Team building is a tool that allows higher performance thanks to the activities carried out by the group in different environments.
Last update: 24 September, 2021
Team building is a strategy used to improve group performance. This strategy is widely used in contexts that require the combination of individual efforts to achieve a better overall performance.
Groups serve a achieve common goals and strengthen individual results. A team works when it is dynamic and allows certain goals to be achieved by acting under individual and mutual responsibility to exploit the synergies that are created as a whole.
What is team building?
Team building consists of a series of dynamic activities aimed at sports teams, schools, religious groups or non-governmental organizations whose ultimate goal is to improve the performance of the group.
It includes a wide range of practices that can range from simple exercises for creating emotional bonds between members to complex situations designed to perfect team cohesion.
Team building can be applied directly or indirectly. In the direct approach, the intervention manager works directly with the participants. For example, in the sports field it is the coach who works directly to form a team that performs better.
In the indirect approach, on the other hand, the person in charge of the intervention is a consultant from outside the group. In sports, the coach should lead the intervention as he can get more involvement from the athletes. There are also strategies that promote team building cohesion.
5 strategy ie team building
To increase the cohesion of the group, Carron et. al (2006) propose the following strategies:
- Develop a team performance profile.
- Establish team goals.
- Promote mutual respect.
- Develop clarity and acceptance of roles.
- Maintain effective communication.
Team building activity
The team building activities are many and can be carried out in a sporting or corporate context. Here are some of them.
1. Activities to get to know each other better
They are activities that allow you to break the ice between the members of the group. For example, writing 3 adjectives on a sheet to define yourself or 3 hobbies and then having to guess who each sheet corresponds to.
Another activity to get to know each other is to give each other gifts. This allows you to find out the tastes or preferences of others, as well as guess who gave the gift. This way the group members get to know each other better and feel more cohesive.
2. Overcoming a challenge together
Tackling a challenge requires developing the capacity for innovation and creativity, as well as responsiveness and mental agility. Some proposals could be the following:
- Escape room. This activity involves all members of the group and is a lot of fun. Whoever leaves the room first wins.
- Challenges. You have to divide into groups and each has to draw up a list of challenges to put the other teams in difficulty. To win, you will need to exploit your creative ability.
- Trust games. It consists in forming couples; while one is blindfolded, the other must give directions. Trust is crucial to passing this test.
3. Sports activities
The physical contact inherent in sporting events leads on many occasions to generate emotional bonds. Also, decision making, personal improvement, etc. come into play. Examples of team sporting activities are paintball, basketball or football matches, among others.
4. The competitions
Contests can be for dancing, cooking, singing, etc. It could also be traditional games, adapting them to the world of work, to get to know the team members better. For example, the Trivial game can be adapted with questions about the company or team members.
5. Outdoor trips
It doesn't have to be a long or distant journey - sometimes an outing in the fresh air, such as activities or excursions into nature, helps to unplug from the office and create a relaxed atmosphere that fosters camaraderie.
6. Volunteering
Many companies are engaged in volunteering, but very few involve workers themselves. On the contrary, volunteering must be cooperative and involve the members of a corporate, sports, religious, etc. group, in order to create a strategy of social responsibility and to identify with the values ​​of society.
7. Team building dynamics within the environment
Team building activities should not be interpreted as something occasional or external to the company or group; in fact, they can - and should - also be carried out in daily office work.
For example, once a month all team members can meet to present projects and take advantage of it to resolve doubts and propose new ideas.
Occasions such as holidays, birthdays and events can be an opportunity to get to know team members and enjoy their company. In this way it is possible to strengthen interpersonal bonds.
Advantages of team building
Some of the benefits of team building are as follows:
- Creating bonds between colleagues. It allows you to create or strengthen existing bonds, not only between colleagues, but also with bosses. Team building is an essential tool for internal communication and for strengthening emotional bonds.
- Increase the sense of belonging to the company or group. By working towards a common goal, the feeling of identity and belonging to the group is fostered.
- Stimulate creativity. The activities must take place in a relaxed atmosphere, even better if they are dynamic, thus stimulating ingenuity and contributing to the proposal of new ideas.
- Define roles and responsibilities. In the course of team building activities, the ability of a team to organize internally comes out.
- Accelerate the ability to react to a conflict. By establishing specific roles and improving bonds between workers, it is easier to resolve conflicts.
- Reduce Stress. They allow you to disconnect from the routine, especially when team building activities take place in a relaxed environment, thus reducing the workload.
- Increase productivity. Team building activities are designed to increase performance. This is possible thanks to group cohesion and motivation.
In short, carrying out team building activities occasionally or in everyday work, sports, religious, etc., increases performance, favors group cohesion and the formation of closer bonds between members.
Applying team building activities in group contexts ensures a series of benefits both collectively and individually.
