Half of your team will look forward to going on a team building. The other half will consider it a chore. Some people find them tedious, repetitive or as a way to camouflage the elephant in the room. Some people would rather spend their time at home, instead of spending another afternoon with people from work. However, there are ways to use team building to boost productivity, mend poor people’s relationships and turn them into something that works. Let’s go through those that work.
Team building per team
The reason why people dislike team building is, in fact, other people. Anna from accounting might not be happy to spend an afternoon with Sonia from marketing. That’s fine because Anna and Sonia don’t have to build a close relationship because they have a different professional relationships.
They might work for the same company but don’t play for the same team. But, Anna can build close relationships with people in finance and similar positions. At the same time, Sonia should go on a team building with the marketing team.
Every company has the same challenge, but with the right approach, a challenge can become a problem solved. The best way to build close team relationships productively is to throw a team building per team. Give each team a budget and a few ideas for spending it. However, give each team a goal – what should be achieved after the team building.
A team-building with a cause
When you ask people to take part in something for a good cause like a charity, it gives the entire team building a different purpose. People will get a chance to bond but also achieve a higher cause. Let’s say you want people to compete, but they will all compete for a charity. This way, people will feel like they’re doing something productive, not just another team building. It will be a competition, but no one will get their feelings hurt if the other team is better than them. Some activities include a fun competition, and the final prize goes to a charity of choice. The winner can decide which recommended charities will receive a donation in their name.
Try a virtual team-building activity
This one is a great way to bond a remote team and, for a moment, put them all in the same “virtual” room together. This can be a fun activity after a strict deadline when people can use some room to breathe and relax. Have people solve a crime mystery under a countdown. A timer can slowly tick away while they search for clues to solve a mystery. You can also conduct virtual trivia, where different teams play against each other under imaginary team names. Only the moderator will know who the members of Team Pyjama and Team Avengers are.
Host a real-time adventure
If you truly want to throw a productive team building to which everyone will RSVP, you need to think outside the box. Let’s say your idea is to host a real-time adventure. Geocaching adventure is definitely out of the box because people must genuinely team up and do the work. This out-of-the-box team building will engage people in problem-solving activities and promote teamwork. You can team up with an event management company to help you write the script for this adventure and help execute every detail.
Bake-off
Each team within your company has one person who loves to cook. You can organise a team bake-off where every team will cook a meal. Choose something that everyone loves to eat. Next, make sure it’s challenging but not difficult or too time-consuming. Lastly, just for fun, have people guess who made which dish. Count in all the guesses, so the person who gets the highest number of guesses is the winner.
The fastest to build a puzzle
This team-building activity is ideal for a small company. Divide people into two groups and get two identical puzzles. It doesn’t have to be the same, but it can be on the same topic. If the topic is the world’s most famous bridges, get two identical puzzles. This one builds cooperation, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Set a time limit, rules of conduct, and time for breaks, and whoever is the fastest – wins.
Build a better relationship with Two truths and a Lie
Play a fun game if you want your team to get to know each other apart from their professional personas. Two Truths and a Lie is a well-known game where people share two facts and a lie about themselves. Have people sit comfortably, relax, set a time limit, and share the game’s rules. To prevent people from oversharing something unsuitable for work, list unacceptable truths. Those listening to two facts and one made-up fact must decide which could be true and which is an outright fabrication or a lie.
Inspire creativity with Guess the Object game
This is another one that will spark competition, creativity, communication and team spirit. Guess the object can be played in pairs when one person has to explain an object to another person at a time limit. They cannot say the name of the object, they just have to describe it. You can play this in between complex projects, when one ends, so there’s time for team members to relax, bind and get creative.
Share a meal together
Sharing a meal together is spending quality time together. Everyone loves to eat, chat, and share stories. Everyone will love this one, especially since it can be done during office hours, as everyone is bound to take a lunch break at a particular time of the day. This is great if you haven’t had any birthday celebrations or have had time to gather in one place. It’s time efficient and cost-effective, as it won’t cost much to organise.
Learn something new together
Let’s say that you want to strengthen relationships within your team. One of the ways is to have your team learn something new so it serves as a bonding moment. It can be something creative, like an origami workshop or mixology class on a Friday afternoon at the end of the month.
There are many ways to create a positive company culture. One of them is building positive relationships within teams through fun activities. Build teams that appreciate each other, communicate clearly and know how to have fun together.
