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Team-Building in Secret
Corporations have been going about building teamwork in some of the strangest ways
known to employer and employee. It all began when corporations started having
employees hang from ropes, next came having employees shoot each other with paintballs,
and now some corporations are trying to build teamwork by having employees participate
in inflatable-sumo-wrestling. What will the future hold? Will corporations be asking
their employees to swim with dolphins to build teamwork, or perhaps group parachuting
will be the key to transforming your squabbling employees into a winning team.
Conduct a search on the Internet, and you will quickly realize just how ridiculous
team-building exercises are becoming for both employers and employees. Therefore,
if I may take a moment to speak on your employees' behalf: "PLEASE…PLEASE…do not make
your employees participate in human foosball, comedy karaoke, or sing in a music
video with the company CEO in order to build teamwork." Now, if I may take a moment
to speak to the HR manager(s) in the company. "Team sailing, employee Olympics, and
having all your employees ride around on All-Terrain Vehicles may be fun, but ask
yourself this question: does a fun team sport really add up to more teamwork
back in the office?"
If comedy karaoke and human foosball will not develop your employees into a well-oiled
self-directed team, what will? It's simple, if you want to build employee teamwork,
do it in the office and do not tell your employees you're doing it. Why keep it a
secret? It is important to keep any teamwork activities that you do a secret for
three reasons.
First, employees are human, well most of them anyway, and humans are social animals
that gravitate to work in groups versus individually if given the opportunity.
Therefore, employees are already naturally geared to work in teams (groups), and
making them swing from ropes will not add any more "group behavior" to their genetic
makeup.
Secondly, since employees are already geared to work in teams, your primary goal is
to integrate teamwork practices into everyday work patterns. It is up to the
leaders within the organization to integrate teamwork practices, not the employees.
Lastly, if you announce that the company plans to build teamwork, most employees
will respond by asking when the team building practices will be over, so they can
get back to work. By announcing your team-building efforts, you will not create
additional motivation in your employees to suddenly get them to develop team cohesion.
Steps to Team-Building in the Office:
1.) Define your teams. Most large organizations will have one main team with
numerous sub teams. A sub team may be composed of just one employee and employees
may be on several different sub teams.
2.) Setup a meeting and ask each sub team to define their goals, and what would
be helpful for them to have from the other sub teams within the department.
You will need to prepare your employee for this meeting by letting them know ahead
of time what they will be asked, so they can prepare proper responses. End the
meeting after all participants have reported to each other their goals and needs.
Do not mention the words teamwork or team building.
3.) In future meetings, ask employees to report what assistance they are receiving
from other sub teams. Focus only on the positives, and applaud those sub teams
that have assisted other sub teams. It may take a few meetings for employees to
pick-up on the trend of asking how other sub teams are assisting, so don't give
up if your employees are slow to report. Remember, be mindful not to mention the
words teamwork or team-building.
4.) Incorporate sub team assistance as a performance review item during employees'
performance reviews. Be direct by asking employees to report how they have assisted
other sub teams while they met their own goals.
These are the basic skills necessary to build teamwork within your organization's
various sub teams. Remember that your employees are already geared to operate in
groups; all you need to do is integrate teamwork practices into your organization's
operations. Hence, please cancel the inflatable-sumo-wrestling team-building
exercise you have planned for next week.
Happy Working,
Gary Vikesland, MA LP CEAP
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