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What is Teambuilding?
“Teambuilding”
is the buzzword in this day and age among many institutions, organisations
and companies. Groups from diverse industries are jumping on the bandwagon
and organising “teambuilding” events and activities. While
good intentions back the hype of planning such activities, and it
is heartening that organisations are recognising the importance of
having their staff work as a team, we want to be accurate in our definition
of what this catchphrase truly means.
In our line of profession,
an interesting observation that we have made is that many people encounter
a certain degree of difficulty in differentiating between teambuilding
and merely team bonding and interaction.
So, what exactly is “teambuilding”?
It may come as a surprise to some, but the word “teambuilding”
has yet to earn its place in the pages of many esteemed dictionaries
of renowned brands. Our collective inference was (and still is until
we’re proven otherwise) that it was coined from the phrase,
“building a team”, which conveniently translates, in short,
to ‘team-building”. Though there is no legitimate dictionary
description of the word, we have arrived at a creditable and credible
definition based on past research done:
teambuilding: a purpose-driven
process, developed according to a systematic plan, to create, maintain,
and enrich the development of a group of people into a cohesive unit
Teambuilding is a progressive
development of the dynamics of a group of people working together,
based on key objectives and goals identified for that group. It is
not a one-time pursuit, but a series of events or activities that
shape a team and unify them, thereby resulting in the achievement
of targets and synergies.
Teambuilding activities
are very important in the development of teams that will work together
for an extended period of time on a complex project or a series of
activities. Teambuilding activities help people understand that they
are greater collectively than individually. It helps people see the
benefits of collaboration and leveraging on one another’s talents,
expertise and resources. It is essentially bringing people to a place
where there is an honest appreciation of each other’s fundamental
nature... where they come from... where they have been. It is a win-win
situation for all parties involved.
Many confuse teambuilding
with team bonding, of which the latter is basically the process of
a group of people, forming a close, personal relationship through
frequent or constant association. Bonding is a pre-requisite for teambuilding
– you have to be comfortable with and trust the team members
you are going to work with. However, team bonding is less formal and
structured, and the primary goal is usually just to interact and get
to know one another better on a personal basis. Bonding can be accomplished
through simple activities like going for meals together, engaging
in a game of sport after work, and other social functions. There are
no learning values, evaluations or follow-ups required for bonding
sessions. What is of utmost importance for a bonding activity, is
inter-mingling and socializing.
Organising a
teambuilding session
Before you organise a teambuilding session for your team, it is quintessential
to bear in mind the following:
1. Get the priorities
clear
Notice we said “priorities” and did not refer to the list
of fifteen objectives you wish to achieve? Pick not more than four
objectives that are of main concern and precedence and have them clearly
stated before embarking on any teambuilding activity. Ensure that
expectations are clearly communicated to the team members. Most teams
do not need an intense day. Instead, they need a few personalised
points to be well demonstrated and then to relax and enjoy themselves.
To reinforce intended learning values by evoking pleasant memories
yields far better results than having team members remember a learning
point birthed out a nasty experience.
2. One session
will not yield miracles
Consultants or trainers conducting teambuilding sessions are not magicians.
Some companies expect miraculous results after that one session, and
get disheartened when immediate results are not seen. Teambuilding
should be seen as an on-going form of training, it is a process. It
is building precept upon precept. Chances are, when participants go
back to the office, they will experience or exhibit changes initially,
but as time passes, they may revert to their old ways. There has to
be follow-up action and monitoring of progress, for example, a person
put in charge to oversee that the desired changes are carried out
as scheduled.
Our suggestion is always
for companies to conduct teambuilding activities quarterly, or at
least twice a year, so that reinforcement of desired values are timely
and any progress can be effectively charted. If there are any budget
constraints, form a team to conduct these activities internally –
it beats losing the building effect that has already begun with the
initial session.
3. Relating back
to the office environment
It is very important how the new information or knowledge that is
gained from the teambuilding session can be brought back to everyday
working conditions. Often, it is not that employees fail to understand
the learning values behind a teambuilding session, but that the daily
working conditions and environment inhibit the exhibition of desired
actions and performance. The management has to be committed to consciously
create an environment that encourages collaboration instead of intense
competition. In saying that, let us qualify that competition can be
healthy and motivating, but not when it breeds rivalry and generates
distrust within the team. The environment at work should then encourage
working in teams, instead of focusing on individual performance and
efforts. Some other principles to bear in mind include having open
lines of communication, showing mutual respect regardless of position,
motivating your team and the meting of appropriate rewards on a team
basis.
To ensure open communication
and facilitate dialogue, the management has to establish clear minimum
requirements for internal communication. This is to help ensure that
every employee knows the goals, so that all can work together to pave
and adjust the road to reaching them. Employees should be encouraged
to speak their minds and constructively engage in dealing with issues.
Employees should always appropriately informed of events before any
external stakeholders are. In conjunction with speaking, active listening
should also be practiced, such that full attention is given to the
speaker. In a similar light, mutual respect is also a crucial aspect
in the work environment in terms of valuing everyone’s ideas
and contributions, and showing consideration for any cultural differences
that may exist.
Know your people, and
discern what motivates them. We cannot motivate another person without
first trying to understand a person better and helping him see that
the desired outcome is achievable, and it is what he really wants.
There are organisational theories galore on motivation, of which one
of the most widely acknowledged is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
In 1943 Abraham Maslow, one of the founding fathers of humanist approaches
to management, wrote an influential paper that set out five fundamental
human needs and their hierarchical nature. These five needs, in ascending
order are: physiological; safety; belonging; esteem; and self-actualization.
Maslow surmised that people could not commit to moving on to the next
need, until the previous need was fully attained. Once the needs were
attained they would cease to be a motivator, so motivated people would
start to look to the next need in order to satisfy themselves. Motivated
employees are most productive. When they see themselves as an integral
part of the team, they will be willing to go beyond their call of
duty to meet the desired goals. The onus is on the management to identify
their motivators, and then skillfully weave them into the incentive
and reward system. (click here for more on Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs)
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