Avoid Team Building Strategies that Don’t Work

# Enhance Leadership Skills # General

Home Resources Blog Avoid Team Building Strategies that Don’t Work

January 28, 2017

CNBC has 11 great tips to help you make sure that your team building activities don’t have the unintended consequence of pulling your team of employees apart.

First of all, karaoke is out, and Mount Kilimanjaro is in. On the top of their list…?

#1 Prepare employees in advance.

Springing the idea of team building on employees at the last minute = resistance. “People think it’s hokey,” said David Goldstein, founder of TeamBonding in Boston, Mass. Instead, he suggested the team builders work with employees to overcome objections well before the exercises get under way, reassuring them that the event will be well delivered and thought out and won’t fall into the trap of traditional measures.

But….why?

It may seem like a good idea to surprise your team with a team building exercise, but this is generally a no-no. Team building activities are fun. The best strategies should boost communication, foster collaboration and have everyone hugging by the end, right?

Generally, people fear what they don’t know. A key requirement to launching and then successfully completing almost anything new as a group is obtaining internal buy-in for a program and a commitment to participate, contribute and complete it’s initiatives. Most employees that are disengaged do not feel respected and do not respect the decisions made by leaders.

The right team building strategies will lead to happier, engaged and productive employees, but laying a strong foundation must be part for every plan. It is critical to reduce eye-rolling and help ensure a powerful ROI for your event.

Check out CNBC’s full list of tips. Missing anything?

What team building strategies have worked for you? What has failed?

Samantha McDuffee

Team Contributor

Sign up for tips on crafting the perfect team.

Less drama? Greater productivity and job satisfaction? Yes, you really can make an impact, and TeamBonding is here to help. Subscribe to our blog for useful tips, tricks and insights.

More great content based on your likes.

TeamBonding’s Guide to the Five Stages of Team Development

Developing strong and cohesive teams is essential for every business or organization, but team development doesn’t happen overnight. There are numerous stages of team development that can ultimately lead to a synergistic team, which carries with it many benefits.

Why Team Building Doesn’t Work

As a leader in your organization, you’re likely always looking for innovative ways to strengthen employee relationships. Creating a strong workplace culture that encourages teamwork is essential for increasing productivity and improving employee engagement. However, your workforce might not always see eye to eye with leadership when it comes to team building. Some employees may feel it’s nothing more than a chore while others might think that team building will not solve the underlying issues that are affecting workplace relationships. It may lead them to really question “does team building work”?

6 DIY Team Building Activities That Work

It’s easy… right? You just need to find the right people with the right skills, put them in a room together, and you have a well-oiled team. They’re smart, and they know their stuff: they’ll figure out how to get the work done…except it doesn’t always work out that way. We provide a foundation for team building that lasts beyond your TeamBonding event; however, you’ll have the most success after your event by incorporating team bonding activities into your company culture throughout the year. And if the budget is tight, that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything at all. Here are 6 DIY team building activities guaranteed to help your team build those lasting connections!

5 Ideas for Motivational Team Building Activities for Employees in 2024

For decades now, there has been an acute issue plaguing HR workers and managers around motivational team building activities for employees. An unmotivated employee or team can lead to decreased productivity and morale, higher turnover, and a lack of cohesion throughout the organization. There are many theories on how to best motivate employees. Some think that monetary incentives are the only way to truly motivate employees, while others believe motivation can be found through a better work culture or by cultivating motivational activities for employees. Before we can truly understand how to motivate work teams and employees and our favorite motivational activities for employees, we must first understand the different types of workplace motivators.

Search