hxvs3un4dz

“The 14th of July is Bastille Day in France, my home country. To start celebrating this national holiday, David invited me to share my impressions with you on this blog after five months of serving as an intern at TeamBonding.

Before leaving France I told a French businessman, Pierre, that I was going to work for a team-building company. I was surprised by the look on his face, a large smile that said it all: been there, done that! Team building: a typically American thing that his French colleagues and he had boycotted by cutting the Parisian scavenger hunt short and relaxing in a café.

Is team building some sort of neo-paternalist management? Paternalist management in France started in the 19th century developing the idea that taking care of employees would make them enjoy their work more and be more productive and more loyal. Initiatives started off as activities similar to team building and then encompassed many different aspects of everyday life. Today however, the expression in France sometimes has a negative connotation that evokes a management trying to control employees. This might partly explain Pierre’s cynical reaction.

Do the French take themselves too seriously to enjoy team building activities? “On a passé l’age, n’est-ce pas ?” We are too old to be fooling around like kids. “Why did they not just give us an extra day off instead”?

During my internship here, however, I’ve assisted on quite a few events and have been surprised by the very different group reactions towards them. Regardless of the client, I loved watching the corporate culture manifest itself within a structured team building event, and it became clear to me that these events do influence our clients and how they are able to deal with challenges.

My experience with TeamBonding has shown me the true power of play – to help build and consolidate corporate team spirit. Getting a group motivated is the first step towards a successful team building experience. The most important question that a manager planning a team building event faces is: “How do I present this event to my colleagues to get them motivated?” That’s where TeamBonding comes in. They are experts the at helping clients figure out the most effective way to reach their group, which means that the client can focus on the great final results their team will achieve."

Happy Bastille Day Etienne. I think we both learned something!