Whether you are a professional or an organization responsible for facilitating a team building process, there are some tips that you need to get so as to make the process an effective one and even see results. Below are important tips to give you new ideas on the best way to accelerate team building initiatives:
Create common vision
It is imperative to create a common vision in order for all the team members to see to it that they contribute to the success of the organization. So, spend some time visioning as one team basing on what you are about to create and where you want to go. And this is also the time for you to celebrate your previous or current success. Also, make sure that you develop common goals and ensure that they are supported and understood by all the team members.
Clarify roles and responsibilities
Lack of clarity on individual responsibilities and roles is the main reason why organizations don’t get where they really want to be. It is prudent to clarify these responsibilities in order to help in achieving or supporting your common goals and visions. And ask yourself if staffs understand their specific roles.
Ensure management support
Managers and supervisors play a major role in keeping the learning alive, so ensure that they are following up with members of your team regarding what their needs are as well as how best the team building efforts can be enhanced. Also, managers need to ensure that what has been learnt from the team building initiatives is brought to the office.
Use engaging exercises and reward for best results
Team building can be both fun and challenging as you try to support teams to reach their highest potential. You want to ensure that all the team members are engaged and challenged through the process. One of the best things to do is to think of challenging games and activities and people have to learn from them. And you can choose to reward a team that gives the best results.
For instance, you may want to give trophies as the best reward because you can have them engraved with the company logo and name and also have a label showing what the gift is for. You can also bring in an external facilitator to help you in your efforts. Experienced facilitators can even run a ‘train the trainer’ program with members of the team.
Take it out of the office
You want to take it out of the normal workplace because you don’t want anyone to be distracted. Hold the team building sessions elsewhere in order to reduce everyday distractions. You can look for the best environment where your staff can benefit from, such as nature and outdoors or a more formal corporate team building setting. And choosing the right venue is another important thing. You want a place where everyone will attend and there is all the facilities needed for the event.
Create an action plan
It is proper to create an action plan so as to make the team building a part of your daily work or life. You should note that some team building programs and retreat days have very few links with the organizational objectives. So, ensure that when designing the team building program, you create links to everyday life or to the organization, so that participants can bring what they will learn home. You can do this by building into the program a formal planning time and have supervisors and managers follow up during regular staff meetings. And after the team building event, ensure that you leverage coaching so as to keep the learning alive.
Keep it regular
If you hold team building programs once every year, then you are doing a great job in boosting the morale on the short term. But what if you do it more often? You cannot imagine the results! You can use the same facilitator every time you are holding a team building session because this adds traction to the event. Understanding and trust of the team is always higher every other time you hold such a program; by using the same facilitator.
Have fun
A team building initiative should be full of fun and should be engaging for all staff members. However, they should be meaningful and relevant for the team. You may want to design with the facilitator on what topics or structures will give the team the most leverage. A reputable facilitator should be able to come up with topics, games or structures that will benefit your staff and eventually your organization.
All these are important things to consider if you are looking to hold a team building program. If you want to incorporate gifts or rewards for performers in such programs, don’t hesitate to contact us at Crystal Plus. We supply different kinds of corporate awards and gifts, and we ensure that there is something for everyone!
