???Why Team Building???

Teams: Why they succeed

Team experiences can be exhilarating. There is a bond formed when working with others and being mutually involved with searching for possible solutions rather than feeling alone and overwhelmed. There is the caring and closeness that develops among team members that know each other, as they never did before. There is the insight of listening to someone and suddenly understanding yourself. There is the wonder of watching people decide to change. There is the joy of experiencing the click when finding the right solution. There is the shared pleasure of achieving a common goal. Once there are successful encounters like this, the positive team behavior will continue.

Teams: Why they don’t succeed

Working in groups can make some people feel uncomfortable. In a group, you don’t get your own way. You must defer to others at least some of the time. Discussions can be confusing, individual differences can explode to produce heightened conflict. Additionally, fear may be intensified by group dynamics – fear of appearing foolish or regarded as low status, fears of being scapegoated or being dumped on, fears of not fitting in or being an outcast, and fears about outcomes. There is also some sense of loss of control. Lastly, most of us have difficulty working with teams because we don’t know how to work well with others and this inexperience promotes avoidance.

Why Team  Building: Team building programs brings people together by encouraging collaboration and teamwork. Fun activities that help people see each other in a different light allow them to connect in a different setting. People on your team are asked to think about the implications of these activities at their workplace. Additional reasons why you should be invest in team building for your organization.

Communication. Good communication is vital for a high performing team. Team building can help break down barriers in communication and also how to better utilize both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.Whether it’s on the athletic field or workplace, much of our communication is routinized, often masking some of the deeper issues with the way we communicate. Team building activities an bring certain shortcomings into sharp relief, especially when the challenge at hand is different from what we encounter in an office day-to-day, and when our only mode of communication is verbal. Post activity debriefs are a great way to learn what communication style does and doesn’t work within a group.

Teamwork. While we all know that we’re technically a part of a “team” at work, in that we’re essentially all working towards a common goal. You’re not just a team in this situation because you work together, but rather it will take all of the team’s members and their unique skills to work together to complete the given challenge correctly and on-time. This is a great way to get to know people’s work styles and strengths better, and building positive connections.

Building Trust. Trust is a tricky thing; something typically earned rather than given implicitly, and often it can take a long time and a number of interactions, both big and small, to build it. This is why team building exercises are such a great way to build trust. They essentially condense this process into a few hours of intensive, trust-building activities. This can be hugely beneficial to newly formed teams, cross-functional groups who don’t regularly rely on each other. Trust fosters collaboration and is a huge contributor to  team satisfaction.  Through the tasks and exercises in a team building program, participants will learn more about each other.

New-found skills & talents. An incredibly interesting and often overlooked benefit of team building programs are their ability to reveal hidden skills or bring latent talents to the surface. By having groups participate in a variety of very different types of challenges, team members often display new talents to their peers like leadership skills, strategic prowess, and consensus building.

Risk Taking/Creativity. Attaining some fresh perspective can be really helpful in getting the creative wheels turning again; and by taking on some engaging new challenges during a day of team building, you can often regain a fresh take on things. This is not to mention, of course, the benefits of getting outside to rejuvenate the mind.

Having fun & celebrating. At the heart of every good event is a sense of fun and excitement. They’re a way to have a few laughs, blow off some steam, and get your mind off of the routine things that occupy your day-to-day. For this reason, it’s also an excellent way to celebrate and build morale.

So the next time you consider team building, think about the additional benefits that come with the more entertaining elements. Motivational team training workshops that use experiential activities are proven to be the single most effective way to increasing success and group effort, whether it is for your classroom, your business or your athletes. TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES are an effective way to reduce stress, improve attitudes and get your group to learn how to work together toward team goals.

At OPA Winning Teams customizing our Team Building workshops is what we do best. Whether your program is a half-day, full day, or a multi-day program each program is custom designed for the key issues and the group dynamics of each team. The result: enhanced interpersonal relationships; accelerated results; and positive change. To learn more about how Optimal Performance Associates can support your team building needs, feel free call us at 1-888-868-3380 or visit our website at www.opawinningteams.com.