Team-Building Exercises

Planning activities that actually work

You've probably been involved in a team-building exercise at some point. Perhaps it was a
weekend retreat, or an afternoon at the climbing gym learning to rely on one another, or a day on
the golf course getting to know everyone.

But, whether or not you and your colleagues enjoyed the experience, what happened when your
team members returned to the office? Did they go back to their usual behavior – perhaps arguing
over small assignments, or refusing to cooperate with each other? The 'day of fun' may have been
a nice break from business, but did they actually use any of the lessons learned during the
exercise once they were back in the workplace?

Too often, managers plan an activity with no real thought or goal in mind. This tends to be a
waste of time – and managers risk losing the team's respect when they plan an exercise that
doesn't actually help those involved.

Team-building exercises can be a powerful way to unite a group, develop strengths, and address
weaknesses – but only if the exercises are planned and carried out strategically. In other words,
there has to be a real purpose behind your decision to do the exercise – for example, improving
the team's problem-solving or creativity skills – rather than because you felt like giving your
staff a nice day out of the office.

This article shows you what to consider when planning a team event, and we offer a variety of
exercises to address different issues that teams commonly face.

Team Building that Actually Builds Teams

The most important step when planning a team-building exercise comes at the very beginning:
You must start by figuring out what challenges your team faces. Only then can you choose
exercises that will be effective in helping them work through these issues.

Spend time thinking about your team's current strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself these
questions to identify the root of any problems:

 Are there conflicts between certain people – creating divisions within the team?
 Do team members need to get to know one another?
 Do some members focus on their own success, and harm the group as a result?
 Does poor communication slow the group's progress?
 Do people need to learn how to work together, instead of individually?
 Are some members resistant to change, and does this affect the group's ability to move
forward?
 Do members of the group need a boost to their morale?
If you'd like to test how well you and your team work together, try our Team Effectiveness
Assessment. Once you've identified the causes of your team's issues, you can plan exercises that
will address these problems. This will help your team to derive real benefit from the event – and
feel that it was worth their while.

Examples of Team-Building Exercises

There are literally hundreds of team-building exercises that address a wide range of issues.
We've separated just a few basic, straightforward examples into sections that focus on the most
common challenges for teams.

If you'd like to learn more about team building, read our Bite-Sized Training session on Team
Building. We'll also be creating some more in-depth team-building resources for you during
2009, so look out for those.

Here are come basic exercises you could try, if you're faced with issues of communication,
stereotyping, or trust in your team.

 Improving Communication

 Back-to-back drawing – Divide your group into pairs, and have each pair sit on
the floor back to back. Give one person in each pair a picture of a shape, and give
the other person a pencil and pad of paper.

Ask the people holding the pictures to give verbal instructions to their partners on
how to draw the shape – without actually telling the partners what the shape is.
After they've finished, ask each pair to compare their original shape with the
actual drawing, and consider the following questions:
 How well did the first person describe the shape?
 How well did the second person interpret the instructions?
 Were there problems with both the sending and receiving parts of the
communication process?

 Survival scenario – This exercise forces your group to communicate and agree to
ensure their 'survival.' Tell your group that their airplane has just crashed in the
ocean. There's a desert island nearby, and there's room on the lifeboat for every
person – plus 12 items they'll need to survive on the island. Instruct the team to
choose which items they want to take. How do they decide? How do they rank or
rate each item?
 Eliminating Stereotypes and 'Labeling'

 Stereotype party – This is a fun exercise for a medium-sized or large group. Write
on nametags many different 'personality types (see the list below), and pin or tape
one tag to each person's back. Don't show people which tag is on their back –
they'll be able to see everyone else's tag, but not their own.

Now, ask each person to figure out which personality type is on his or her back by
asking questions to other people – “Am I a man?” “Am I an athlete?” “Am I an
entertainer?” and so on.

Allow group members to answer only yes or no, and encourage participants to ask
questions to as many different people as possible.

Here are some personality types you could consider:

 Auto mechanic.
 Olympic medalist.
 Professor.
 Fast-food restaurant worker.
 Postal worker.
 Movie star.

 Building Interdependence and Trust

 Human spring – Ask group members to stand facing each other in pairs. Their
elbows should be bent, with their palms facing toward each other. Instruct them to
touch their palms together, and gradually start leaning toward each other, so that
they eventually hold each other up. Then, instruct everyone to move their feet
further and further back, so that they have to depend solely upon their partners to
remain standing.
 Mine field – This is a great exercise if you have a large room or outdoor field. Set
up a 'mine field' using chairs, balls, cones, boxes, or any other object that could
potentially be an obstacle and trip someone up. Leave enough space between the
objects for someone to walk through.

Next, divide your group into pairs. Pay attention to who you match with whom.
This is a perfect opportunity to work on relationships, so you might want to put
together people who have trust issues with each other.

Blindfold one person, the 'mine walker' – this person is not allowed to talk. Ask
his or her partner to stay outside the mine field, and give verbal directions,
helping the mine walker avoid the obstacles, and reach the other side of the area.
 Before you begin, allow partners a few minutes to plan how they'll communicate.
Then, make sure there are consequences when people hit an obstacle. For
example, perhaps they have to start again from the beginning.

What Not to Do
If you were a marathon runner, would you train just a few times a year for your next race? Of
course not. You would run every day. Why? Because only through regular, continuous training
and exercise would you have a chance at winning.

Team building works on the same principle. Most managers plan one or two events per year, and
that's it. There's rarely any regular 'training' or follow-up, and this can hold back the group's
long-term success.

Effective team building needs to happen continuously if you want your group to be successful. It
needs to be part of the corporate culture.

If you lead a group, aim to incorporate team-building exercises into your weekly or monthly
routine. This will help everyone address their different issues, and it will give them a chance to
have fun, and learn to trust one another – more than just once or twice a year.

Finally, make sure that your team-building exercises aren't competitive. Think about it –
competition can make one person or team work against another. This probably isn't a good way
to build team spirit and unity. More likely, it's a way to divide a group.

Many companies use sports for team-building activities. Yes, baseball and soccer can be fun, and
some people will enjoy it. But these activities can do far more harm than good if they focus just
on competing. Plan an event that makes people truly depend on others to succeed, and stay away
from competition and 'winning.'

Key Points
For team building to be effective, leaders must first identify the issues their group is facing. Then
they can plan activities to address these challenges directly – and make sure that the team will
actually gain some benefits from the event. Keep competition out of the exercises, and aim to
make team building part of the daily corporate culture, instead of a once-a-year event.

Editors' Choice Article:

The Thrifty Manager
Cutting Costs the Smart Way

Your boss has just asked you to cut 10% from your department's budget, starting immediately.

Easier said than done, right? There are smart ways to

 
trim your costs.
As you carefully study your expenditures, you're faced with a seemingly impossible ©iStockphoto/
 
task. How do you decide what to cut? Where can you save the most money without bluestocking
hurting team morale, or lowering people's productivity? Should you eliminate coffee and morning donuts,
or cut back on office supplies?

Most organizations have to cut costs at some point. In today's economic climate, it's more important than
ever for businesses to watch their budgets, and to make sure they eliminate any unnecessary spending.

When cost-cutting is down to you, however, it can be difficult to know where to start. Cutting the right
things at the right time is a delicate balancing act.

In this article, we look at some easy ways to cut your budget, and offer some suggestions to get you
started.

Where to Start - Doing the Easy Things

Once you sit down with your budget, there's a chance you might feel overwhelmed. While your team
might not need everything that's on the list, some items - like company vehicles or holiday parties are nice
to have.

If that's the case, where do you begin?

 Establish the essentials: It's important to identify the things your department absolutely cannot
live without. Every business is different, of course, so necessary expenditures for one company
aren't always essential for another.

 Identify the 'luxuries': Once you create the list of things you can't live without, look at what's left.
Some of these are probably luxury items; expenses that aren't absolutely necessary, and could
easily be cut - for example, fresh flowers in the reception area.

 Review your 'maybe' items: These are the things you're not so sure about. When you look at
these less obvious expenditures, assess the costs against the tangible and intangible benefits of
these items.

A good example might be your department's networking parties. They're fun and useful, but you
might at first think that you could cut them. However, when you socialize with valuable contacts
during these events, they often lead to referrals and sales. You'll therefore have to judge whether
these parties are a necessity or a luxury. If you expect to gain more in sales than you spend, then
it may be worth keeping parties in the budget.

Another example could be office supplies. For instance, your team might use large amounts of
paper. Perhaps your company buys top-quality, expensive paper, but is this necessary? Of
course, you use these items to do your work, but you could save by buying a more economical
brand of paper.

Practical Budget Advice

Cutting costs is never easy, but here are some practical tips you can apply when trimming your budget:

 Cross-train your staff: Many companies hire temporary workers when regular staff are sick or
on vacation. But, if several members of your team are cross-trained - where they learn the skills
 of a job function different to their own - perhaps they can cover those duties, in short shifts, in
addition to their regular workload.

 Focus on efficiency: For instance, if several of your team members spend valuable time every
week or month writing a report, determine whether this is really necessary. Could they spend that
time on something that's more valuable? Does another team in another department create a
similar report, and could you combine efforts to save time? Another benefit here is that if your
team members are working more efficiently, you may be able to cut back on overtime payments.

 Cut back on the work you do: Taking this further, look at the work your team does, and ask
whether you need to do everything that you do. Do your 'customers' still want each and every
report you produce, and each and every service that you provide? Trimming the work you do will
reduce your reliance on temporary staff and overtime.

 Negotiate with your suppliers: You may be able to secure discounts for early payment, or
large-quantity purchases of items that your team uses regularly. Explore special deals to see
where you can save.

 Buy less expensive equipment and vehicles: If you're about to replace your car or truck fleet,
consider purchasing less costly and more fuel-efficient models. The same goes for office
equipment: used printers and fax machines are often available for a fraction of what you'd pay for
new ones. Also, consider sharing these resources, and costs, with another department within
your organization.

 Make telephone calls over the Internet: Software such as Skype allows you to make and
receive telephone calls on the Internet. As long as the person you're calling has Skype too, these
calls are free. This can therefore help you to save on telephone costs.

 Investigate videoconferencing or teleconferencing: If your team travels a lot for meetings,

explore the costs of setting up videoconferencing or using teleconferencing instead (again, Skype
offers good teleconferencing facilities). This can help you save on travel costs.

 Use less costly supplies, and use fewer of them: Cutting your team's morning coffee might
cause some bad feelings. Instead, why not use ceramic mugs, and stop paying for paper cups
that get thrown away? If you currently buy an expensive brand of coffee, switch to one that's more
economical. And how much energy can you save by turning off computers and lights at night
time?

 Get bids on all of your services: You might be surprised at how much you can save by
shopping around for the best prices on everything from shipping to office supplies.

 Cut back on magazine subscriptions: Your office or department might subscribe to industry or
trade journals. These can be valuable resources for keeping your team up to date on trends and
best practice, but make sure you carefully evaluate the costs against the rewards. Several team
members may be able to share one subscription, and many publications offer digital versions for
a reduced price.

Communicate With Your Team

If you're forced to start making cutbacks, tell your team what's going on. While no one wants to feel like
they're with a company that's having financial problems, everyone knows that times are hard, and they
probably don't want information kept from them. As far as you can, let your staff know what's happening,
and why.

It's also important to realize that your team members are a valuable resource. They could have some
really creative ideas for ways to cut costs. After all, they're the ones out there working every day. They
might know of practices or expenditures that could easily be cut for the entire company - and you could
ask them to come up with their own suggestions.

And, ask your team to examine where they might cut costs in their own daily routines. This could help
empower them, and make them feel involved - even in a small way - in the decision-making process.

Key Points

Many people immediately think of layoffs when they hear about corporate cost-cutting. However, your
people are your most valuable assets. Aim to cross-train, cut back on non-essential work, and reduce
costs in supplies and business systems before you reduce your staff. Focus on making your department
more efficient. And remember that even savings on small things, like turning off computers at night, can
help reduce costs.

A Final Note from James

While cost-cutting is never enjoyable, I hope this article has shown you some proactive and constructive
ways to help ease the process.

Our featured resources in two weeks' time focus on helping you become a better public speaker. Take
our 'How good are your presentation skills?' quiz, and discover how the technique of 'centering' can help
you bring your nerves under control when presenting.

Best wishes for a truly excellent week!

James Manktelow

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