Team Building

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

I have been asked to facilitate a Team Building day - sounds like fun!

Have you ever been on one?

What exercises did you find the most useful?

Thanks

[leoleoleo123]

oh...  that team building stuff....

run... run... run!

lol

[duck_a_lorange]

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@chips-and-brown-gravy wrote:

I have been asked to facilitate a Team Building day - sounds like fun!

Oh dear. 

Have you ever been on one?

Several.

What exercises did you find the most useful?

Er - useful?

Thanks

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Extrovert employees enjoy the fun and games.

Introvert employees don't. That doesn't mean they aren't good at their jobs, usually the opposite.

Tubby employees usually don't want to get involved in anything physical. That includes catching and throwing balls.

Employees who actually like their jobs can't wait to get back to them.

Usually a sign of :

a) a new project starting

b) a shiny new manager full of theories

c) departmental reorganisation

c) looming redundancies

I wouldn't dream of trying to discourage you...

[mepixin12]

Yes, have been on a couple, and know some who have been on really weird ones.

TBO it is hard to say what would suit and assist as a good team building exercise without knowing the industry it is for.

Usually problem solving, involving everyone would be a common one across any buisness, and designed for improvment... also sometimes used in interview situations,  to separate the weeds from the wheat

Involving technology and the use of the individuals little grey cells.

Failing that Painballing, always a winner, careful though, as you can ensure you accidently smack that annoying  ...hurt someone.

[duck_a_lorange]

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@mepixin12 wrote:

Failing that Painballing, always a winner,

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Not always. Really not always.  Consider the case of the tubby introvert. Who wears glasses. And doesn't DO sport of any kind - unlike the management who institute these sessions...  But is actually really quite good at their job. Which doesn't actually require or involve physical activity of any kind...

(Did you leave that "t" out on purpose, by the way?)

Don't worry, OP - attendees are always very polite to the Cheerful fairy facilitator...

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

For goodness sake!

I see you are not a team player, and a bit of a cynic, or have been on/heard about carp events .

A properly organised and well run team building day can be useful and productive, yes I have been on some too.

Paintballing is just rubbish for team building, as are the other arty-farty days out - it's more likely to end up in people ganging up on one another and is just an excuse for picking on others, nothing really to do with team building.  The intention is to look for people who can shine and/or maybe have unexpected talents and for them to be appreciated by the rest of the team, not make the 'tubby'glasses wearing introvert' feel isolated, just the opposite.

I know the cons - I was hoping for some constructive ideas and what worked for you.

Obviously nothing. 

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

Usually a sign of :

a) a new project starting

b) a shiny new manager full of theories

c) departmental reorganisation

c) looming redundancies

Sorry - wrong on all counts.

[fishpieface]

Really sorry but I haven't a scrap of time for all that "team-building" nonsense and would

absolutely dread having to go on or organise one.  Which does not mean that I can't

or wouldn't work with others.

I think either one can work with others or "part of a team" or whatever you call it, or they

can't and are better working alone.  Some people can be brilliant at their job and no

amount of those daft "tam building" experiences can make them any better or any worse

at their actual job.  I much prefer people as they reallty are, not what they've been moulded

and indoctrinated to be by people who don't like them as they are.  I find those events

loathesome and the people running them are often patronising and speak to adults

attending them as if they are schoolchildren.  If that's necessary for a successful working

environment and productivity then there is something wrong with the management.

Social events with colleagues, if one is lucky enough to get along with their colleagues

and boss, as I am, that's fine - a social event because people who get along want to

be socialble outside work.  I've no problem with that.  We used to go bowling together

where I used to work and sometimes for meals or on daytrips to France.  That cemented

existing friendships, made new ones and ultimately made us work better together as

those who get along are usually happy to help one another, and lots of staff trivialities

were sorted out amongst ourselves, like if somone needed time off at short notice, someone

else would always volunteer to cover. 

Each to their own though, I guess there must be people out there who like that sort of thing.

[kaeptm]

Completely agree with fishpieface. Socialising with colleagues has been far more beneficial to getting on and working together than any team building excercise.

You get to see a different side to people. You can get to meet the people you've only ever spoken to on the phone. Just getting to know people helps you work better together.

[the-ginger-ninja]

How about something positive for a local community project or special school

When I worked as a TA in our local school we had a group come out and build new storage sheds for us, which they had to scrounge source as part of the project. But even something like sorting out a garden area/ repainting rooms or refitting a kitchen space at a  community centre

[duck_a_lorange]

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@chips-and-brown-gravy wrote:

For goodness sake!

I see you are not a team player,

Do you? Have you ever seen me doing my actual job? Which is what matters, isn't it?

About on a par with the colleague I'd worked with on the same team (very successfully!) for two years:

"I find it hard to think of you as a team player, because you are neither young nor married".  

and a bit of a cynic

just a bit

The intention is to look for people who can shine and/or maybe have unexpected talents and for them to be appreciated by the rest of the team

If the team can't appreciate people for the actual work that they do, no display of unexpected talent will help.

I know the cons - I was hoping for some constructive ideas and what worked for you.

Obviously nothing. 

No, of course not. It only works for extroverts. Other people just endure it.

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[saasher2012]

Having just made up a team to work with, I found the best way to find out about them was just to sit back & observe , what are their strengths & weaknesses , do they work well as a team,ie help each other , throw ideas about & in the main listen to each other, then either take em out for a meal or the pub, get to know them as individuals. Not everyone shines out immediately , some just need a little encouragement to get the best out of them.

[fishpieface]

Well said Duck!

I remember going fior an interview with National Express a few years back.  We all had to go into a conference

room and hear a bit about the company and the job, fair enough.  Then came the role play - honestly we all

had to take it in turns to speak over a microphone, pretending we were coach drivers introducing ourselves

to our passengers.  What they seemed to forget is that we didn't have to pretend as we actually were all

coach drivers and had done this many times!  Then we had to do a little written thing about an incident we

had encountered during our work - I guess that's fair enough as being able to write is fairly useful.

However, not once did they ask if we could drive a coach!  They said we'd do test drives later but they ran out

of time!  So the most vital and important criteria for being a driver for National Express was to be able to

drive a coach properly and that's the bit they ran out of time to check!  They didn't even check our licenses

to make sure we had one!

And now, when I'm trundling up the motorway very happily in my quite old coach which belongs to a small,

family run firm who has no time or money for poncy team building programmes but treats its drivers like

the human  beings they are, so they stay with the firm, have no problem working together and are actually

friends outside of work - and I get overtaken by a National Express coach doing about 85mph, I'll have

a bit of an idea why!!

And no, I know it isn't fair to tar them all with the same brush but I'd have thought it advantageous when

a large firm interviews for coach driver positions, to ascertain whether they can actually drive a coach

nicely first, then go on to all the finer details.

[saasher2012]

Well said ! My point exactly .

[guardpig]

Now having worked for many years for a large company in a very stressful office environment with a bunch of massive egos I really don't see the point of team building.  We had our own methodology - when we were all stressed out and at each other's throats somebody would say let's all go out for a meal.  We would go out, eat too much, drink too much and bring the hangover in next day and it certainly improved the office atmosphere.  One new boss did suggest team building but as we pointed out we couldn't all go together, we didn't want to go AND, as several pointed out, it might ruin their nails.  We were a team, when we needed to be.

[**towery**]

someone i know went on a TB day that  included everyone wearing an extra  pair of socks

at the end of the day they were give a questionaire to  fill in about what they had learned that  day

he wrote  "i learnt that  i shouldn't wear 2 pairs of socks with my boots"

the new yankee boss  wasnt  impressed

[rose2008-2008]

I have never been on one but maybe they are a good idea,,, to see other things to peoples personalities ,,mmmmmm.

[stroppy*cow]

Work organised one - now bear in mind that I work for a disabled people's organisation.

I got there in good time to find a gravel covered car park full of pot holes. Took a huge amount of effort and assistance, but finally got to the door to be confronted by 6 stone steps, and no handrail. My colleague who has ME was unable to manage the steps. A colleague did go and ask, but there was NO level access. Most of the activities were outside and involved a series of physical tasks such as building paper towers, transporting eggs etc. At the time I had a colleague who is profoundly deaf and whose first language is British Sign - they had forgotten to arrange an interpreter, so his team had to resort to passing notes around!

I later found out that the venue had been free of charge

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

Thank you, that's a really excellent idea.

Shame not more people decided to be so positive or helpful.

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@the-ginger-ninja wrote:

How about something positive for a local community project or special school

When I worked as a TA in our local school we had a group come out and build new storage sheds for us, which they had to scrounge source as part of the project. But even something like sorting out a garden area/ repainting rooms or refitting a kitchen space at a  community centre

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[heatherwizpod]

A community project sounds an excellent idea.

Maybe revamping a children's playground or a small park ?

I've been on a few.............many, many years ago.

I remember a paper exercise where we were given the task of who to save if there were too many people a life raft following a ship wreck.Eventually we would reach an uninhabited island.

We were split into small groups and given a list of people and had to decide who to save to rebuild a community.

The exercise was timed for an hour.

Eventually we all decided that the practical caretaker was way more important than the senior line managers.

I think the purpose was to show how important every member of staff was, regardless of their job.

Another exercise was to plan an advertisement / logo for our company specifically to show the service we would provide in the future.

There can be lots more to team building than the standard role play and paintball / physical days.