We hate to be the ones to break this to you, but most teams around the world actually despise those devoid-of-fun team-building exercises. Yes, we’re talking about those activities that corporate leaders usually have up their sleeves which they believe builds effective teams… Newsflash – they don’t!
So, if you’re planning another trust fall exercise for your team, you may want to take that off the list. Before you finalise the itinerary for your corporate day out, you may want to give some thought to the ‘why’ and ‘which’ aspects of team building.
Figure out the ‘Why’?
Subjecting your team to exercises simply because you read an internet article that goes ga-ga over how it boosts productivity may not be the right way to utilise company time.
When it comes to team building, you must have a larger objective in mind which should go beyond simply bringing the team closer together.
Your team may have worked extremely hard in the recent few months and as a result, you might want to reward them for their hard work with a fun corporate day out.
Or you may have noticed that a few teams are not collaborating as effectively as they should be and it is costing you dearly. Besides that, there can be several reasons why you may want to take your team out for the day.
If what you are seeking goes beyond a few smiles and some laughter then a simple get together over dinner post work may not be enough to accomplish your objectives.
Once you have the ‘why’ figured out you can then proceed to the ‘which’ of team-building exercises.
Which Activities Should you sign up for?
Time and time again, business leaders stress the importance of breaking traditional pathways and finding newer ways to address a problem statement.
But when it comes to team bonding they tend to stick to the age-old ideas which have been passed on to us by the earlier generations of the corporate world.
Now there’s absolutely no harm in going for the tried and tested, except that it will never come close to the fun of trying something new.
At Avalanche Adventure it is our mission to redefine the way companies approach teambuilding. For this reason, we have some unconventional team building activities that your team will absolutely love.
Monotony is the enemy
Certain team building activities such as human chains and trust falls have become synonymous with team building. They have been overused to such an extent that teams may have already become immune to the benefits of these exercises.
The same is true for physical challenges such as endurance races and obstacle courses. Not only have they been overused, they are also known to make employees feel embarrassed and anxious.
A team that performs such a monotonous activity stands to gain nothing from it. They already know what to expect and simply can’t wait to get the day over and done with.
Basically, activities like these have been reduced to a checkbox on the list and this isn’t what team building activities are meant to be about.
The Element of surprise
Teams are asked to participate in activities because the manual says that it will stimulate their imagination and make them think out of the box.
If there is no innovation in the exercises that are meant to help us innovate, how can we expect the results of such activities to bring about any innovation at all?
Get in touch with the team at Avalanche Adventure today, participate in our activities and give your team the gift of imagination.