Building Synergy: Innovative Team Building Activities For Enhanced Collaboration

It may be a cliché, but any team worth its salt is like a well-oiled machine: There are plenty of moving parts that have to work together in perfect synchronisation. And, you need some kind of lubricant to achieve that harmony. But, at the end of the day, people aren’t robots, so how do you get them to work cohesively? The answer: team building.

This article will take a look at the importance of fostering a collaborative work environment. Also, we’ll share some unique, engaging, and effective team building exercises that can be implemented in various workplace settings.

The importance of workplace collaboration

Here’s another saying that’s stood the test of time for a reason: There’s no “I” in team. You can have the most skilled people on earth on your team, but if they don’t work together as one, the disconnect will eventually materialise as obstacles to success. These include missed deadlines, workplace conflict and poor work quality, all of which impact your bottom line negatively. The key to avoiding these pitfalls is team building.

The benefits of team building activities

These activities give colleagues the opportunity to understand how everyone’s mind works and what each person’s communication style is. Team building also affords workers the chance to discover each person’s strengths and weaknesses.

Team building activities open the door for people to start and nurture relationships. Intimate connections motivate team members to be compassionate toward each other, which helps promote a workplace characterised by trust and mutual respect, both of which are vital for business success.

Team building is a great way for colleagues to get to know each other.

Team building activity examples

• Escape rooms: In these fictional simulations, team members must collaborate under time restrictions to solve problems, putting their skills to the test.
• Obstacle courses: Physical challenges give people the chance to practise empathy and help one another in sticky situations.
• Two truths and a lie: What better way to strengthen interpersonal bonds than by guessing facts (or falsehoods!) about your coworkers?

Tips for conducting effective team building sessions

Off the bat, it’s important to note that you must adapt activities to suit different team dynamics. For example, if you know your team isn’t particularly outdoorsy or able-bodied, choose something more mentally stimulating.

It’s also helpful to give your staff options and let them vote for the activity they’d prefer. This helps get everyone on board. Also, make sure the activity doesn’t interfere with their workloads and schedules: You want everyone to engage fully and not be worrying about their projects!

Measuring team building activity success

You got everyone together and they completed the activity. Now, it’s time to determine whether this had any positive impact on team performance and collaboration. Naturally, you need to use your standard department-level performance evaluations as a metric, as well as client or customer feedback and your other regular key performance indicators. See whether any goals you had were met (it’s worth mentioning at this point that you should establish some objectives before the activity).

But, you should also just ask your team members whether they felt the team building exercises were helpful. Send out an anonymous survey requesting feedback with questions such as “Did you learn anything new about your colleagues?” and “Do you think this exercise helped you get to know each other?”. The best way to find out whether your efforts are working is with the input from the people they’re meant for!

Has this info inspired you to organise some team building activities of your own? Check out our team building course, or contact us to chat about how we can best help your organisation achieve its goals.