You’ve probably heard it all when it comes to team building by now- that it’s lame,
it’s useless, a pointless use of time. Maybe you’ve talked to a few friends
from another company and have heard that the team building experience creates
more problems than it solves. However, if done right, team building is not what some people might take it to be. Don’t
know what this means? Take a look at these three misconceptions about team building and the reasons that they
are wrong.
Team
Building is Lame
Whoever said team building is lame sure didn’t participate in
the right team building activities.
The first thing that we think of when we hear that we are going to a workplace
retreat to bond might be trust falls among other exercises. The truth is, team building exercises don't have to
be about such exercises. If employees are into adventure, a trip down the
longest zip lines might be a team building exercise that interests them. If
they're the more indoor types who prefer to debate over something than run
around for morale, brainstorming exercises to solve issues in the office could
be just the thing for them.
It’s Pointless, a Waste of Time
Just like meditating is good for mental health, taking
employees out and letting them bond through various activities is good for
their morale. When you have objectives and tailor your team building towards them, then the exercise will not only have a
purpose, but an impact as well. For instance, team building exercises can be tailored towards integrating a new
member into the team, or allowing merging department employees to mingle and get
to know each other. Employees who get along or trust each other are more likely
to collaborate and communicate with each other, which is good news for any
organization.
Additionally, employees can learn a lot during team building exercises. One who didn’t know how to kayak could gain experience during the exercise. Another who didn’t know a problem-solving technique familiar to his colleague could be exposed to it.
When done right, there is no way that team building could not have a positive impact on a company.
