The Importance of Team Buildings
Gonçalo Uva
Many CEOs, CEOs, and even human resources managers often question the real benefits of team building activities and how they impact our employees. If you have not yet participated in a professionally organized program, it is normal for you to be skeptical, and honestly, in a metric-driven world, it is tempting to think of the benefits of these activities in a measurable ROI. However, I urge you to suspend this mentality for a moment, and instead think of less tangible but no less beneficial advantages: better environment, better communication, greater delivery, and happier employees – which often means less turnover . I share some of the reasons why you should invest in team building actions in your organization.
Communication
Team buildings help identify problems, especially when the challenge is different from what we find in the day-to-day business of the office, and when the only mode of communication is verbal. Event / activity debriefings (which should be part of the activity and often overlooked) are a great way to find out what works and what does not work in terms of communication within a group. The activity does not end on the day of the event, surveys should be used to understand what has improved.
Team work
Although we all know that we are technically part of a team, that we are working to achieve goals and to keep the company running, the team building programs and the challenges posed by this type of activities put a new concept of teamwork. The idea is to get people out of their comfort zones by revealing other personal facets, sharing other interests and abilities that are not evident in everyday life, perfect for building bridges between departments and business areas that work in parallel. It’s a great way to get a better understanding of people’s work styles and strengths, and more importantly, learn how to take advantage of this information.
Build trust
Trust is a point that can be discussed because it is something that deserves and is achieved. That’s why team building exercises are a great way to build confidence as they condense this process in a few hours by resorting to intense activities and are extremely beneficial for newly formed teams, for cross-functional groups that do not regularly trust each other or even for remote teams that do not share the same physical space. Trust fosters work among employees and is a major contributor to employee satisfaction, capable of changing corporate culture, to happier businesses.
New talents
A very interesting benefit in this type of activity is the revelation of hidden talents. By engaging groups in a myriad of varied challenges, participants are able to unlock new talents to their peers, such as leadership skills, strategic prowess, and more fun. We may discover that the CFO is a talented artist or that one of the IT experts is an experienced musician, showing a more personal side of people, giving opportunity to create non-existent ties.
Behavioral Adjustments
Team buildings offer a unique benefit as they can become a test tube for new behaviors, or to develop normative concepts in a newly formed team. For example, in a company that is risk-averse its creativity can be put to work. Thus, throughout the activity the company can experience the sensation of taking risks and developing a tolerance to failure in the search of new ideas, thus altering its genesis, taking more calculated risks to trust its team.
Creativity
At work, especially in creative departments, the feeling of falling into routine is common, thus losing the necessary inspiration. Changing the air can be very useful for the creative wheel to spin again, so participation in exercises of this type can be important to regain a new vision of things. Not to mention the benefits of leaving the office and clearing your head.
Celebrate what there is to celebrate
There are less complex reasons to be led to participate in team building activities such as fun and / or celebrating a goal achieved or a special date. They can be considered as excellent tools to vent, brighten spirits and take away the mind from daily problems.
So when thinking about organizing a team building remember the benefits adjacent to the activity. Although they are not immediately measurable, we have already seen the importance of investing in your team. In addition, it is important to realize that these effects are amplified when such initiatives are carried out regularly and by specialized teams. Many companies use internal resources to organize these events, failing to achieve the desired goal. In my opinion it is important to hire and turn to professionals to power a team building event.
Source: https://inforh.pt/a-importancia-do-team-building-nas-empresas/