Team Building OR Silo Building through Groupings

(When Team Building workshops actually end up being Silo Builders!!!)

In the recent past, I observed a Team Building session very closely as a participant. We were put into groups and for the whole day we played many high-energy games as small groups competing with other groups.

We had a lot of fun, played well, won some, lost some. In one game, the need was was lesser number of players and therefore a few of us got just neglected to the side-lines.

Brass tack - I couldn't even connect well to the people who were part of my team - meaning, I don't remember any of them, forget knowing and networking with them.

15 odd years back, one of the Senior Leaders @ Unilever for whom I was creating a team-bonding workshop for his global team meeting in India, clearly gave me one desired outcome above all - he wanted to be part of different teams in each activity / game and similarly wanted his global team-members to always be with different colleagues every time they are clubbed together into a team for an activity.

And that's what we did with the 60 Managers that were there with us for a day!

Since then our core element in our Team Building workshops is the mix i.e. groupings.

Can each person end up meeting, interacting, working & networking with their other colleagues in the room?

Yes surely, and how?

We do this with the customized Name Tag that is handed over to each delegate (see pic).

When we ask teams to come as per the animals in their card i.e. the tigers, elephants, deer's etc. move to their respective work groups. In the next activity we may ask teams to merge as per the colours and they move again. Then it could be shapes, nos. or alphabets and so on.

Every time they move into a new group, they will meet & work with new members (only once or twice it is possible that 2 people may come together again in the whole day).

The fun of all this is that a delegate works and experiences different folks every time when the activity / game changes. And if time permits we give them additional time to unravel themselves in their small work groups before each activity.

Last week we did a Team Building workshop and we once again used this design. Folks appreciated that they got a chance to meet and work with different members, Managers & the Leader (Pic of our design as #sketchnote / #flipnote).

Remember, Team Building works well if the participants can connect with each other at deeper levels and carry their insights about colleagues back into the workplace.

CONNCECTIONS or just FUN!!! Take a call.