Team Building - In and Out of the Office
by Melanie Chambers
Team-building events are not just a chance to see Jane from the office fall off a horse into the mud. Besides rewarding the team, they’re also a great chance to work out any issues or problems in the office.“We can’t promise that employees will come out being best friends, but rather than ignore issues, ourprograms help work it out, which in turn affects the entire morale of the office,” says Murray Seward, general manager of Canadian Outback Adventures & Events.
Whether outside swinging from a treetop, battling it out over world domination in a game of wits or cooking up a storm, companies are discovering that team building is more than just a fun afternoon. It’s a way to keep your employees inspired and talking long after you’ve washed off the sweat from your brow.
Canadian Outback Adventures
Events geared towards “meeting” are growing in popularity — it’s a day to meet socially and understand the other person at the end of the line, or computer. “Because of email sometimes people that work together might not even talk on the phone anymore,” says Seward.
With more and more satellite offices and multiple branches, fellow employees might never interact. “You might know nothing about them…there’s no emotion.”
Capitalizing on the popular show Survivor, Corporate Castaway asks employees to simulate survivor-like scenarios for up to three hours. “It reminds me of sports day in school and it’s very entertaining — you get to know people in a different way.”
Everyone is a foodie these days so culinary events are popular. Cooking classes used to be popular with small groups, but now teams can duel it out making themed cakes in events such as Cake Boss: if your company works in the automotive industry you might be creating big truck cakes to giant tires.
Another popular team builder is philanthropic events such as building bikes or creating reading centres for kids. The Apprentice program breaks employees into teams where they must build and decorate a bike and give a presentation — often children come to take part in the ceremony.
Seward adds that during the economic recession companies held back from team builders — now they’re back with a vengeance: “Employers really want to hold on to their employees, and this is one of the tools to keep them happy.”
www.canadianoutback.com
Eagle’s Flight
Instead of taking employees out of the office, Eagle’s Flight uses a game-like approach in a corporate boardroom, or other office setting, to create an “aha” moment that is transferable to the “real” office.
Using experiential learning games, employees can see how their actions affect others: “It creates a level of awareness that when you behave a certain way it has an effect on others,” says Michael Torrie, vice-president of business development for Eagle’s Flight of America, Inc.
The company has dozens of programs, all tailored for specific workplace issues. For example, if you’re having problems coping with tough economic times, then Gold of the Desert Kings™ might be your game. Or, if you’re hoping to hit a certain goal or target, then Council of the Marble Star™ is a game to get your team on the right path.
One of the most popular games is called Promises, Promises™. Teams of up to five are politicians of countries around the world. The teams must manage the food, wealth and resources of their country. “They need to negotiate and keep deadlines — and if they don’t fulfill their promises, not only do they not get re-elected, they are disgraced within their country.” Ultimately, the 10 countries must strive to be one united league of nations. It’s a game aimed to build trust.
Scandals pop up and there’s plenty of drama, but this experience aims to create more trust in the
players — something they can take back to the office.
www.eaglesflight.com
Outward Bound
When you hear the name Outward Bound, one typically thinks of kids’ outdoor adventure programs. While corporate programs are something they are tweaking and developing, they offer programs that
get people out of their comfort zone in an attempt to help improve trust and communication in a company.
Naturally, this is done outside, an unfamiliar place for many. After meeting with a director, companies can either develop a fun outdoor activity or they may realize they want to iron out some issues within the company, such as changes in the company, or improving low morale.
“We can develop a program based on what the company needs,” says Sarah Wiley, executive director of Outward Bound.
In a traditional, and often telling adventure, borrowed from sailors who had to scale tall ship walls during rescues, a team must scale a 14-foot wall using only the help of the team — and everyone must go over to complete the task.
Another popular program, called the Electric Maze, has teams working their way through a grid and finding a pattern to get to the end; sometimes they step on a buzzer and must start over, and sometimes the pattern changes. “And people often get frustrated.” But Wiley adds it’s integral
to reflect on those frustrations at the end of the adventure: “How do you take what you learned and relate that back to your organization?”
Most of the corporate events are daylong programs, something Wiley says should be longer. “I think you really start to experience and feel change after days or a week, but we try to make the day
events intense.” This is a trend that all teambuilding companies see: employees are reluctant to give up their time and leave the office; therefore, most team builders are typically a few hours long for many companies.
www.outwardbound.ca
