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February 2007
Is Teambuilding Alive or Dead? Depends on How You Do It

Written by Gwen

I recently read about a lawsuit that a woman won after being forced into a teambuilding event where she had to consume baby food, wear diapers and give in to spankings from rival company signs.

Can’t we all in some equal measure remember the dreadful day that we were told about our “teambuilding” adventure? Mine was a water-theme park where we were somehow supposed to get over the images of each other half-naked and be able to carry on as a stronger unit. No-way, no-how, I found a convenient excuse to not make it (cough, cough – throat clearing – cough, cough).

In the last two client sessions that I’ve done when the conversation turned to resources, I was consistently asked about building stronger teams. So, even if we’d like to see some of the ropes courses and the catching-each-other-while-eyes-are-closed exercises go out with the Grim Reaper, the notion of teambuilding is alive and well. The trick then is how to execute in a way that truly strengthens a team versus oversteps boundaries into TMI land.

Step 1 – Note to team leaders, your group is not all the same.

One fundamental step to building a cohesive team is to accept that each person brings something different to the table and that’s a good thing. Often, the objective in a teambuilding session is to channel everyone into one stream and ignite a groupthink mentality under the gauze of wanting to communicate better. Danger Will Robinson, strong teams are those where an analytic can challenge (in the right way) the creative’s latest and greatest idea. Effective teams are those that learn how to deal with a Logjam Linda supervisor who holds up the information flow in a way that works for each person.

How many sales conferences, merger plans and department initiatives are about a rah-rah moments that never apply back to the individual’s value and development within the team?

Step 2 – Teambuilding isn’t about being uncomfortable.

Choosing to stretch your professional muscle and learn a new skill is one thing but when you’re in a group situation asked to do something that makes you uncomfortable, your chances of learning anything becomes minuscule and your disgruntlement skyrockets. I knew one facilitator who in a creativity session liked to start off by having everyone dance without “inhibitions”. He’d give his example by getting up on the table and shake his backside with juts and gyrations a plenty. Needless to say, not everyone was enthusiastically on this disco train. He eventually received a lot of complaints and was asked to stop.

Being uncomfortable is not fun. Not having fun moves your mind into a locked state and keeps you resistant. If you want true teambuilding, it’s not about forcing anyone out of a comfort zone. Teambuilding is an invitation to be in a stronger place with others around you as support.

Step 3 – Objective is to be an authentic team.

In a nod to Jim Collins and Good to Great, those that feel valued and invested in a team situation are “on the bus”. They are easy to manage and motivate. Not to sound overly woo-woo and relational but team members must know that their strengths and talents mean something. With that piece in play, an authentic team is one that knows the strengths, talents and abilities of everyone. Then it becomes that much easier to tap into Department Ambassador Sue or Process Efficiency Ed at the right times. Beyond that, chances are you’ll have a team that wants to do things together and communicate in varied settings (as simple as an offsite meal or movie).

Teambuilding isn’t rocket science nor does it need to be overly done up. The oodles of money thrown at the concept is astounding when in reality genuine places where people can have real conversation and value each other is the essential ingredient. So whether it’s a team that takes off to the Olive Garden or rents out an art museum, keep it simple stupid and make sure ya’ll can just talk.