Teamwork

Team building is the process of enabling teamwork to happen. An effective team doesn't build itself. As a business person, you need to intervene. The concept of team work and team building has spread from the world of sports where it is well known and accepted, to business, so much so that it is in danger of being considered by some as an empty buzzword, or a form of corporate-speak. Some things cannot be accomplished by people working individually. Larger, ambitious goals usually require that people work together with other people as a team. Building and working as a team makes it easier to accomplish goals. Anyone who has ever been to a job interview will probably be asked what the concept of teamwork means to them (if you are going to an interview, our corporate team building articles may be of help to you). Companies today want people who are team players, people who are able to get along with their colleagues and work together in a cohesive group. Because teamwork is the desired goal of many corporate organisations today, they will often go to the effort of coordinating team building events in an attempt to motivate people to work as a team. Team building is big business.

Employers realise that valuing their employees will get the best out of them, as individuals and as a team. Corporate motivational events, sometimes lasting for several days or over a weekend, are not uncommon. At conferences, delegates can become stale. A short motivational event can refresh them, and they will remember the conference in a positive light.

Skills Needed For Teamwork

Team building needs these essential communication skills:

1. Listening - it is important to listen to other people's ideas. When people are allow to freely express their ideas, these initial ideas will produce other ideas within the team, building on the original idea.
2. Questioning - it is important to ask questions, interact, and discuss the objectives of the team, building the final solution.
3. Persuading
4. Respecting
5. Helping - it is crucial to help one's coworkers, which is the general theme of teamwork.
6. Sharing - it is important to share with the team to build an environment of teamwork.
7. Participating - all members of the team are encouraged to participate in the team, building on the strengths.

Team Building

The forming-storming-norming-performing model takes the team through four stages of team building. In the first phase, the team building takes place. The team meets and learns about the opportunity, agrees on goals and on the resources necessary to tackle the task. Team members tend to still behave quite independently. Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. During this phase, the team addresses issues such as what problems they supposed to solve, how they will function and what leadership model they will accept. The storming stage is necessary to the growth and team building. At some point, the team will enter the norming stage. During this phase, team members adjust their behaviors to each other as they developing working habits that make the teamwork seem more natural and fluid. Team members often work through this stage by agreeing on rules, values, shared methods, working tools and even taboos. During this phase, team members begin to build trust in each other. This is one phase where team building events can have a positive effect. Motivation increases as the team gets more acquainted with the project. Some teams will reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without the need for external supervision.

Team Building methods

There is no magic formula for team building. Each team is different and will respond differently in different situations. For example, some teams will hate role play events, other teams will dislike team building activities which involve contact. Variety is the key. Spy Games corporate events acknowledge that, our team building activities are varied and can be carried out in a short space of time or made to last a whole day or even a weekend. You know your team members best - so we talk and you decide. Learning and skills development of a team takes place most effectively in a relaxed and enjoyable context, building on what is already there. Here at Spy Games, we realise that and the emphasis is on making your team building event as much fun for the participants as possible. Team building also requires challenge to make the team members think laterally and to solve problems. In many of our corporate team building events, the activities can only be completed if the team members work co-operatively and think around a problem. The most usual way of teambuilding is to confront your team with a challenge.

Team Building ...

... is an essential part of business training.

If your team is not functioning in harmony, your corporate sales will suffer, or perhaps your development team is no longer as innovative and free thinking as it used to be. Even if your team is working well, you can show your appreciation and how much you value their efforts (great for staff motivation as well as team building) through a Spy Games corporate motivational event. If you are organising a conference, consider our corporate entertainment event as a break, keep the delegates fresh and send them away from the conference with a feeling that they have really enjoyed it. If you are getting close to closing a big deal, motivate them with a corporate event with a difference - our adventure activities based on espionage and secret service activities. If you are looking for an alternative to the usual corporate incentives or rewards for staff motivation, you have found them here. We also provide a promotional team. Launch your new product in dramatic style, out team are just waiting for your call!

Copyright © 2006 Spy Games Ltd Corporate Entertainment and Team Building Events.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Team building article mainly from the Wikipedia project - copyright licence and original article