Advice for Office Team-Building Events

A cohesive team is the driving force behind innovative projects, increased productivity and better results, but creating a team of office employees who work well together is easier said than done. According to the U.S. News and World Report, team-building events are a great way to create greater understanding among co-workers. Choose team activities that build trust while catering to your team's specific needs.

First, keep in mind that team-building events cannot all fit into the same mold because the climate of each team is unique. If the climate is hostile, aim for team activities that build trust and mutual understanding. If your team is disinterested, choose brainstorming activities or other options that get team members animated and excited about working together.

When planning a team-building event, be aware of common pitfalls such as having workers complete childish activities or games that draw their focus away from each other. Pay close attention to any tensions and conflicts in your team. If two co-workers are hostile, having them play a competitive game may do more harm than good. On the other hand, you do not want to plan an entire activity just for this conflict, as this type of issue should be handled discreetly. You also want to use your best judgement when choosing activities to avoid anything that would make workers feel awkward, uncomfortable or annoyed. Your primary goal is to build your team, but you also want workers to enjoy themselves.

Fill your team-building events with activities that have a history of success. For instance, the "human knot" game is a popular activity that requires participants to work together to untangle the "knot" they've created after gathering in a tight group and grabbing the hands of two other participants. A popular trust-building exercise is the "mine field" game, which involves one worker being blindfolded while co-workers verbally guide him to the other side of the room and helping him avoid various obstacles. For a new team, choose ice-breaker exercises that help members get to know each other, such as the ever-popular "two truths and a lie."

Be aware that team-building activities are useless if you don't relate them to real-life issues and situations. After completing an activity, give a brief talk about how the skills they used or the problems they faced in the game can be used to improve their teamwork. To discover if a team-building event is successful, monitor the team afterwards to spot changes in conflict resolution, innovation or productivity. This allows you to build more successful events in the months to come.

If you want to create a successful team, a team-building event should not be an annual occurrence. Frequent events help workers to get to know each other on a deeper level and feel more comfortable working together. Although picnics and service opportunities are adequate, office team-building events are easier to plan, and workers are more likely to attend if they don't have to leave the workplace.

"Firefox Team" by Jennifer Morrow licensed by CC BY 2.0