First let’s look at the consequences of a poor team
- Underperformance
- Poor communication
- De-motivated and un-rewarded staff
- Declining sales
- Low employee retention
So what does a healthy team look like?
Any healthy team is a strong, highly motivated, cohesive unit, sharing values that help the team, the individuals, and the organisation as a whole. A healthy team is able to work in a collaborative environment, with good communication skills and sensitivities to cultural diversity. This leads to an increase in productivity, well-being of the individuals and the company, as well as an increase in sales.
Motivation for Team Building
- Team Building is an important incentive to retain top talent.
- These events are excellent for celebrating success when goals are reached.
- It is also a great way to connect new employees to the rest of the team and to teach them the values and goals of the company. Through Team Building this is achieved a lot more easily and effectively than giving them a heavy book on company policies and values to read.
- Invest in your assets – the people working at your company. Great leaders know that if you want a return on anything, you have to invest in it first.
- Help your team to connect to your company, your company’s culture and your values.
- Team Building is a brilliant tool when used for inspiration.
What are the benefits of Team Building
- It brings out the best in team members for continuous growth and creates a shared vision.
- Through activities the team demonstrates their good or bad communication and collaboration, so issues rise to the surface. Thus encouraging positive and open communication, that builds rapport and trust.
- Team Building helps develop leadership potential.
- Creating a fun and enjoyable atmosphere brings teams together and increases team motivation.
- Team Building can align the team in a new synergistic way with a sense of unity and purpose. This also brings the team on the same page with goal setting and achievement.
- Completing tasks together effectively, increases team spirit, productivity and builds teams.
- Through Team Building strengths and weaknesses are identified, getting to know themselves and each other better.
Important things to keep in mind for successful Team Building
- Values need to be created off and on the playing field. You can’t rely on building values only at Team Building events.
- The facilitator/leader needs to be clear on the Team Building goals, whether it is to motivate the staff, as an incentive, etc.
- The activities need to be outcome-based. Are you looking to improve communication skills, problem solving, etc?
- The team members need to be clear on objectives of activities.
- Any Team Building needs to form part of a wider organisational goal/holistic approach and not happen in isolation.
- Pre and post planning is vital for the success of Team building. Make sure that there is follow through on strategies and goals that are put in place. This also needs to form part of the organisational development and individual development program.
- Be strategic in planning dates for your Team Building events. Instead of doing it when you’ve always done it. Be strategic and maybe plan it just before a big push to give the team that extra motivation.
- Team Building on its own will not solve the problems of a dysfunctional team. Find the source of the problem in your organisation and start working from there.
