Team building is an important part of any business because it brings employees together and reminds them why they came on board in the first place – to be a part of a team. Team-focused exercises encourage collaboration and partnership, while allowing employees to see each other in different lights and connect in different settings. Incorporating team building tactics into your company’s daily routine helps employees keep sight of what aspects are important to the corporation and what will motivate not only them but their teammates to reach a little further than they thought they could.
What Can Management Do?
It goes without saying that any positive change within a business starts at the top. When it comes to improving synergy and promoting unity amongst employees, management plays a big role in ensuring the desired outcomes are achieved.
Initial Team Building Exercises
Initial team building exercises are arguably the most important, as they allow employees to get acquainted and set the stage for what your team should come to expect during their time at the company. Initial teambuilding exercises should start with the foundation of the company: the employees. It is important to encourage initial individual engagement with employees by upper management. For instance, a few open-ended questions as identified by Front Line’s fourth module, “Teamwork and Collaboration” that could be beneficial to maximizing employee potential include:
- “What do you enjoy doing most in your job?”
- “What skills do you feel you do best?”
- “What skills would you like to develop?”
Answers to these questions can allow management to capitalize upon their employee resources from the very beginning.
Small-Scale Team Building Techniques
Small-scale team building techniques are those management can implement daily to maintain a sense of togetherness within your team. These exercises are not lengthy or time-consuming, but still allow employees to foster relationships in simple ways. The Front Line Leadership program encourages the use of the G.R.O.U.P.S. model of Team Effectiveness in our Teambuilding and Collaboration Module. G.R.O.U.P.S. stands for Goals, Roles, Open Communication, Uniform Process, Process Improvement, and Strong Accountability or Commitment. Within the program, individual teams can evaluate themselves based on this criterion following specific assessment questions and activities.
Company-Wide Initiatives
Though daily exercises are a good way to strengthen internal team bonds, larger, more in-depth exercises can provide a way to create cohesion throughout the entire company. However, as leadership, it is important to initially define these functions to ensure the overall proficiency of a larger team. If all employees on a large team are initially aware and constantly reminded of their team’s underlying purpose, clarity can be established and their progress is influenced. For instance, Front Line recognizes the variety of specific team functions. The 5 types of teams as defined by Front Line include Functional Teams, Work Team, Self-Directed Teams, Virtual Teams, and Project Teams.
At the End of The Day
Teamwork is a vital part of any project or business operation. Without everyone on the same team and working towards the same goal, a business might find itself going nowhere fast. However, a cohesive team is not built in a day. The right tools and exercises must be used to ensure that your team is a united front and is comfortable working with each other. Moreover, it’s important to realize that these effects are amplified when these activities are done regularly to ensure their effects are well ingrained within each employee.
For more information about how the Front Line Leadership Program can transform your organization or for pricing information, contact form on our contact page.