Summer Team Building Exercises
Thursday May 10, 2007
It's hard to believe it's almost summer already (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway). If you are planning a team building exercise at the end of Q2, you should be starting your planning already. The article Team Building Exercises and Icebreakers will help you make your event memorable and successful. This three-part article provides tips and resources to make your team building exercise the one everyone looks forward to each year, not the one they make jokes about.
I took a look at the list of 15 team building ideas. I think these are great idea, but…
1. I think team building needs to be a day to day activity
2. There needs to be a “team” mindset, set by the leader and aligned with the culture
3. These types of events can be expensive! Many, or most, teams will not have a budget for this type of thing, as they are startups, small teams, small companies, etc.
4. The most effective team buildng I have seen occurs when team members goals are in alignment with each other and the group objectives, and people are enthused and interactive on a daily basis moving toward the goals. The objectives of stretching one’s experiences, getting to know one another very well, etc. are accomplished by being intensively involved with building this new experience.
Pleeeeeease! NO TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES!
The problem with these activities, is that they never help build a team. They don’t relate to work. You’ll never find something everyone enjoys. And they are often just plain silly.
To build teams you need 3 things.
1. Everyone understands the goal. That means that everyone knows , in detail, what the end product is. This can be one specific goal for a short-term team. Or a large broad goal for a permenant team.
2. Everyone understands their role in achieving the goal. People need to know what to do, and how it applies to the big picture.
3. Everyone needs to know their teammates roles in achieving the goal. This is what creates the team. Peopl know who to ask for information. They know how to look out for each other.
So there it is. 3 simple rules. And best of all, its WORK RELATED. Which is something you will never be able to say about paintball!
very interesting.
If you are interested, you’ll find useful information on team building summer in Italy at http://www.teambuildingitaly.com/team-building-meeting.html
Bye
Giuseppe