Team Building in the Workplace
Team building in the workplace has become increasingly important in recent years, as businesses becomes more competitive, aggressive, and technology driven. Employees are required to work smarter and harder in an attempt to meet the challenges of the workplace and to effectively deliver the desired results. But no single individual can make a company success. Yes, individuals do make a difference in the overall performance. However, group efforts or team work is eventually needed to help a company along. Even sole owner owned and operated companies rely on other individuals to help their businesses thrive.
Significance of Team Building
The importance you, as the owner, put on team building, can lead to significant and positive results in your company. It not only paves the way to better communication amongst your employees, but also promotes the facilitation of ideas. When it comes to keeping up with the competition, having a group of individuals ready to collaborate can help put you a head of the game. Encouraging team work can also help keep everyone on the same page, as it helps create a better sense of understanding and cooperation. Above all, creating a team environment boosts employee motivation, trust, commitment, and dedication. These factors can have a positive affect on interoffice relationship by increasing tolerance, which can result in the likely hood that your employees will successfully manage conflicts (and yes, there will be conflict).
Team Building Techniques
Some of the most common team building exercises in the workplace focus on enhancing communication, ensuring success, and lifting overall performance of the team.
Organize a Day Trip. Rewarding your employees for their work with a day trip can serve as a token of appreciation. An outing not only gives your employees a break their strenuous schedules and an opportunity to relax, but it also provides your team a chance to know each other better outside the typical work environment. As they interact in a more casual environment without the stresses of completely work task, they can interact and bond. These positive experience can ultimately continue and flourish within the workplace.
Celebrate Each Other’s Success. Promote a workplace culture where the staff appreciates and acknowledge each other’s efforts by celebrating the success of a job well done or meeting the deadlines can have a tremendous effect. Even something a simple as a celebration cake to commemorate accomplishing a goal can go a long way in recognizing a job well done. Recognizing successes provides an opportunity to wipe out negativity and provides a sense of unity among the peers.
Initiate Group Discussion Sessions. By conducting group discussions, a manager can reap innovative ideas on topics. It leads back to the idea “two or more heads are better than one.” Encouraging group discussions also helps increase the likelihood employees will be less resistant and more supportive of initiatives, as you’ve obtained input prior to implementation. As a result, they become part of the solution and so have a vested interest in accomplishing the mission.
Before I wrap this up, I’d like to share a few team building slogans. Keep in mind, these quotes aren’t meant as digs. The opportune time to use “There is no “I” in TEAM,” is not when you have a loan wolf screwing things up for everyone else or taking credit for teamwork. Instead, think of opportunities to use them to lift spirits and acknowledge that accomplishments happen because you have a great team backing you.
- There is no ‘I’ in TEAM” ~ Anonymous
- “A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle” ~ Japanese proverb
- “A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way” ~ Swahili proverb
- “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is
- success” ~ Henry Ford
When a business owner is successful in carrying out the above mentioned team building techniques and activities, employees benefit from the enhanced environment. Employees feel more united, committed, and dedicated to their work, address their weaknesses, and develop essential important problem-solving capacity and creativity skills. And when employees benefit, the company prosper.
What type of team building exercises do you employ in your company?
I would love to have a day trip with my group. I just don’t think our manager is ever up to that sort of thing. We’ll go out to lunch about once a month as a group, or if there’s a significant event going on. But using it as regular team building I think would be so much better. Do you have ways of suggesting any of these methods to leaders? Thanks.
Great question, Sarah!
If your boss is anything like my boss, s/he will want a budget. You might consider things like accommodations, food, travel & mileage, cost of activities, etc. My boss is also fond of making a case for professional development and reporting back after the event. For example, how does it align with the company mission? If you’re interested in a day trip, consider making a case for how it’ll help your team.
It sounds like your manager already appreciates team time, as you mentioned lunch dates. Perhaps a soft request might work. “I was thinking how day trips can really increase XYZ within a company. If I put together a budget and proposal, would it be something you’d be interested in entertaining?”
The advice in the article is the absolute truth. Teamwork is essential to any business success. You listed some great team building exercises as well. I know that it’s easier to work with a team that you feel comfortable with, so getting to know each other and finding each person’s strengths is very important. Thanks for the good read. I will share it with my friends and coworkers.
Thanks for stopping by, David. You make a great point about being comfortable with your team. I’ve been in situations where I don’t trust my co-workers and take on an avoidance attitude. As such, we don’t get to collaborate nearly as much. Lack of collaboration and result in a company not progressing as quickly or the customers losing out on missed opportunities. Those in leadership can set the example and show the importance of teamwork. They can also create opportunities to help increase the comfort level amongst co-workers. Cause as you said, it’s easier to work with a team you feel comfortable with.