Team Building Activities

1. Do you believe that team-building activities such as mountain climbing increase productivity? Why or why not? What other factors might be responsible for increases in profitability following a corporate retreat? I believe that team-building activities such as mountain climbing or trust-building exercises can motivate employees to increase their productivity as a whole. The reason is that colleagues can build trust, promote communications, and alleviate workplace conflicts through team-building activities. Productivity is one of the essential factors for companies to achieve business success (Adler, 2003). In order to achieve productivity, colleagues have to set a common goal, share their information, and reach results faster. Because team-building activities create an environment for colleagues to collaborate with one another, colleagues must work together to strive for a temporary retreat goal. During these events, it is imperative that team-building activities give employees a channel to improve interpersonal relationships, inter-departmental communications, and productivity. Most importantly, company employees must know the importance of team-building activities and then these activities can help employees build a greater cohesion, problem-solving skills, and decision-making methods which result in better teamwork and overall productivity. Based on team-building activities, colleagues can work better than before. Following a corporate retreat, company employees not only can build a strong connection among company employees but also create innovations. For example, when developing new products, teams require creative ideas. Through the process of team building activities, team members can generate different perspectives and then decide the most innovative outcome. With the success of the innovative outcome, companies differentiate their products from their competitors and benefit from the profit. As Merianne Liteman, a professional corporate retreat organizer, described, “Where good retreats have a quantifiable effect is on retentions, on morale, on productivity.” Hence, the primary goal of team-building retreats is to increase productivity and profitability which help companies stand in the competitive business market.

2. What are some other ways to build effective teams and increase teamwork among company employees? How might these alternatives be better or worse than corporate retreats? Except team-building retreats, companies could provide different ways such as rewarding team performance or team reunions to build effective teams and increase teamwork among company employees. According to Isaacs (InfoWorld, 1998), it is a tendency for teams to choose their own rewards so that teams can keep the spirit of teamwork. The best way to implement this method is to give each team a lump sum and let each team decide how to divide the rewards. Team members who get rewards gain not only money but symbolic rewards. It is crucial for team members to require wide recognition. Most importantly, reward programs have many different packages such as money, tickets to the ball game, a gift certificate, bonus, and dinner for two. All of reward programs are followed by team members’ preferences. However, trust is the key to implement team-based rewards (Merriman, 2008). In order to gain rewards, team members prefer teamwork and cooperation by acknowledging individual’s contributions to their teams and dividing responsibilities. Moreover, periodical team reunions can build team members’ interpersonal relationship. When getting together, people could open communications and then forget any unpleasant work experience. It is the way to strengthen team cohesion when team members look like a big family. These alternatives and corporate retreats are equally important in companies. Companies can choose different kinds of activities so that employees are willing to attend activities without feeling boring. By using different ways, employees have more chances to understand their teams. So, the successful teamwork is based on trust, good communication, and cohesion that above methods could attain the purpose.

3. What should companies do about employees who lack athletic talent but are still pressured to participate in physical activities with their colleagues? How might poor performance by those with low athletic ability affect their status within the organization? Although physical activities are good way to build interpersonal relationships among employees, companies also need to evaluate employees’ ability. If employees lack athletic talent, companies should find alternative ways to help employees solve this awkward situation. The main purpose of physical activities for companies is to let company employees experience the collaborative process. It important to participate in physical activities no matter what roles you are. In my case, physical activities should be fun and safe, because the first line is to prevent injuries. I will encourage employees who lack athletic talent still to participate in these activities. However, those employees can be assistant judges or referees. By using this way, all employees still can join the fun activities but feel at ease with their colleagues. So, a company’s leader needs to notice these kinds of details in order to keep the smooth teamwork among employees. If companies have already divided the role of each employee in physical activities, companies could avoid some employees who lack athletic ability having poor performance and affecting their status in the organization. The meaning of physical activities is to let employees understand the importance of teamwork. Basically, each member needs to know the role of his/her responsibility and help each other to reach a common goal. That is, the spirit of teamwork is to effectively and cooperatively work together.

4. How might you increase teamwork when team members are not often in direct contact with one another? Recommend some “electronic” team building exercises. Even though team members cannot directly contact with one another, they still can build strong teamwork. With the rapid development of technology, it is much easier for team members to build teamwork no matter where they are based. By using videoconferences, e-mail, teleconference, the Internet, corporate intranets, and sophisticated groupware, team members still can work together (Kezsbom, 1999). It is called virtual teams that people have no distance, time zone, and organizational boundaries. However, virtual teams also require a strong foundation of mutual trust and collaboration which is the same as face-to-face teams (Holton, 2001). In order to establish a solid teamwork, team members use videoconferences to communicate live in different locations and in real time over the Internet with high definition and life-size imaging. It feels like all team members attend in the same room no matter where they are. So, companies can provide virtual coffee break to keep relaxing communications. Because videoconferencing is a new virtual communication patter, some people still felt awkward using it. That’s why companies need to provide some activities to reduce the uncomfortable situation, build trust, and let team members cooperate more effectively. Moreover, companies also use e-mail or the Internet to connect team members. In my case, companies can arrange on-line games to gather all members to join the team-building exercise. Team members could enhance trust and cooperation in a virtual environment if they performed effectively on the game. Hence, this is another way to build a solid teamwork no matter where team members are. All in all, electronic team-building exercises are useful in developing team collaboration and increasing teamwork in the online environment.

References:

Adler. I. (2003, April). The importance of team building. Business Mexico, 13(4), 19. Retrieved May 17, 2009, from Proquest database. (326057471).
Isaacs. N. (1998, May). Team structures can complicate reward programs. InfoWorld, 20(21), 132. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Proquest database. (29724014).
Merriman. K. (2008, November). Low-Trust Teams Prefer Individualized Pay. Harvard Business Review, 86 (11), 32. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Business Source Complete database.
Holton. J. A. (2001). Building trust and collaboration in a virtual team. Team Performance Management, 7(3/4), 36-47. Retrieved May 20, 2009, from Proquest database. (270070181).
Kezsbom. D. S. (1999). Creating Teamwork in Virtual Teams. AACE International Transactions, 1. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Proquest database.

References: Adler. I. (2003, April). The importance of team building. Business Mexico, 13(4), 19.  Retrieved May 17, 2009, from Proquest database. (326057471). Isaacs. N. (1998, May). Team structures can complicate reward programs. InfoWorld, 20(21), 132.  Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Proquest database. (29724014). Merriman. K. (2008, November). Low-Trust Teams Prefer Individualized Pay. Harvard Business Review, 86 (11), 32. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Business Source Complete database. Holton. J. A. (2001). Building trust and collaboration in a virtual team. Team Performance Management, 7(3/4), 36-47.  Retrieved May 20, 2009, from Proquest database. (270070181). Kezsbom. D. S. (1999). Creating Teamwork in Virtual Teams. AACE International Transactions, 1. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Proquest database.