Team Building: The keys to strengthening team cohesion and maximizing productivity

What is the aim of team building?

The main aim of team building is to strengthen group cohesion and the sense of belonging to the company. 🔥

Indeed, the aim of this type of event is to get company members involved in activities outside the strict context of work. You discover your managers and colleagues in a new light. It's a great way to strengthen ties and even create new ones with people from other departments.

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So, the question for any company is: why is it important to organize a team building event?

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Note: this question is all the more important in a post-COVID context, where remote working has become the norm. Working from home offers many advantages ( saving time, better work/life balance if properly managed...). On the other hand, it can undermine team spirit.💔

Because coming back to the office can be seen by some as a chore, organizing team building events on a regular basis helps maintain strong ties between members of the same team or company.

It therefore encourages the development of genuine team harmony, so that everyone takes greater pleasure in working together towards a common goal.

What's more, for managers and executive teams, team building activities are also an opportunity to learn more about each other's softskills. Outside the workplace, employees are more likely to be themselves. Which reveals a lot about your colleagues.

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How to make a good team building event?

The story of the hostage-taking simulation (which inspired a book and a series) is a textbook case of what not to do in team building.

As such, a good team building should not be compulsory. Team cohesion also means accepting the multiplicity of profiles. Some people look forward to multi-day seminars across the globe. Others don't (for their own personal reasons).

So, before diving head first into the organization of a commando course to encourage your teams to outdo themselves, don't hesitate to ask the people concerned about their desires and any fears they may have. This will ensure that everyone buys into the project.💪

Sometimes, a simple lunchtime escape game can be enough to strengthen team cohesion over the long term.

What's more, although team building is carried out in a professional environment, don't hesitate to think a little outside the box. Companies often confuse team building with internal communication. Presenting figures at a meeting doesn't thrill anyone. On the other hand, getting together for a fun activity changes everything.

Keep in mind: be careful not to infantilize your teams. There's a misconception that games are only for children. But they're not. Today, video games and board games are attracting an increasingly older population. It's up to you to use them wisely 🎲

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Finally, you can outsource the organization of your team-building session to a company that specializes in this field. In addition to saving time, you will be assured to have a successful event by opting for the right activities.

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Which team building activities to choose?

There are as many team building activities as there are employee desires and company needs.

Keep it simple and don't be afraid to offer participants tried-and-tested team-building activities.

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Among the most classic team-building ideas, treasure hunts, escape games, paintball or afterwork remain must-dos. Simple to organize, they can even be proposed on a regular basis throughout the year. 📅

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You would prefer to organize a team-building session over a weekend? In that case, consider sporting activities. It could be a guided nature hike, a bike excursion, a rafting or canyoning session, or even a treetop adventure. And don't forget the olympiads, where different teams from the company compete in different events 🏆

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If you want something more original, think about :

• Culinary workshops (wine tasting, culinary training with a top chef...) ;
• Artistic activities (theater, making a short film, magic...) ;
• VR (virtual reality) activities;
• Cultural activities (visits to museums or monuments...);
• Not forgetting a type of activity that is gaining in popularity: community and solidarity activities. We're seeing an increasing number of team-building activities focusing on the preservation of the environment, in which participants are asked, for example, to collect trash from a specific area.♻️

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It's up to you to decide whether you'd rather organize up a multi-day seminar once a year, or a team building session from time to time (on or off company time).

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Who should take part in my team building events?

Ideally, all company stakeholders should take part in team building activities. Employees, of course, but also managers and executives. In some cases, it's even possible to invite partners, suppliers and customers.

Some companies also offer team building sessions for employees and their families. This can take the form of a giant picnic, with activities organized for all ages 🧺

Please note: team building can be organized on a company-wide, department or even team level. This obviously influences the nature and scale of the event.

In any case, it's important that all the company's employees are interested in taking part in your team building sessions. So the role of human resources and managers will be to find out what the people concerned feel like doing, and how to engage their interest for a few hours or a few days.

Knowing this, rather than asking "who should participate in my team building events?", ask yourself instead "how can I make my employees want to participate in my team building?". 🤔

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At HeyTeam, we don't offer services to help you create team building sessions. Instead, we help you set up a dedicated, fully customizable career management platform (from onboarding to offboarding). This allows you to integrate and manage your various team building events and corporate seminars as you see fit. Want to find out more? Contact us and ask for a free demo.