How to Do Team-Building Right

I recently came across this Slate article by Alison Green (rightfully) criticizing many of the activities companies select in the name of team building.

Among the most egregious examples she shared were: 

• A story about an extreme hiking trip that involved rock climbing, parasailing, and a 5-mile run.

• A game that involved spitting soda into other people’s mouths.

• An activity requiring colleagues to stand in a circle and tell each person one thing you don’t like about them.

WTF people?? 

No wonder so many people avoid making eye contact with me when they hear I facilitate team-building through play.

Let’s take a time out to think about the real purpose of “team building.” 

What is a Team?

Whether permanent or temporary, a team is a group of people convened around a primary shared purpose, be it completing a project, making strategic decisions for an organization, or winning a World Series. This shared purpose must be large and complex enough that it can’t be accomplished by one person alone. That said, multiple individuals working together is not the same as a team (you can read more about the complexities of interpersonal dynamics here).

A true team is an entity of its own, and the purpose of any team building activity worth its salt is to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Not to break the parts down, humiliate them, and drive them farther apart.

What is Team Building?

The goal of team building is to make sure each individual part can thrive, and that the connections between all the parts facilitate both individual and shared success, rather than get in the way.

Investing time and resources into helping a team perform their best is absolutely worthwhile, and there are lots of activities that can help teams do just that. These activities can range from having fun and getting to know each other as humans (therefore boosting morale), to promoting better understanding and working through differences in communication styles and personalities (which fosters more collaboration), to practicing core interpersonal skills like collective decision-making and navigating differences (enhancing trust and psychological safety).

Side note: While most people use the term “team building” to refer to a range of goals and activities, Barometer XP distinguishes between 3 different levels of depth for enhancing team culture and performance: team bonding, team building, and team development. You can learn more about our depths of play framework here.

What Makes for GOOD Team Building?

Effective team building is not as simple as selecting an activity that sounds fun or interesting and making everyone do it together. That’s the first common mistake.

Here’s why.

All activities, from the simple icebreaker (I know, I cringe at that term too) to a multi-day outdoor adventure, require vulnerability from everyone involved, meaning there is a real risk of creating discomfort for at least some people. 

• If this discomfort is handled in a sensitive and proactive way, it will spark applicable insights and growth. 

• If the discomfort is not handled well or is ignored, it’ll lead to a cascade of negative emotions that will carry over from the activity to the workplace.  

Truly good team building is more than just a positive shared experience. The experience must also have direct relevance to the team’s purpose and ability to perform. In other words, the memories, emotions, insights, and/or outcomes from the activity must help the team succeed at accomplishing their shared goal.

This is what Barometer XP does every day.  Can we help you design the perfect team-building experience?