Why team building activities are a useful tool for leaders
The term ‘team building’ has become something of a buzzword, encompassing everything from strategic away days to staff nights out. But at its core, team building activities are a useful tool for leaders and can be broadly defined as any activity that entertains, motivates and challenges staff, while also having the positive side effect of improving skills. related to collaboration.
Over four decades of research, organisational behaviour pioneer J. Richard Hackman discovered that good teamwork isn’t about the personalities, behaviours and attitudes of individual team members. Instead, it relies on certain “enabling conditions”; factors such as a supportive environment and a strong team structure geared toward promoting positive dynamics.
In other words, it doesn’t matter who you have on your team, collaboration can thrive given the right conditions. Team-building activities can be an effective way to achieve these conditions.
Even if the objective of your team-building day is simply to get out of the office and have fun by bringing people together and out of their comfort zone, you can help to sow the seeds for better collaboration down the line. This, in turn, can be a major motivator for your staff.
