How to Make Team Building Better

Are your team building efforts set up to fail?

So you see a problem in your workplace. There’s no communication or respect among employees. You invest in a professional team building coach and set a day for the event. The day arrives. Some of your employees willingly participate, others just sit on the side and glare at you. Everyone returns to work, but nothing seems to have changed and people are grimacing about the waste of a day. So where did you go wrong?

3 Reasons Why Team Building Fails

The Day Lacks Transfer

Studies have shown that the most effective team building happens when events are similar to what actually happens during a typical work day. This is why events such as paintball or laser tag don’t make good team building days; while they may be fun they don’t transfer to team building.

If the events mimics the work day, the skills employees learn will be easily applied and transferred to real life. If not, your employees will be left wondering why you are making them participate in irrelevent activities and they can possibly be worse off in their attitude than before.

Team Members Don’t Actively Participate

When members don’t participate, it brings the whole team down. It’s hard to get all members to actively participate, especially if there is no goal. During a team building day, employees may be asked to do something drastically outside of their comfort zone. They may find the team building activities embarrassing, pointless, or uncomfortable. Most people simply don’t want to look foolish. They may be unmotivated to engage in icebreakers or ropes courses.

This is where a trained, outside facilitator comes in – they try to encourage all your employees to actively participate. Though they may think there is no reward, just getting them to break down barriers and improve communication skills will improve their workplace behavior.

Skills Aren’t Reinforced

Setting up a team building day and getting members maybe a task within itself. So you definitely want to make the most of the day. When the event is over, the skills learned during the event should be carried into the workplace.

Reinforcement builds mastery. Skills that are reinforced after an individual has had time to reflect on the lessons, and think about how they can apply it to their work, are much likelier to “stick.” Skills that are not reinforced will be forgotten and you will have wasted both yours and your employees’ time.

So if you make sure the activities included in your team building day are relevant to the workplace, encourage all members to participate, and reinforce the skills learned on the job, your employees will be on the right path to success.

About Fun Team Building

Fun Team Building’s Larry Lipman can create a team building day customized to your workplace, ensuring you plan the best activities for your employees. Larry Lipman can make your team building day a success! To schedule an event with Fun Team Building, an Atlanta team building company, call 703-333-3303 today!