Those Team Building Exercises Could Damage Your Workplace

Paintballing with your colleagues or indoor ‘rock climbing’ on work time might sound fun - but according to a recent article in Forbes magazine, such team building pursuits can actually harm workplace relations.

In the article, US leadership expert Andrew Cave cites a new book by Kate Mercer, co-founder of the UK’s Leaders Lab consultancy.

Entitled A Buzz In the Building: How to Build and Lead a Brilliant Organisation, the book covers a range of areas - with one of them focusing on the effectiveness and usefulness of office team building exercises.

Cave explains how in the book, Mercer questions whether any of these team building exercises actually work – and how after significant research, the answer is often that they do not.

Of course, the aim of such exercises is obvious – they are all about human endurance and the use of group activities to lift morale and foster a team spirit.

However, Mercer says there are four main reasons why team-building exercises often fail:

1. The Learning Gap

 According to Mercer, there is a large learning gap between doing outdoor or team-building activities with your colleagues, and working with them back at the office.

Mercer admits there are some useful lessons to be learnt, but in general this does not occur - as it is particularly difficult (without skilled facilitation) for that learning to be applied back in the workplace.

2. The ‘Embarrassment’ Factor

 Many people dislike being the centre of attention in role-playing or other team-building activities. This could be because they are unfit, lack confidence, or are simply not sociable enough.

Also, some people fear they will be embarrassed or even humiliated at these events, according to Mercer. She also asserts that some team-building exercises actually increase the distance between workers and their colleagues or employer – instead of bringing them together.

 3. Making employees feel patronised

Some employers risk patronising their team members by assuming they need such exercises to motivate them to do a great job. Indeed, by forcing employees to take part in such activities, they run the risk of putting them ‘offside’ - thus creating division between management and staff; rather than building the closer ties they are hoping for.

4. Confusion Between Socialising and Team-Building

 Forcing employees to socialise with people they would rather simply see as colleagues can create hostility, not togetherness, says Mercer. It can also produce tensions that prevent teams working well for both customers and stakeholders. Instead, she says, the best team-building activities are those that firms should be promoting anyway - such as devising new strategies for the future, or clarifying employee roles and accountability. Mercer argues this more pragmatic approach not only allows teams to bond - but also ensures more real work is done.

 In her book, Mercer asserts that by working together on real tasks, employees take part in ‘experiential learning’.

This, she says, is a proven way for mature adults to learn new skills and behaviour effectively.

And although Mercer encourages social events at work, she does so only with a strong emphasis on voluntary participation.

Mercer maintains there is nothing worse than being ‘forced’ to be sociable - especially if your job is on the line.

In other words, you may have an obligation to work effectively with your colleagues - but it should never be compulsory to socialise with them too.