Trust, Integrity, and Empathy are the pillars of building a highly collaborative and productive team culture. When team members trust each other and their employer, they are more likely to align with the organization’s vision and mission. While there are many ways to build trust and integrity, organizing team-building activities for work is one of the best ways.
Team building activities not only build trust but also help build a positive organizational culture. They are also killer armors to team and workplace challenges like microaggression, conflict,….. Organizations that have been proactive in team-building initiatives during the pandemic have successfully built versatile and productive teams. For example, during and post-pandemic corporate team building games in Singapore experienced higher demand than usual as employee morale was low. However, team building is not a one-time exercise; it needs consistent efforts to be effective, especially for virtual team building activities. If well-organized, team-building activities are the best employee retention strategy too.
Here are 5 ways in which corporate team-building activities should be organized to help in building trust and integrity in the team:
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Build Personal Bonds
One of the foremost aspects of building a trustworthy team is cultivating personal bonds. Research shows that team members are more likely to trust each other when they develop a connection. Organizing team-building activities that help build personal bonds is a great way to build trust, integrity, and empathy between team members. These activities help team members build memories that help develop empathy toward each other. Some examples of activities that help build personal bonds are outdoor fun activities, mystery games, scavenger hunts, etc.
Improve Communication In The Team
Cohesive teams cannot exist without effective communication. People often misunderstand that team communication is limited to formal communication. For example, we only use email or other collaboration channels used by team members. However, team communication includes informal interpersonal interactions and the listening skills of team members. Even a sign of good morning in sign language can trigger positive emotions among colleagues.
To build trust and integrity between team members, companies must organize team-building activities to improve communication in the team. Trust is an effective strategy to retain your talents. Team members should be able to communicate their opinions, and ideas or share feedback without feeling vulnerable. Some examples of activities that improve communication in the team are solving mysteries, ice-breakers, memory or story games, etc. Don’t hesitate to come up with ‘out of the box meeting ideas’.
Nurture Transformational Leadership And Decision Making
Transformational leaders inspire employees like no other. They empathize with team members, empower them to deliver their best, and acknowledge teamwork. Team building activities can be organized to nurture transformational leadership and decision-making skills.
The activities also allow executives to interact with team members in doing so. Examples of activities that nurture leadership skills are escape rooms, adventures, scavenger hunts, mystery games, etc. Outdoor activities are better than indoor activities for nurturing leadership and decision-making skills.
Focus On Conflict Resolution And Management
As teams contain people with different mindsets, it is inevitable to have differences of opinion or disagreements. Sometimes team members can navigate these disagreements and make decisions that are oriented towards achieving the organization’s vision.
At other times, these disagreements might escalate into conflicts that impact the productivity of team members. Conflict needs to be identified and resolved as early as possible to avoid groupthink and team silos. Team building activities are an effective conflict resolution strategy. They help in understanding each other’s point of view and disagreeing amicably. They are also a great way to get back together after a rough patch. Some examples of effective conflict resolution activities are debates, group discussions, board games, etc. Indoor activities are better for conflict resolution rather than outdoor activities.
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Recognize, Reward, And Appreciate Team Members
When team members are recognized for their efforts, they feel a sense of security and belonging. While team efforts need to be prioritized while celebrating accomplishments, not acknowledging individual contributions will lead to a toxic culture. Organizations can leverage team-building activities for work to celebrate individual and team milestones. This not only builds trust but also improves collaboration between team members. As they celebrate accomplishments together, they are also motivated to achieve further. Lunch parties, movie nights, cooking days, camping, adventure, etc., are great ways to celebrate team accomplishments.
Before You Go – Team-Building Activities For Work
There you have it, the 5 things every organizer can follow for fail-proof team-building activities. Team building is a must to keep the members connected and feel like being part of a team. And the rules apply to everyone, even for team-building activities for work, which requires careful planning and a clear timeline.
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