Meaning and types of team building with examples you can do
Team building by definition is the construction or development of a team. In a business context, it is a term that is used to refer to activities and practices that are carried out with the aim of strengthening relationships, improving collaboration, increasing productivity and promoting cohesion among the members of a company.
These activities seek to promote effective communication skills, problem solving, joint decision making and collaborative work. Similarly, they focus on the development of positive relationships and a culture of support within the team.
Here we tell you how you can implement team building in your company and what type of activities you can develop both inside and outside the office.
How you can develop and implement team building within your company
Team building is a continuous process that is not limited to a specific activity, but is part of a long-term strategy. To implement it within your company, here are some key steps you can follow:
- Identify the team's needs
The first step is to identify the challenges or problems your team is currently facing, as well as the specific needs or areas for improvement you would like to address. This will help you define the right team building approach and activities to achieve your goals. - Plan activities
Once the objectives have been set, determine the appropriate activity that best fits the profile of your team or company. Take into account the duration of the activities, the size of the group, and the budget for planning, and be sure to communicate the objectives and importance of participating in team building to your team.
- Carry out the team building
Clearly explain the activities and their objective to the team, and designate a facilitator or leader to guide and moderate the dynamic. It is important that all team members feel involved, as well as creating an environment that encourages participation, learning and reflection. - Reflection and feedback
After each team building activity, dedicate time for team members to share their experiences, learnings and observations. Evaluate the results in relation to the objectives you set and take note of opportunities for improvement for future activities. - Integration into the corporate culture
As we mentioned before, team building should not be a one-time event, but rather part of an ongoing strategy integrated into the organization's goals and culture. Incorporate team building principles and activities into the daily work routine and encourage your team to propose ideas to improve collaboration within the company.
It is important to regularly evaluate team dynamics, as well as adjust team building objectives and strategies as needed, to continue strengthening relationships and improving collaboration in the work environment.
What is team building for and what are its main uses?
Team building serves to strengthen relationships and improve the effectiveness of a work team, promoting collaboration, communication and trust among its members. The main uses that can be given to team building include:
- Improve internal communication, promoting openness, active listening, and clarity in the transmission of information.
- Strengthen teamwork, collaboration, and synergy among members.
- Create opportunities for leadership skill development.
- Promote cohesion and a sense of belonging within the team.
- Improve performance and productivity in day-to-day activities.
- Fostering a positive work environment and boosting motivation to increase talent retention.
The best team-building activity ideas
There is a wide variety of activities that can be adapted to the different profiles, needs and objectives of each team. Here are some ideas for your next team building:
Team building dynamics outdoors
Team building can be a good excuse to change the environment, get out of the office and create connections with your team in a different environment, while doing activities such as:
- Gymkhana
A recreational activity that consists of forming teams and competing in a series of skill or ingenuity tests that make up a course. The gymkhana is usually carried out outdoors and can include a wide variety of challenges ranging from solving riddles and completing puzzles to overcoming physical obstacles or performing typical camp games.
This is a team building activity that is mostly focused on problem solving, communication, joint decision making, and collaboration. Its duration may vary depending on the number and complexity of the tests included, and can be adapted to both different spaces and the number of people on the team, although the phrase "the more, the merrier" certainly applies. - Sports games
A sports competition can be a great option to strengthen teamwork and collaboration, and at the same time promote a healthy and active environment within the company.
From a team sports tournament or a series of Olympics-style tests, to aquatic or adventure activities, there are many options that can be adapted to the profile of the participants.
For this type of activity, the ideal is to dedicate a morning or an afternoon in which all members of the team can participate. - Cooking contest
A MasterChef-style dynamic in which teams compete to prepare a dish within a set time limit. And the icing on the cake is that when they finish, they have the food ready to enjoy together.
You can choose a specific dish such as pizza, paella or sushi, or a specific theme such as tapas or desserts, always leaving room for the creativity and taste of the participants. In an activity like this, it is important to ensure access to the ingredients and utensils needed to carry it out.
As a team building activity, culinary activities help to promote collaboration and creativity in a relaxed and fun environment. - Volunteer activities
These activities allow teams to work together on projects that aim to generate a positive impact on their environment, creating enriching experiences that strengthen the bonds between participants and unite the team.
There are many volunteer activities that can be done in groups, but the important thing in this type of team building is that it must be aligned with the company's values, and can even be merged with its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. In this way, it helps team members identify with these values. - Escape room
These challenges are increasingly popular, in which a team has to work together to solve a series of challenges until they complete a mission that has been assigned to everyone with a set time limit.
Any resemblance this may have to a work project is not a coincidence. That is why this activity is an excellent team building option, as it helps to foster collaboration, effective communication, time and pressure management, and skill development, in a playful and fun way.
Team building dynamics inside the company
There are several team building activities that can be implemented within the office, which help to take advantage of resources and space, as well as maintain team cohesion on a daily basis. Here are some examples:
- Icebreakers to get to know each other better
As the name suggests, these are exercises that serve to break the ice between team members and help them get to know each other a little better. They are usually very simple and fun dynamics that do not take much time, and can be implemented at the beginning of a meeting or an activity in which the entire team participates.
There are a wide variety of exercises that can be used as icebreakers and that can be adapted to each group, some examples are:
– Two truths and a lie. Each team member explains three things about themselves, two are true and one is a lie, and the others must guess which one is the lie.
– Did you know that… One by one, the participants explain an anecdote or curiosity about themselves that no one on the team knows.
– Guess who. Each person writes something that defines them without the others knowing (it can be done with adjectives, hobbies, favorite movies or bands, etc.), once everyone has done it, they must guess which one corresponds to each team member. - Internal contests
A knowledge or trivia competition on topics related to the company or team, a talent contest, or the recreation of some television contest with which they are familiar, are activities that encourage participation, cohesion and teamwork.
These activities can be adapted to any number of people, and if your workplace has spaces for events, this allows you to carry them out with large groups and create a different and immersive environment for the participants, without having to leave the office. - Treasure hunt
Workspaces and everyday spaces can become the playing field for a treasure hunt. The dynamic can be very simple or complex depending on the objective, from searching for a couple of hidden objects in the space, to following a series of clues that lead you to travel through all areas of the workplace until you reach a goal.
Forming teams with members from different departments, and with different skills or areas of expertise, can help make the competition more equitable and promote cross-functional relationship and collaboration within the company. - Innovation challenge or hackathon
A hackathon is an event in which two or more teams come together to work on solving a problem collaboratively, intensively, and creatively, with the aim of achieving the proposal of an innovative idea.
Generally, a hackathon is more related to the technological, innovation, or programming sector; however, it is an activity that can be taken advantage of by teams from different sectors, as it helps to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an intense and competitive work environment, but also fun. In addition, ideally, the participating teams should be multidisciplinary and have complementary profiles, which also helps to promote interdepartmental work when applied as team building within a company. - Social events
One way to implement team building in a company's daily routine is by organizing social events and celebrations on a regular basis. A team lunch or dinner for Christmas or a special occasion for the company, secret Santa activities, drinks after work, celebrating birthdays or promotions within the team, are some examples of this.
These informal activities will promote interaction and strengthen relationships beyond the work environment.
Team cohesion during hybrid work
Fostering cohesion in a work team is an important task for any organization; however, it can be an even greater challenge for those teams that work with a hybrid model. This is because communication and collaboration can be affected by the lack of face-to-face interaction, and members may feel disconnected from their team, and even from the organization.
To develop a strategy that helps improve cohesion and strengthen relationships in a hybrid environment, it is essential to focus on establishing clear and frequent communication with the team, as well as understanding what collaborative work consists of and promoting it in both projects and day-to-day activities.
Enhancing the workspace during in-person days is a tool that can also help promote team cohesion. In this sense, coworking is a very good option to implement a hybrid model, since they usually have different types of spaces and amenities that can be used, not only on a day-to-day basis, but also to carry out team building activities within the office in an original way.
Similarly, it is highly recommended to take advantage of remote work time to carry out remote team building activities. Here we share some examples of dynamics or team building tools that can be implemented remotely:
- Virtual icebreakers
Before starting a video call meeting, you can do a brief icebreaker activity to encourage interaction and for team members to get to know each other.
On the one hand, these activities can help strengthen the relationship between members despite the distance, and at the same time help warm up the engines and spark creativity to lead a more dynamic virtual meeting. - Gamification
It is a technique that uses game elements and mechanics in non-game situations to encourage participation, motivation, and commitment from team members, using elements such as competition, achievements, rewards, and rankings.
Implementing gamification in remote team building dynamics helps strengthen relationships between team members, improve communication, and increase motivation and productivity. - Retrospective meetings
As we mentioned before, keeping communication channels open is essential to strengthen team cohesion. With this objective, retrospective meetings are a tool that allows team members to reflect, share, and seek continuous improvements.
In a remote or hybrid environment, these meetings can be even more valuable to foster collaboration, improve communication, and establish a positive and trusting environment within the team, contributing to the motivation and sense of belonging of its members.
Would you like to implement team building activities with your team but don't know where to start?
At Aticco we can help you find the ideal activity to achieve your goals, and we'll organize it for you!
Frequently asked questions about the meaning of team building
What is the objective of a team building event?
The objective of team building is to build and strengthen cohesive and productive work teams, through the promotion of effective communication skills, problem solving, joint decision making, and collaborative work. In addition, these activities also focus on the development of positive relationships and a culture of support within the team.
What are the benefits of doing team building with your co-workers?
Implementing team building activities in your work team has several significant benefits, including:
- Strengthen interpersonal relationships among team members, as it creates a conducive environment to get to know each other better and build mutual trust.
- Increases motivation and commitment to the organization, strengthening the sense of belonging and increasing talent retention.
- Promote open and effective communication within the team, which also contributes to a more effective conflict resolution in the workplace.
- Strengthen teamwork and collaboration through fun and engaging activities where participants learn to complement their strengths and skills, as well as work together towards a common goal.
- Awaken creativity and encourage participants to seek innovative solutions and explore new ways to address challenges.
- Reduces stress and helps create a positive work environment, as well as improve the emotional well-being of team members.
How can you organize a team building event?
Team building activities should be part of a long-term strategy to promote the strengthening of teamwork, collaboration, and skills development.
These are some steps you can follow to organize an activity that contributes to your team building strategy:
- Define the objectives you seek to achieve based on the needs, challenges, or areas for improvement that you have identified in your team.
- Choose the type of activity that can help you achieve your goals. Take into account the preferences, interests, and skills of the participants to find activities that are suitable for them and that they find interesting and relevant.
- Plan the event, organize the resources and materials needed to carry out the activity, and communicate the details to your team. During the event, be sure to involve all members, facilitate active participation, and promote collaboration.
- Reflect and evaluate the results together with your team. Take note of the learnings and the fulfillment of the objectives to implement new activities in your team building strategy.
