Six Steps to Team Success - Maximising the ROI from Your Teambulding
by Sharon Feltham
Each year organizations invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in team building, where some claim transformation others report little change and poor results. It’s unsurprising then that many employees react with cynicism when their trusty leader announces it’s time for the team to build and bond
What exactly is teambuilding?
The term teambuilding is used to describe so many different activities it can include almost anything from the long-term process of structured team development, to pounding the boss with paintballs to an extended lunch at the pub. No wonder results vary.
Effective teambuilding however, involves a deliberate and planned intervention that improves the team’s performance by strengthening its relationships and systems. By keeping this in mind and by addressing each of the points below, leaders can avoid the pitfalls to increase the returns from their teambuilding investment.
1. Define the Teams Performance Needs
A thorough gap analysis enables the design and selection of the most effective teambuilding strategies so it's important to clearly identify where the team is now and where it needs to be. Identify and prioritize the issues and obstacles, and the systems and skills that need to be developed. Involve the team in this assessment as it builds awareness and ownership, and the exercise can positively influence the team.
If you don’t have the resources to do this or if you’re dealing with a particularly challenging team then consider engaging an independent consultant.
2. Determine the Purpose
Use the results of your needs assessment to determine and prioritize the objectives of your team building. For example will the team building event focus on:
Improving and strengthening the team’s dynamics, climate and culture, or
Establishing or improving team structures, systems and processes, or
Are you using team building to recognize the team’s achievements?
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Team Dynamics
Culture & Climate |
Team Design
Structure, System, Processes |
Team Reward
Recognition & Celebration |
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Interventions that help long term behaviour change resulting in effective relationships and a more productive culture
Clarifying expectations,
Strengthening interpersonal relationships and communication
Understanding strengths, weaknesses, experience and styles,
Understanding and meeting individual needs and values,
Understanding and meeting organizational needs and values
Surfacing problems and agendas
Building and repairing trust and relationships
Transition and handling change
Strengthening cohesion, collaboration and participation
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Interventions that help establish and improve systems resulting in effective performance
Team Purpose: Mission, Vision and Values
Team Structure: Organization, interdependencies, boundaries, size, membership, competencies, roles and responsibilities
Team Systems: Leadership, strategy, planning and goal setting
Communication internal and external
Problem solving decision making
Meeting Management
Measurement and Evaluation
Dealing with problem members and ineffective behaviour
Reward and Recognition
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Activities that value individuals, recognise contribution and reward achievement
Celebration of progress and achievement
Reward and recognition for performance
Social interaction. Investing in relationships. Simply having fun.
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While these areas are interconnected (often one factor will positively influence another) it’s unwise and unrealistic to incorporate too many into one programme. Focus on a few, do them well, and establish the new or improved practices with the team before moving onto the next
3. Differentiate between Recognition and Performance Improvement
Fun teambuilding events, which are designed to reward the team, let the team know they are valued and their efforts appreciated. It’s important to invest time in building relationships through social interaction too so do allow time for team building of this nature. However, no amount of social interaction or team "trust falls" will produce sustained improvements where issues exist with the team’s leadership, design or dynamics. Just because we worked well once as team suspended 50ft in the air doesn’t guarantee we will come Monday when systems crash, calls spike and phone lines jam. Teams return to the same environment with little insight, agreement or the skills to make the necessary improvements to their system.
4. Increase Insight to Improve Performance
Select consultants and programmes that involve action learning to generate individual and collective insight. This doesn’t mean you need ropes, a cliff or a kayak. Meaningful insight occurs with less adventurous and expensive activities as long as effective debriefing supports it. Debriefing is the key to deep team learning so ensure your team building dedicates time to thoroughly debriefing activities and exercises.
5. Follow Up and Follow Through
Even well considered and structured team building events fuel cynicism when the team fails to follow through. Raised expectations go unmet, little changes, cynicism and resistance deepen, morale and performance plummet. The team building “buzz” fades and it’s back to (bad) business as usual.
To avoid this ensure your team building produces a record of the team’s learning. This record and most importantly, the team’s action plan are the tools the team needs to implement new skills, great ideas and agreements. They are far more powerful than teambuilding tales and anecdotes. They help to keep the team on track so the buzz lasts much longer.
6. Team Building is Not the Silver Bullet
Recognise that teambuilding events are a useful tool but they're only part of the solution. However, by investing time upfront in analysis and planning you will improve your results significantly. When poorly conceived, designed and executed team building will deliver a big dent in your budget for llittle more than a short-lived blip in morale.
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