Meaning and types of team building with examples you can do

How you can develop and implement team building within your company

1. Identify the team's needs The first thing to do is to detect what challenges or issues your team is currently facing and what specific needs or improvement points you would like to work on. This will help you define the right approach and team building activities to achieve your objectives.
2. Plan the activities Once the objectives have been outlined, determine which activity is appropriate and 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 to your team the objectives and the importance of participating in team building.
3. Carry out the team building Clearly explain the activities and their objective to the team, and designate a facilitator or leader to be in charge of guiding and moderating the dynamics. It is important that all team members feel involved and create an environment that encourages participation, learning and reflection.
4. Reflection and feedback After each team building activity, take time for team members to share their experiences, learnings and observations. Evaluate the results against the objectives you set and note opportunities for improvement for future activities.
5. Integration into the corporate culture As mentioned above, team building should not be a one-time event, but should be part of an ongoing strategy integrated into the organization's goals and culture. Incorporate team building principles and activities into your day-to-day work and encourage your team to come up with ideas to improve collaboration within the company.

What is team building for and what are its main uses?

• Improve internal communicationpromoting openness, active listening and clarity in the transmission of information.
• Strengthen teamworkcollaboration and synergy among members.
• Create opportunities for leadership leadership skills development.
• Encourage cohesion and sense of belonging within the team.
• Improve performance and productivity on a daily basis.
• Foster a positive work environment and boost motivation to increase talent retention.

The best ideas for activities to promote team building

Outdoor team building dynamics

• Gymkhana A recreational activity that consists of forming teams and competing in a series of tests of skill or ingenuity that make up a course. The gymkhana usually takes place outdoors and can include a wide variety of challenges ranging from solving riddles and completing puzzles, to overcoming physical obstacles or playing typical camp games. This is a team building activity that is mostly focused on problem solving, communication, joint decision making and collaboration. Its duration can vary depending on the number and complexity of the tests included, and it can be adapted to different spaces and the number of people in 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 foster a healthy and active environment within the company. From a team sport tournament or a series of Olympic-style events, to aquatic or adventure activities, there are many options that can be adapted to the profile of the participants. For these types of activities, the ideal is to dedicate a morning or afternoon in which all team members can participate.
• Cooking Contest A MasterChef style dynamic in which teams compete to prepare a dish within a given time limit. And the icing on the cake is that at the end they have the meal 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 guarantee access to the ingredients and utensils needed to carry it out. As a team building, culinary activities help to foster 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 volunteering activities that can be carried out in groups, but the important thing in this type of team building is that it must be aligned with the values of the company, and can even be merged with its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. In this way, it helps team members identify with these values.
• Escape room Increasingly popular are these challenges in which a team has to work together to solve a series of challenges to complete a mission that has been assigned to all of them with a certain time limit. Any resemblance this may have to project work is no 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 the development of skills in a fun and playful way.

Team building dynamics within the company

• 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 exercises that do not take a lot of time, and can be implemented at the beginning of a meeting or an activity in which the whole team participates. There is 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 is the lie. -Did you know... One by one, participants explain an anecdote or curiosity about themselves that no one on the team knows. - Guess who. Each person writes something that defines him or herself without the others knowing (this can be done with adjectives, hobbies, favorite movies or bands, etc.), and once everyone has done so, they must guess which one corresponds to each team member.
• Internal contests A knowledge or trivia competition on topics related to the company or the team, a talent contest, or the recreation of a TV game show 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 the need to leave the office.
• Treasure hunt Work and everyday spaces can become the playground for a treasure hunt. The dynamics 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 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 to make competition more equitable and encourage cross-functional relationships and collaboration within the company.
• Innovation challenge or hackathon A hackathon is an event in which two or more teams get together to work on solving a problem in a collaborative, intensive and creative way, with the aim of reaching the approach of an innovative idea. Generally, a hackathon is more related to the technology sector, innovation or programming, however, it is an activity that teams from different sectors can take advantage of, 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 the day-to-day running of a company is to organize social events and celebrations on a regular basis. A team lunch or dinner for Christmas or a special occasion for the company, Secret Santa dynamics, after-work drinks, celebrating birthdays or promotions within the team are some examples of this. These informal activities will promote interaction and the strengthening of relationships beyond the work environment.

Team cohesion during hybrid work

• Virtualicebreakers Before starting a video call meeting, you can conduct a short icebreaker activity to encourage interaction and get team members to get to know each other. On the one hand, these activities can help to strengthen the relationship between members despite the distance, and at the same time help to warm up and spark creativity for a more dynamic virtual meeting.
• Gamification Gamification is a technique that uses game elements and mechanics in non-game situations to encourage participation, motivation and commitment of team members, making use of elements such as competition, achievements, rewards and rankings. Implementing gamification in remote team building dynamics helps to strengthen relationships between team members, improve communication, as well as increase motivation and productivity.
• Retrospective meetings As mentioned earlier, keeping communication channels open is critical to strengthening team cohesion. To this end, retrospective meetings are a tool that allows team members to reflect, share and seek continuous improvement. In a remote or hybrid environment, these meetings can be even more valuable in fostering collaboration, improving communication, and establishing a positive and trusting environment within the team, contributing to team members' motivation and sense of belonging.

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 organize it for you!

Frequently asked questions about the meaning of team building

What is the purpose of a team building?

What are the benefits of team building with your co-workers?

1. Strengthens interpersonal relationships between team members, as it creates an environment conducive to getting to know each other better and building mutual trust.
2. Increases motivation and commitment to the organization to the organization, strengthening the sense of belonging and increasing talent retention.
3. Encourages open and effective communication within the team, which also contributes to more effective conflict resolution in the work environment.
4. Strengthens teamwork and collaboration through fun and playful activities where participants learn to complement their strengths and skills through fun and playful activities through which participants learn to complement their strengths and skills, as well as to work together towards a common goal.
5. Awakens creativity and encourages participants to seek innovative solutions and explore new ways of approaching challenges.
6. It reduces stress and helps create a positive work environment, as well as improving the emotional well-being of team members.

How can you organize a team building?

1. Define the objectives you seek to achieve based on the needs, challenges or areas of improvement you have detected in your team.
2. Choose the type of activity that can help you achieve your objectives. Take into account the preferences, interests and skills of the participants to find activities that are suitable, interesting and relevant to them.
3. Plan the eventOrganize the resources and materials needed to carry out the activity, and communicate the details to your team. During the event, make sure to involve all members, facilitate active participation and promote collaboration.
4. Reflect and evaluate the results together with your team. Take note of the lessons learned and the fulfillment of the objectives to implement new activities in your team building strategy.