Teamwork is the foundation of an organisation’s success. Unproductive teams impact organisations in many drastic ways and impede its growth. For a team to be productive, team members must interact, collaborate, and create work to achieve the collective vision of the organisation.
During the pandemic as the corporate world shifted to a remote mode of working, team interactions have become a challenge. Although team building exercises have been used by organisations for a long time to bring teams closer, the pandemic has disrupted how they were conducted. The pandemic has also proved that there is a pressing need for teams and executives to be more empathetic and interactive than just organising activities without a purpose. For example, Indoor office games in Singapore have transformed from being fun to being more empathetic and supportive ones like mental health exercises and mindfulness activities post pandemic. Regardless of the type of activity organised, team building games are quintessential to the performance of a team.
Here are a few ways in which they can help in building team dynamics:
Improve team communication
Effective communication is the hallmark of a productive team. When team members communicate well and exchange ideas, they are more likely to come together and work towards achieving the common goals of the team. Focusing on improving team communication is of greater importance in remote teams as remote team members often do not have opportunities to forge personal bonds or invest in each other’s time. Team building activities can be a great catalyst to improve team communication in scenarios like this. Organising activities that are focused on improving communication can improve team dynamics to a large extent. Some examples of activities that can improve communication are icebreakers, talking to strangers in a team for a min, group discussions, debates etc.
Foster trust and camaraderie
When building relationships at workplace employees are often worried about being vulnerable. But, trust building, team camaraderie, and personal bonds do not happen without being vulnerable. Trust is the foundation of any teamwork. When team members do not trust each other, it can lead to conflict ridden, unproductive teams that might also hoard resources. Team building activities can help in building trust and reinforcing team’s foundational values. These activities help team members get comfortable with each other and be open to building relationships. Some examples of trust building activities are blindfold games, escape rooms, scavenger hunts etc.
Boost team morale and spirit
Team members are motivated when they are connected to each other and the organisation’s vision and mission. Team building activities can help leaders and executives to engage with teams and communicate the collective goal of the organisation. These activities also give an opportunity to the management to empathise with team members and forge new bonds. Examples of activities that can boost team morale are puzzle games, breaking barriers, or activities that involve cultural games.
Break down team silos
When team members do not interact with each other or do not trust each other they form into silos that are unproductive and toxic for the organisational culture. While communicating and driving teams towards a common goal is necessary, there is more to do to prevent silos or to break them down. Team members need to be constantly motivated and incentivised to break down silos. Individual contributions must be recognised and acknowledged. Team building activities are a way to do so. Some examples of are hosting lunches, Netflix parties, celebrating milestones with fun activities, etc.
Improve collaboration
Collaboration is detrimental to a team’s success. When team members do not collaborate, they cannot produce work that is beneficial to the organisation’s growth or use organisation’s resources effectively. Team building can help in bringing together team members to bond over, communicate, and collaborate. Organising team building events regularly can help in getting familiar with each other and share knowledge. Moreover, these activities are crucial for remote teams and diverse teams. In diverse team’s, team members are often guarded and feel insecure due to the differences. Organising activities can help in assuaging these insecurities. Some examples are organising cultural tours, virtual experiences for remote and diverse teams, cross-departmental board games etc.
Unlike perks or monetary incentives that motivate employees extrinsically, team building activities reinforce an organisation’s commitment to organisation culture and employee wellbeing. They are essential to foster team relationships and cement organisations values. Without team building activities or opportunities for personal interactions, teams may become unenergetic and unengaged.
HR Future Staff Writer
