks is an innovative team building company in the UK that has been providing creative solutions to motivate and develop teams and individuals for Europe’s most forward thinking organisations since 1992.

“The key to successful team building is to make sure that what ever you decide to do there is a reason for it,” says Tom Vaughton, of Fresh Tracks. “At the end of the day the team should come away with tangible and measurable outcomes that will move the team forward and increase motivation, communication and productivity. Quite simply, if a company is going to spend both time and money, there needs to be a return on that investment.”

There are all sorts of resources out there for more ideas and suggestions. The Trainers’ Tookit (www.trainerstoolkit.co.uk), for example, offers downloadable instructions and information on a range of team building activities.