How A Teambuilding Workshop Can Improve Productivity

By Brenda Ellis


Modern companies have to compete in a fierce and hostile environment. If they cannot remain creative and productive then they cannot hope to thrive or even to survive. Teams are important to modern businesses. The old fashioned chain of command is something of the past. These days companies encourage teams to work together to create, to innovate and to produce. This is highly effective, but only if the team works well together. A teambuilding workshop can do much to ensure that this is indeed the case.

Team building exercises are often misinterpreted as free time away from the office. Effective team building exercises have very specific goals that address the needs of the team in question. It may aim to improve communication, to resolve conflict, to instil leadership skills or simply to allow team members to become more familiar with each other as individuals. These, and many other objectives, are best achieved away from the work environment.

The very popularity of team building exercises and excursions have given birth to an entire industry catering for this need. Team building experts charge steep fees and many venues have seen the gap in the market. They invest in special facilities and activities specifically geared towards the corporate market. Many venues even employ team building managers on a full time basis, offering their clients significant savings.

It is unfortunate that there are so many people advertising their services as team building experts without knowing the first thing about team dynamics. They see these exercises as short holidays that require nothing but the booking of a venue and the organizing of entertainment. Companies should therefore be very careful when employing the services of an event organizer. Care should be taken to choose someone with a proven track record.

It is vitally important to make sure that the organizers of team building exercises are properly briefed. They cannot put together suitable programs or plan activities unless they know exactly what the intended purpose of the exercise is. They also need to know the profiles of the various team members in order to develop a program that will be suitable for their ages, physical abilities and interests.

Clients should never accept stock programs from team building professionals. They should insist upon original programs and activities that will specifically address the purpose of the planned excursion. The contractor should show that he understands the goals that need to be achieved and he should explain exactly how those goals will be achieved. If this is not done, the entire exercise may be a waste of time and money.

To truly gain value from a team building exercise it is vital to make sure that evaluation is part of the entire process. Team members should be given the opportunity to provide feedback and the professional running the event should also evaluate the team members individually and as a team. Detailed reports should be submitted after completion of the event in order to allow the client to identify further shortcomings and strengths.

Team building is important because it empowers teams to work more efficiently and productively. There is a great danger, however, that these exercises will be seen as nothing more than motivational breaks or rewards, rather than serious development exercises. The use of professional and experienced contractors is therefore essential.




About the Author:



Previous
Next Post »
Thanks for your comment