Why Team Building Weekends Fail (And How to Make Yours Succeed)
Somewhere in the world this afternoon, a group of office mates are strapping on safety equipment and preparing to scale the side of a cliff together.
In another
city, another group of mates is engaged in a retreat designed to foster their
sense of teamwork. Late at night in yet another town, six men who usually
compete in the office are cooperating on building a robot. What do they all have
in common?
The phrase is team building, and it has come to represent a way of doing
business that takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of each member of
a workgroup. The basic concept of team building weekends is to bring a group of
co-workers together and, by subjecting them to various hardships, events and
activities, cement them into a team that supports each other and works together
toward a common goal.
The only problem with that scenario is that all too often, it doesn't work. Once
the group is back at the office, they fall back into the old ways of working and
the team building weekend is no more than a fond memory. The problem is not in
the concept of team building, but in the notion that it can be accomplished in a
weekend, no matter what that weekend entails. It's not that team building
weekends are a bad idea - it's that they're expected to do a job that should be
undertaken in your office, every workday of the year. The purpose of a team
building event should be to introduce, reinforce and reward, not to
single-handedly forge a group of co-workers into a team. If it's used to replace
the work your company (or you as a manager) should be doing every day, then
you're missing out on some important points - and the major benefits of dragging
everyone out of the office for a weekend of exhilarating and challenging
activities.
So how do you forge the bonds of a team if not by dipping them into the crucible
of a team building weekend? In simple street terms, you can't just talk the talk
- you have to walk the walk. If you want your staff to believe they're a team
and function as a team, then you have to treat them as a team - and yourself as
an important member of it.
- Communication is the key to building a team. o- The single biggest mistake
that 'management' makes is failure to communicate. Your company doesn't have to
be an open book to all employees, but sharing goals and intentions gives
employees a sense that they are a part of a larger team working toward a
specific purpose.
- Build teamwork into the work flow. o- In order to work as a team, people need
to be treated as one. Start each project with a team conference to define and
refine goals. Create a central 'lounge' area where team members are comfortable
grabbing coffee in the morning - and taking a few moments to catch up on things
together. Hold regular team meetings where team members can report progress and
delays so that no one feels left out of the loop.
- Make recognition of achievement a priority. o- Recognizing achievement is
important to reinforcing the team feeling. It needn't be formal - in fact,
informal and unexpected recognition can be very potent. A word in passing in the
hallway, a moment taken to pass on praise from a client while having a cup of
coffee, a casual 'great work on that proposal, guys' at the end of a meeting are
all part of the teamwork frame.
- Make time to play as a team, too. o- Whether the play is a softball team, a
bowling league or a semi-annual weekend where the team members can really
stretch their wings, teams work best when they have something in common besides
their work. A trek up a snowy mountainside builds shared memories that help
cement the bonds that have formed throughout the year.
About The Author:
