Team building can be defined as any process, intervention, activity or programme that gets people working together and enjoying it.

As Richard Branson says, in his book, Business Stripped Bare:- “Put people together in a way that will have them bouncing ideas off each other, befriending each other, and taking care of each other, and suddenly they are coming to you, not with gripes and problems, but with solutions and great ideas.”

The principle benefits team building would be in developing unity, professionalism, accountability, ownership, teamwork, reducing workplace and management stress, improving communication, client care, production, and profitability.

We often forget that organizations are made up of people. Human beings. We often think of them as the accountant, secretary, cleaner, tea person, boss, writer or the IT specialist. Simply human resources - that have to perform certain roles, in certain ways.

What we neglect is their innate humanness – they are far more than their titles describe. And as such we have to seek ways build the team through their multi-faceted uniqueness, the value that they bring and the power that united professional teamwork creates.

There are many reasons for team building:

• Team building could be used to celebrate successes within the team, or the achievement of huge goals or milestones - or just to have a little fun and get to know each other.


• It can be used to get people to think differently, to break through individualism into team work.

Or it could have more serious purposes:

• To bring together teams/ companies or people from different countries or cultures.
• To improve productivity and profitability within challenged, or conflicted teams.
•To improve relationships and communications within teams.
• To set up a new team to function within clearly defined parameters and introduce team members to each other on a human level.
• To open up groups for a period of change.
• Or to regroup after a team has lost members due to forced change.
• Strategic planning always works best when the planning session follows and includes, team building.

Teams, managers and leaders will know when it is time to celebrate, when they are in trouble because of poor workplace leadership or relationships, low productivity, excessive shrinkage, lost sales and clients, or simply to reduce stress.

The main challenge is to find out the team building which suits your company, team, need and budget. Although the trend is to either put off team building or cut the costs to a minimum - remember not to put budget before outcomes.

It is critical for companies to look at their needs first, then invest in professional providers who can help them to achieve that.

It is far more important to get this aspect right, than to focus purely on budget.

Get it right and you will invest in your team and the future of your business – get it wrong and you could waste your money on a fruitless exercise.

Our advice to clients looking for a provider is to first find the right supplier and programme that you want – and then negotiate costs. Most team building providers are flexible.

A few pointers:

• Remember that in diverse teams people are driven differently and motivated differently.
• Do not disrespect your team by choosing team building that only suits the fit and energetic.
• Ensure that nobody is isolated, or embarrassed by the processes or events.
• Ask for references – particularly testimonials that prove long-term sustainability of the effects of the team build on the team members.
• Involve your team in the decision. Watch out for democratic decisions. You could isolate important members of your team. Go for unanimous!

For more information visit www.teambuildinginsouthafrica.com

---

Share this article