Team building – What is it? Why is it so important? How to apply it? Find out the answers to these questions and end the year with your team happy and motivated.
Team building literally translates as “team building” or “team consolidation”. It is the process through which create and reinforce bonds within a group, whether through events or activities.
There are many companies that invest in team building activities. And rightly so! This is an opportunity for foster team spirit through light and fun moments.
It's not just games, it's a investment in employees, with the aim of uniting them and motivate to work better.
Why are team building activities important for companies?
Therefore, it is not difficult to list the reasons why certain companies organize these activities. There are several benefits they bring, not only for companies, but also for the employees themselves.
We group the main reasons to be considered by three:
- Positive organizational culture
Organizational culture reflects the values, beliefs and actions that influence the environment experienced in a company. One of the ways to invest in your company's organizational climate, enhancing more empathy and mutual help between employees it's bigger Ease of resolving internal conflicts, is through team building activities.
- Brings employees closer together
These activities are designed above all to encourage group involvement. Through games, teamwork, company dinners and games with the aim of strengthen ties It is improve communication, It is also possible to create moments of complicity and blur hierarchies between colleagues.
- Increases productivity and motivation
When they get out of their routine and have the opportunity to relax, socialize and renew energy, workers will gain new motivation to face the next challenges.
Furthermore, this is a gesture on the part of the company that demonstrates gratitude and reward, which will provide an extra incentive to retain and retain your employees.
How to put team building activities into practice?
Normally, team building activities are planned by Human Resources in conjunction with the organization's leadership (or at least with their approval).
It is important to invest in dynamic, challenging activities that contribute to a more relaxed environment. But first it is necessary identify and assess team needs. To do this, you can ask your employees for their opinion or even carry out surveys and research.
Before proposing and planning anything, you should ask the following questions:
- What is the organizational culture experienced?
- Are there frequent internal conflicts?
- Which groups need the most work?
- What values need to be adjusted?
- What makes the most sense for your company’s current situation?
- Are the chosen activities in line with the organization’s values and culture?
- Are employees interested in these activities?
- Is there the capacity, time and resources to organize them?
Afterwards, in planning phase, other aspects and decisions to be taken must be taken into account:
- Do I have the support of the organization’s leadership?
- How can you promote activities?
- What is the available budget?
- Who will be responsible for planning?
- What is the date, location, duration of the event and who participates?
7 Examples of team building activities
After the activities have been defined and the prior planning has been carried out, with the resources anticipated and fixed, it is time to put everything into practice. We've put together seven ideas to improve the integration and performance of your employees:
1. Games to communicate/get to know each other
Some games encourage dialogue and interaction between employees, allowing them to get to know each other better and creating a more relaxed environment than that experienced in day-to-day office life. We give as examples:
- 2 truths 1 lie: In this game, participants have to write two truths and a lie on paper, and give it to their colleagues to read to guess which one is the lie.
- Trust game: This game requires space. In it, employees are divided into pairs, one of them is fenced off and, through instructions from their partner, they must travel a certain route. Whoever completes the route in the shortest time wins.
- Babel tower: Each player has 10 colored pieces and must build a tower with them. By varying the rules, the number of players and pieces vary. To make everything more fun, everyone should have different instructions on how to complete the tower. It is a game that encourages communication, because only by listening to each other will the tower be completed.
2. Challenge overcoming games
Games that require a quick response ability are good for stimulating reasoning and creativity. Furthermore, they are a good tool for developing teamwork. We propose activities such as:
- Escape room: In this challenge, the meal only begins after all the riddles and puzzles have been overcome. Players are tasked with discovering a final code to escape the themed room.
- Music Quiz: The objective is to guess the songs that are played, from great classics to songs of all genres and origins.
- Egg Game: Groups of 3 to 5 members must prevent a raw egg from breaking when it falls, by building a “shield” with available office materials. They have between 15 and 20 minutes to complete the task.
3. Community projects
How about gathering your employees and taking them to the beach to collect trash? This is just an idea, you can also involve your team in other community projects, linked to specific campaigns, such as volunteering at the Food Bank, the League Against Cancer, Operation Red Nose, or the Animal Solidarity Bank. Another option is to create your own initiatives, for example, by collecting goods and subsequently delivering them to people in need.
These are actions that involve the entire team and, in addition, create a strong spirit of awareness, solidarity It is social responsability.
4. Sports activities
Sport is as good for the mind as it is for the body. Organize activities for your employees such as dance classes, yoga, basketball or football matches. You can, for example, create a dance group on Wednesdays or yoga on Fridays. Or even do competitions paintball, climbing or paddle tennis sessions at the weekend.
5. Workshops
For this activity you just need to choose the Workshop theme you want to offer your employees. And there are several options, from cooking workshops, plastic arts, botany, body expression, to all kinds of skills that can contribute to the development and creativity of your employees.
6. Contests
Competition and fair play they go hand in hand. Therefore, the idea with these types of games is to create healthy competition and a fun environment. You can choose to create competitions with various themes: cooking, dancing, singing, questions and answers, etc.
7. Retreats
It doesn't have to be an expensive trip, it could just be a retreat on a wine farm, a camp by the lake, a boat trip along the Douro, or a stay on a pear farm in the Algarve during the harvest season. These are just a few ideas designed to escape the routine. Whatever the activity, the aim is to create good memories and increase companionship between colleagues.
Motivate your employees with the right activity
Any of these team building activities can be easily implemented, but it is important to take your team's tastes and preferences into account. Listen to your employees and choose the best time to put plans into practice.
The investment in these meetings is small, but the impact translates into a positive organizational climate and more unity within your team.
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