A cohesive and well-functioning team is a vital asset for any business. However, when a team becomes dysfunctional, it’s crucial to identify ways to turn it around.
One of such ways is through team-building exercises. Team-building exercises can significantly improve team performance, re-establish a harmonious environment, and recalibrate the team’s dynamics.
Often, dysfunctionality within a team emanates from poor communication, lack of trust, undefined roles, or lack of commitment.
Team-building exercises can tackle these issues head-on by focusing on fostering collaboration, developing clear communication, cultivating trust, uncovering hidden talents, and reinforcing the team’s shared goals. In this Covering the Bases post, lets have a quick look at how team building exercises can turn a dysfunctional team around.
COMMUNICATION
Team building exercises create the ideal environment for improved communication. A majority of team dysfunctions stem from poor communication; therefore, addressing this issue is paramount.
Team-building exercises such as role-playing or problem-solving activities can help in breaking down communication barriers and improving the way team members interact.
These exercises often require members to engage in open dialogue, listen actively, and express themselves clearly.
Over time, these improved communication practices become ingrained in the team culture, leading to enhanced team function and productivity.
TRUST
Trust is a fundamental element of any thriving team, and it’s no surprise that lack of trust is a core factor in dysfunctional teams.
Team building exercises aimed at trust-building such as trust falls, blindfolded direction games, or escape room challenges can help to rebuild broken trust. In-short, these exercises oblige team members to rely on each other, thereby fostering reliability, dependability, relatability and thus, building trust. The exercises enable team members to better understand each other’s capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, fortifying their collective trust.
TASK DELEGATION
Team building activities often clarify team roles and related responsibilities. Dysfunctional teams frequently struggle with role ambiguity, where team members are unsure of their tasks or objectives.
Team-building exercises like role-playing, task delegation or goal-oriented activities can help team members understand their roles better, the value they bring to the team, and how their contribution impacts the overall team performance. This reduces confusion, thereby increasing efficiency and effectiveness in the team.
In addition, team-building exercises can highlight hidden talents within a team. When a member’s skills or talents are not fully utilised or recognised, it can lead to feelings of resentment or dissatisfaction, and this can foster dysfunction within the team. Assignments within team-building exercises can uncover some unrecognised skills in teammates, which can help the team in assigning roles more effectively to maximise productivity.
PURPOSE
Team-building exercises can instil and reinforce a shared sense of purpose within the team. In a dysfunctional team, team members might not fully understand or align with the common goals. Team-building activities (even virtual), particularly those that require collective efforts towards a common objective, can remind everyone of their shared purpose. This recognition can forge a stronger bond between team members, encourage commitment, improve morale, and eventually turn the sub-optimal team around.
EXAMPLES OF TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES
- Problem-Solving Activities: These activities involve presenting a problem to the team and tasking them with finding a solution. Examples include escape rooms, brainteasers, or the popular activity ‘sink or float’ where teams have to devise a strategy to keep an object afloat.
- Role-Playing Exercises: These enable team members to empathise with different roles within the team or the organisation at large. They can also help address specific communication or behavioural issues within the team.
- Trust-Building Activities: These aim to strengthen trust between team members. They can range from simple activities like ‘two truths and a lie’, where each person shares two truths and one lie about themselves and others have to guess which is which, to more physical activities like ‘trust fall’.
- Elective Team Building: These activities give team members control over choosing their activity, such as cooking classes, sports competitions, et alia. The key here is to encourage participation and team bonding.
- Feedback Sessions: Regular feedback sessions allow team members to voice their concerns and provide suggestions. This can be through an anonymous suggestion box, online polls, or open discussions.
- Coaching and Mentoring: Mentoring schemes or coaching sessions can improve understanding amongst the team and support individual development.
- Outdoor Team Building Activities: These offer an opportunity to learn and grow together outside of the office environment. Activities may include paintball, raft building, orienteering, or team scavenger hunts.
- Skill Building Workshops: These workshops can cover a wide range of topics such as leadership, project management, negotiation skills etc. that can benefit the team as a whole.
- Philanthropic Activities: Involving the team in volunteer work or community service can boost morale and create a sense of collective accomplishment.
- Culture Workshops: These workshops can help team members better understand the organisation’s values and goals, fostering a sense of unity and common purpose.
- Peer Recognition Programs: These encourage team members to acknowledge each other’s efforts and achievements, fostering a positive working environment.
SHARED GOALS
By reinforcing shared goals, they help cultivate a culture of unity, cooperation, and mutual respect within the team, leading to better productivity and harmony. This effectiveness, however, is contingent upon consistent application of team building exercises and coupling them with managerial support, clear objectives, and feedback mechanisms to measure improvement.
Ultimately, team building exercises foster an environment that allows the team to transition from dysfunctionality to a harmonious, collaborative, and effective working group.