Team Building Activities

[scorza]

another thread here, might throw up a few ideas http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18611873&highlight=team+building

Interesting that the same question can be asked three weeks apart, the first thread is three pages long full of unhelpful japery, whereas this thread is a couple of pages of some moderately useful suggestions. Must have been the heat

I do agree there's a danger that team building exercises turn into a cringefest, but given the situation at work doing nothing isn't an option. My view is that a successful team building exercise takes place during a normal working day (i.e. not weekend or evening), is at no cost to the employee, and should be actually fun. Of course I have to sell this idea to the boss first...

 

[Housey]

Yes, it's because some people have their head in the ****ing clouds. It's the reason British firms are so inefficient.

Go work at somewhere like Thyssenkrup in Germany if you want to see how to run a company. British people in general are crap workers, German workers are great. No messing about they just do things and do them properly.



They do nothing of actual worth and the idea that some idiot who couldn't make it in the working world thinks he knows better than me about how to run a complex business and manage the human capital is just laughable.

The British Empire didn't have a HR department and they'd have gotten nothing done if they did.



Probably yes, or doesn't that come in the scripted training tosh they dole out to you?

I'm sorry but you still strike me as angry boy. All the answers but very little broad experience. I'm actually not talking about team building as often it's enforced process, badly thought out and implemented, see this very forum and the amount of people seeking advice on such things. However, when I see German great, British rubbish I see an obvious lack of credible experience and again, Mr Shouty Loudy as no one listens anymore.

 

[Meridian]

The only team-building exercises which are worth more than a cup of warm spit are ones organised by the staff themselves, and generally where management is not only not invited, but not even told about it. As noted early on, bad teamwork is nearly always down to bad management. The same person also cited bad teams, but the fact that the team is left like that is also down to bad management. Spending a day on some stupid activity is not going to change the company dynamic - only better management can do that. If you want to motivate your team, pay them more.

 

[craptakular]

The best thing to do is just a fun day trip away somewhere, a weekend in a luxor soa, posh dinner etc.Let employees have fun at employers expense to help build a nicer atmosphere.
Don't turn it into any kind of team building nonsense. At least not directly.
Wevery done things like white water rafting, kayaking, mountain biking which indirectly seems employees interact differently.

How do you make it inclusive for disabled, old or fat people?

 

[Housey]

The only team-building exercises which are worth more than a cup of warm spit are ones organised by the staff themselves, and generally where management is not only not invited, but not even told about it. As noted early on, bad teamwork is nearly always down to bad management. The same person also cited bad teams, but the fact that the team is left like that is also down to bad management. Spending a day on some stupid activity is not going to change the company dynamic - only better management can do that. If you want to motivate your team, pay them more.

This place is full of people telling you they aren't motivated by money and frankly motivation has little to do with money, although it's part of the mix. It starts with providing a sense of purpose, a clear vision and what that means and when to everyone and direction and sadly that is what lacks in many many companies. It also isn't always 'the management' as good managers in my humble opinion create a flat structure and never need to tell people they are the boss or to seek to demonstrate it to the people they lead or worse, those they don't. That approach, with the right people and with the things I mention above provided usually creates the best teams. In that environment leadership then becomes the role of everyone, with direction and guiding from the people who carry the label.

Of course all of this needs people with the right mindset and those who focus on money, their hours or the fact that they are special are usually not the right people either. My experience is get the mix right and the money comes to a far greater extent than they seek as does the career path and development. Team fun is great when people want to compete and most importantly have a break from the normal stuff. Going to the pub isn't team building, though it's nice to have close the door days when you just go down the pub, when you do it unplanned.

Just a brain fart of my thoughts, lots of yea buts of course...