Over time, the ideas behind corporate team-building have changed significantly, though the myths of what team-building is about still persists. Today, we're going to have a look at the validity of some of these out-dated ideas about the content and rle team-building can play within a company.
Team building is touchy-feely
Unfortunately, this is a very common misconception about team building events. it's not surprising that everyone will cringe at the idea of getting u close and personal with their work colleagues. No one wants to be spilling the beans about their relationships or even outside of work-life to their boss or co-workers. But team building should never be based on persona topics. If you find one that is, then it just points to a total failure at the management level. Many team buildings are run by charlotans, who have zero ideas about what they're doing or even trying to achieve. It's just that team building is the new snake oil that businesses lap up. That why you'll find any number of these events featuring hugs, trust falls and other stupid rubbish. In reality, team building is about trust, respect and communication. Anything else just points to laziness and ignorance.
Team building will be cheesy
The well known "dork-effect". That's because any event planned by or for nerds is destined to be awful. Especially in front of your boss or your co-workers. It's noticeable that things like karaoke, though great entertainment, does nothing to help team building. In short, being cheesy does nothing to bring individual worker together. That can only happen with engaging and challenging matters which will affect the whole group.
Drinks are enough
Ah yes, the oil that keeps all machinery functioning properly. The trouble with alcohol is that it's a great lubricant for social events, but not a great idea in the workplace environment. Sure, you can all have a laugh and it's a great way to blow off steam. But as a means of helping your team-building efforts, it scores a big fat zero. In truth, drinks are fine. But they should come after a team-building event not before or during.
Once a year is enough
We're sure that you've all heard about the new fitness craze that's sweeping the country. Essentially, you only need to attend the gym once in the year. But you really have to give that single training session a real work out. Then you can remain ripped and buf for the whole of the remaining year. No, we haven't heard about this either. No surprise there. Likewise, with team-building, you can't hope to achieve all the goals with just one session. Often the best team-buildings are held at least once each month, but many companies are now opting for once a week. It's a great opportunity for the team to be constantly learning.
There’s no ROI
It's easy to confuse long and short term profit when it comes to office team building. Many will claim that it's a complete waste of time and that it brings nothing financially to the table. But it'll take time to show the results. If you think about the cost of replacing a worker who's just walked, is cheap, then you're deluded. Remember that you have to go through the whole recruiting, training. You'll often find that people leave their jobs simply because there's a lack of communication. This is one of the major areas that team-building can inprove. Increased levels of communication will help the team function better.
The effects won’t last
Like the first day after your New Years resolution, it never lasts! You have decided to consume zero sugar and go for a run. And yet here we are, a couple of days later, where we find you sprawled over the sofa eating a daily size packet of Cheetos, as you work your way through Season 5 of Game of Thrones. With team-building, it's the same story in that the effects don't last. That's why constant and regular team-building events are a must for any business.
Extreme activities are best
Having photos on Instagram of your workers all looking terrified is not the best optics for any business. Though less common today, there was a time a few years back, when nearly all team building exercising was build around a near-death experience. But this is far from the best way to build a team for your workplace. Guys running these type of extreme sports team buildings must have been high-fiving all the way to the bank every week. But team building is about creating trust and an environment where everybody can grow.
Everyone will be besties
Yet another common myth, though we can see where this one came from may people confuse developing great communication with developing friendships. Nope, this is the workplace and those two things are very different indeed. Building a boat out of office paper or playing childish games isn't going to make you all best friends. A company that's working well, doesn't need all its workers to be intimate. Just as long as they can do their set tasks to perfection and within deadlines, then that's enough. Team building is also about building respect. The idea is that the team-building exercises in themselves help build a stronger team to face all work-based challenges, and thereby function better as a single autonomous group.
One size fits all
Team building is not like buying adult diapers, where one size will fit many posteriors. Whatever type of team building activity you choose, you need to ensure that it's a fit the purpose and goals you have in mind. is the idea to encourage better feedback from workers? Or dealing with a more complex problem? These are both serious issues and should therefore be tackled in the same manner. Having fun does have its place, but try to keep it to a minimum when organizing team-building exercises for the company.
