What’s the difference between an effective team building exercise and a fun day out with work colleagues? At Team Bonding we believe that the difference is the type of activity undertaken as well as the amount of thought and planning that should go into such an event. Any team building event should have a clear purpose and goals in mind. That being said, there’s no reason why “team building” and “fun” should be mutually exclusive: the activities that are well-planned and where everyone gets involved often turn out to be the most fun. Among other attributes, the characteristics of strong teams include:
- A shared identity – is the team recognisable as a coherent and well-formed group?
- A united sense of purpose – are the team’s goals understood and shared by everyone?
- Good communication – are there clear lines of communication?
- Everyone understanding their individual roles – do all team members know what they are doing and what others are doing?
- Excellent problem-solving skills – are challenges quickly overcome or do problems bring the team to a standstill? • Complementary technical skills – is there a good balance of skills, knowledge, experience and abilities amongst team members?
Team Bonding’s premier team building event, the Amazing Race, helps build stronger and more effective teams through enjoyable mental and physical challenges, with a little bit of healthy competition thrown in. The characteristics of strong and coherent teams mentioned above are highlighted in the unique scavenger game in which groups of people must find clues and solve puzzles against the clock.
At each checkpoint, teams must complete a series of activities that will test their abilities. Competition, even of the light-hearted sort, can help to forge strong bonds among teams that tend to last. Being challenged to compete against another part of the company (or within your own division) can even help solidify relationships and help break down the barriers that can form between employees and senior management.
Rather than have large groups competing against each other, the Amazing Race divides people into small groups so that their interactions will be genuine and meaningful. Just like in the workplace, every team will also have a natural leader or will find a way to self-manage – their success or failure will greatly depend upon their ability to quickly organise and settle such questions.
One of the biggest strengths a team can have is to understand everyone’s abilities and their working styles and being able to give each person the chance to contribute and shine in their own way. The Amazing Race has been designed to provide a foundation from which teams can develop strengths and identify any weaknesses, all in a non-challenging manner.
Feedback from previous participants in the Amazing Race suggests that having a specific and time-sensitive goal helps to quickly focus the teams and makes them find new and creative ways of working together successfully. The strategic value of a team building challenge as the Amazing Race comes with helping teams face and overcome the real-world challenges in the workplace. Contact Team Bonding today to find out how they can help you build a better, stronger team!
