This article is written and owned by Steve Jackson
Not all companies have team development for their workers,
and depending on the managers, this may not be needed.
However there are many large companies with departments
that do not know one another, that could work better if
they understood the work that others do, and if they all
learn to work together, for the good of the company and
ultimately for the good of everyone working there too.
Team development is something that is often overlooked by
companies, especially in these tough economic times, but
they need not take up much company or personal time, and
they do not have to be expensive activities either to be
successful. Simple fun activities can pay off dividends,
with better communication between departments, staff that
know one another a little more than at present, and a
happier atmosphere in the workplace, as employees feel more
appreciated. There can be many benefits from spending just
a few hours doing a fun team building activity, but make
sure that department members are put on different teams.
By having a couple of fun team building activities a year,
that perhaps only last for a couple of hours at a time, you
can help improve the atmosphere in any company, and the
productivity level too. Staff will feel more appreciated,
which means that they will in all probability work better,
and perhaps even harder for the benefit of all at that
workplace.
So what kind of team building activities do work well for
most businesses? Fun non-stressful activities are
recommended. There can be enough stress in the work place
without adding any more to it! Your workers probably
deserve some fun, don’t they. Now, obviously the type of
event planned will depend a great deal on the size of the
company, and the logistics involved in getting everyone
together.
Taking a few hours off the work week can work very well,
and act as a reward, provided the team bonding activity is
fun!
Team building activities should involve as many people from
the company as possible, and many businesses have found
that scavenger hunts work really well. Each team contains a
member form each department, so that it is a social time to
get to know members from these other departments while
having fun. The idea of a scavenger hunt can easily be
adapted to your needs, but one that works well is to use
cameras to take photographs of the whole team, excluding
the photographer, at particular locations or in certain
situations. For example, the whole team may have to find a
bike store, and have their photos taken there.
Perhaps you could have them go to the bus depot, or the
train station, or find a taxi. The options are endless. But
by taking photographs of the complete team, it reduces the
chance of cheating, and you may find some people willing to
cheat! You can set any time limit you want for this hunt,
but it needs to be a realistic time for them to get
everything required.
A scavenger hunt can give people the chance to get to know
their city a little better, as well as their work and team
mates. The teams should not be too large, as that will
defeat the chance for people to get to know one another,
and may mean that some members just tag along and are not
really involved with the activities, but you do have a lot
of options for this, and plenty of ways to have a theme
related hunt if you wish.
You could try a group archery class, or perhaps another
activity that not many have tried before. This gives
everyone the chance to have a new experience together, and
if it can be an activity that needs team work then this is
even better.
A good fun team builder is the good old obstacle race that
can be completed indoors or out, depending on the weather
at your location. Now, to make it so that the team members
have to interact and help one another, add a few twists to
the obstacle course so that they have no choice but to
cooperate and communicate. After all the idea behind this
is team development, so it’s only right that there should
be some cooperating, and communication in the team building
activity.
If you are short on fun team building ideas, then don’t
worry, there are companies that specialize in this work,
and offer a variety of different activities that can be
adjusted to suit your needs. Anyway, the activity that
caught my attention is the drum program, where every
company member is given a drum, and then as a team you are
taught how to produce a masterpiece of sound using the
drums. Isn’t this a great idea? I wish I had thought of it,
but imagine how powerful a program this is. Working in
groups, there is plenty of practice time, and plenty of
time to communicate too, with some very impressive results
by the end of the session.
I think this works well for a few reasons. Firstly there is
no pressure on anyone, because it is something that is new
to most, and it requires very little to produce sound of a
good quality – not like singing which would never work like
this! It is a neat activity for everyone to try, and a
talking point for years to come I am sure.
Imagine feeling a part of this, and this is the feeling
that is wanted, all the employees feeling part of this
wonderful experience, bonding and having fun. Fantastic!
This, obviously is not something that you can run yourself,
but it may get your creativity started with thinking of fun
activities that you could organize.
Fun team development can make a big impact in a company if
it is done correctly. Have a brainstorming session to see
what ideas you can come up with for your company to improve
the atmosphere and the productivity level. Team development
can play a big part in building a successful team business,
if you let it – make sure it is in yours!
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Teamwork is important in life, for people’s personal lives,
and for there time spent at work. Steve Jackson talks about
team development at
=> http://teamdevelopment101.com
where you can find some fascinating ideas.
Join the winning team and develop your own business
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