Camaraderie among employees is one ingredient for business success. Whether a business has a handful of employees or 100 plus employees, team building can produce positive results. Progress is made when employees feel a commitment to their employer as well as to each other seeking to work as a team rather than working strictly as individuals with only personal interests at stake.
Purpose of Team Building
The purpose of team building is not to develop personal relationships outside of business…although at times this certainly develops. The real purpose of teambuilding is multi-faceted. It enhances business productivity and efficiency by having employees work harmoniously with each other to put the company’s goals above their own.
Team building breaks down personal communication barriers that exist when employees:
- are apprehensive about how their opinions will be viewed by others,
- have negative feelings about co-workers, and/or
- a lack of trust exists among employees.
Two individuals can be strangers one day having ineffective communication but can be working partners the next day after participating in a team building activity. These activities can also improve teams in which there is not a clear clarification of each employee’s role and/or responsibilities.
Team Building Activities
There are many different types of team building activities. A business can spend as little or as much as it wants in this area and still accomplish the intended results. Depending on the type of business and individual personalities, some activities can be common while others can be quite unique. It is normal for some employees to resist participating in team building activities but after the activities are actually started, most employees enjoy the challenges presented and the enhanced relationships that develop.
There are a multitude of specific team building activities that can be researched on the Internet. Regardless of the actual activity chosen, the goals are essentially the same:
- Target activities that align with the goals of the business
- Build and/or strengthen effective working relationships among colleagues
- Have team members learn how to focus on specific results, thereby, reducing uncertainty regarding goal achievement
- Realize the benefit of finding solutions to team problems
Team Building Outcomes
There are many positive outcomes as a result of team building activities:
- Employees learn to create solutions together that impact their team and the business
- Encourages collaboration among participants that will carry over into the workplace
- Improves communication individually and as a group
- Motivates participants to achieve at higher levels
- Increases the level of morale
- Learn more about each co-worker
Beneficial
Regardless of the activity, team building works. Most employees find that a new dimension is added to their jobs and a new perspective about how they view co-workers emerge after the team building activities are concluded. Team building can definitely be beneficial for any business regardless of size. A relatively small commitment of time and money on the part of a small business or SME can produce outstanding results.
