Team building is dead

I know this is a bold claim. It’s not something we’re making up. We want to tell you why we stopped team building. Team building is boring and we all know it. It’s synonymous with trust falls and sharing circles, with PowerPoint presentations filled with acronyms. In an entrepreneur.com article about why your team hates team building, Andre Lavoie says,

“employees are just tired of the same old cookie-cutter programs. There’s only so much growing a team can do after that 50th trust-fall exercise.”

And he couldn’t be more on point. A lot of businesses are choosing to throw away team building and instead take out the gang for drinks or trivia. Some businesses are claiming that it’s a waste of time altogether.

What we do instead

So what do we do now that we’ve stopped team building? Well, we run workshops. We host and facilitate activities designed to generate certain behaviours. We let the workshops we run do the heavy lifting in regards to interpersonal communication and bonding. It is very difficult to feel like you’re a part of a team when you’re just listening to a talk, or engaging in some shallow trust exercise. It’s much easier to engage your team when you’re asked to accomplish a task.

We facilitate events

It is our job to find the right activity that will generate the behaviour our clients are looking for. Let’s say a HR manager wants their team to let their hair down but doesn’t want them to silo into their usual friendship groups. We might offer them Graffiti Art because the challenge is learning how to use a spray can and then create something beautiful. See? No trust falls.

Or let’s say an organization is looking to bring their interstate sales reps together for a product launch coming up. We might offer a company-wide Scavenger Hunt that will require teams to record a short 15-second video about what makes them the best person for the job.

Perhaps there is a global company with many remote offices. Bringing everyone together for some fun can be costly and so their workers struggle to feel connected to the bigger picture. We would offer them a Virtual Escape Room experience to have their teams problem-solve together while working from separate corners of the globe.

We let the products do the heavy lifting

We facilitate the activities that will elicit the behaviour you want to see in your team. The team-building element of working together does not come from facilitation but the interpersonal dynamics of the team members. If teams are given opportunities to create, problem-solve, have fun, and cooperate then you will find a more cohesive, trusting, and productive group of people.

What now?

So now that we no longer associate with an outdated form of team building we are able to enjoy being the best facilitators we can be. We know how to run workshops, how to facilitate play, and get everyone laughing. We leave the team building up to the teams themselves. If you’ve like to know more then get in contact with us today on hello@bananalife.com.au