Comments on: The top 5 reasons why most team building events are a waste of time http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/ Make Yourself and Your Business Happy At Work Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:56:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: G@R http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258703 G@R Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:32:32 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258703 Hi I work in Singapore based semiconductor company. Today we had our department's team building activity. It was compulsory to attend it. We out for a bowling as the team building activity. There were 85 people and 5ppl in each team. I'm not that bad at the game, but unfortunately I coudn't focuss and lost the interest of the game because start having this severe pain on my lower abdominal ( already done a scan test and waiting to see the doctor to review the rwsults). So I coudn't score well. At the end of the event organizers picked up the best 5 teams and the best player, and awarded them with prizes. I am so dissapoited that they've chosen the worst three players and call infront everybody and gave free bowling voucher for each. I was one of them. Announcer ( one of our coworker) make fun out of us. I was so dissapointed and felt like f...k the anouncer. Is this team building ? ( I felt like team-destroying) Hi I work in Singapore based semiconductor company. Today we had our department’s team building activity. It was compulsory to attend it. We out for a bowling as the team building activity. There were 85 people and 5ppl in each team. I’m not that bad at the game, but unfortunately I coudn’t focuss and lost the interest of the game because start having this severe pain on my lower abdominal ( already done a scan test and waiting to see the doctor to review the rwsults). So I coudn’t score well. At the end of the event organizers picked up the best 5 teams and the best player, and awarded them with prizes. I am so dissapoited that they’ve chosen the worst three players and call infront everybody and gave free bowling voucher for each. I was one of them. Announcer ( one of our coworker) make fun out of us. I was so dissapointed and felt like f…k the anouncer. Is this team building ? ( I felt like team-destroying)

]]> By: Paul Smith @ Indoor Sports http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258663 Paul Smith @ Indoor Sports Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:31:24 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258663 I don’t agree with the main reasons quoted in the article, I am personally convinced that it is crucial to organise team building activities or sport games in order to take your staff out of their work environment and build a teamwork spirit. I don’t agree with the main reasons quoted in the article, I am personally convinced that it is crucial to organise team building activities or sport games in order to take your staff out of their work environment and build a teamwork spirit.

]]> By: Paul Smith @ Indoor Sports http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258351 Paul Smith @ Indoor Sports Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:28:40 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-258351 I don't agree with the main reasons quoted in the article, I am personally convinced that it is crucial to organise team building activities or sport games in order to take your staff out of their work environment and build a teamwork spirit. I don’t agree with the main reasons quoted in the article, I am personally convinced that it is crucial to organise team building activities or sport games in order to take your staff out of their work environment and build a teamwork spirit.

]]> By: Should Corporate Team Building Activities be Mandatory? | TrivWorks™ - Live Trivia Entertainment and Corporate Team Building in New York City http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257602 Should Corporate Team Building Activities be Mandatory? | TrivWorks™ - Live Trivia Entertainment and Corporate Team Building in New York City Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:12:06 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257602 [...] Herein lies the confounding part: it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be forced to attend a team building activity during the day. After all, consider the alternative from your staff’s point of view: they have to work! I’d be willing to bet you my last Fig Newton that when presented with the option of plugging away at the same grind for yet another workday, or doing something – ANYTHING – defined as “team building,” your people will jump at the chance to do so. Even if it’s lame. [...] [...] Herein lies the confounding part: it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be forced to attend a team building activity during the day. After all, consider the alternative from your staff’s point of view: they have to work! I’d be willing to bet you my last Fig Newton that when presented with the option of plugging away at the same grind for yet another workday, or doing something – ANYTHING – defined as “team building,” your people will jump at the chance to do so. Even if it’s lame. [...]

]]> By: Mark http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257390 Mark Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:18:48 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257390 The key challenge is finding a way to ignite passion and enthusiasm, without creating harmful competition. I've found that team building activities using music (for example, drumming and singing) can do this very successfully and ensure that everyone is involved and has fun. The key challenge is finding a way to ignite passion and enthusiasm, without creating harmful competition. I’ve found that team building activities using music (for example, drumming and singing) can do this very successfully and ensure that everyone is involved and has fun.

]]> By: Team builder Pro http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257252 Team builder Pro Sat, 01 Oct 2011 01:00:21 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-257252 Thanks for a great article! After working with team building based on inter team competitions I once had similar thoughts. I envisioned an activity that would appeal to my corporate customer by offering true team building. Having failed at creating such an event before for my own crew by not explicitly telling the teams they needed to collaborate in order to solve the tasks involved I decided to opt for another strategy during the product development of the non-compete game. I compiled a game called Winners' Game where a group of 25 to 50 people would collaborate in eight subteams. The tasks albeit simple required the entire team to utilize a constant and intensive communication. To satisfy the customers' constant crave for competition I set it up in a "entire team compete against high score way". This way it would be a theorethical compete, but still a small trigger for the team to cooperate as good as possible. How did Winners' Game score with the test groups and the first corporate customers? It turned out to be the biggest mistake in my team building career. The teams where genuinely disinterested in collaborating and grabbed every opportunity to mislead their coworkers or intentionally ignore them. When asked why they said: "We want to win". The feedback of the game was disastrous. Our normal customer review ratings fell from the 9,2-9,6/10 range to below 4/10. Our ambitions came to shame and the sincere faith we had in the importance of team building activities got somewhat damaged. We immediately discontinued the Game and withdraw it from the market. We returned to our modus operandi of offering competitions and the customer review ratings returned to normal levels. We regularly receive letters from corporate customers telling us how important the team building activity based on competition is for them. After serving more than 3,000 corporate clients and some 200,000 people with such events we can spot no sign of the alleged idea of corporations wanting to quit competitive team building activities. On the contrary we are expanding our business. We concur with the theorethical idea of the non-compete team building but have failed at getting it to work. MP Thanks for a great article! After working with team building based on inter team competitions I once had similar thoughts. I envisioned an activity that would appeal to my corporate customer by offering true team building. Having failed at creating such an event before for my own crew by not explicitly telling the teams they needed to collaborate in order to solve the tasks involved I decided to opt for another strategy during the product development of the non-compete game.

I compiled a game called Winners’ Game where a group of 25 to 50 people would collaborate in eight subteams. The tasks albeit simple required the entire team to utilize a constant and intensive communication. To satisfy the customers’ constant crave for competition I set it up in a “entire team compete against high score way”. This way it would be a theorethical compete, but still a small trigger for the team to cooperate as good as possible.

How did Winners’ Game score with the test groups and the first corporate customers?

It turned out to be the biggest mistake in my team building career. The teams where genuinely disinterested in collaborating and grabbed every opportunity to mislead their coworkers or intentionally ignore them. When asked why they said: “We want to win”. The feedback of the game was disastrous. Our normal customer review ratings fell from the 9,2-9,6/10 range to below 4/10.

Our ambitions came to shame and the sincere faith we had in the importance of team building activities got somewhat damaged. We immediately discontinued the Game and withdraw it from the market. We returned to our modus operandi of offering competitions and the customer review ratings returned to normal levels.

We regularly receive letters from corporate customers telling us how important the team building activity based on competition is for them. After serving more than 3,000 corporate clients and some 200,000 people with such events we can spot no sign of the alleged idea of corporations wanting to quit competitive team building activities. On the contrary we are expanding our business.

We concur with the theorethical idea of the non-compete team building but have failed at getting it to work.

MP

]]> By: Forms http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-256706 Forms Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:03:34 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-256706 A team building always need to have a good boss in front. But i feel there are no good leaders who can lead a team now. every one are on there own. You work and i pay! the world is with this concept and where in we can create a team!!bose A team building always need to have a good boss in front. But i feel there are no good leaders who can lead a team now. every one are on there own. You work and i pay! the world is with this concept and where in we can create a team!!bose

]]> By: Team Building Activities for the Workplace | Event Management Tales http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-256584 Team Building Activities for the Workplace | Event Management Tales Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:48:36 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-256584 [...] doesn’t encourage team building behavior and not all people actually learn through competition. Here’s some more information on how to avoid these types of team building [...] [...] doesn’t encourage team building behavior and not all people actually learn through competition. Here’s some more information on how to avoid these types of team building [...]

]]> By: Wayne H http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-255444 Wayne H Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:29:37 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-255444 Wow, This Article is Right-On I have been in the corporate world for 23 yrs and I've been to too many team building events to know that it is all BS. This article summed it up very nicely and I totally agree with it. I dread team bulding! If you got an Ass working on your team who don't want to play as a team player, no amount of Kum-by-ya in some forced get together is going to change that. In fact, the team might come back hating each other even more. I was at one team building with one of the major US oil company once and came back not liking a Manager after that. The reason is this guy is so competitive that he actually shoved me out of a winning circle that I was in with his two hands just so he won't lose! I like what Mr. Kjerulf is saying about a non-competitive and positive way to help people work together. Perhaps I would see one before I retire. Wow, This Article is Right-On

I have been in the corporate world for 23 yrs and I’ve been to too many team building events to know that it is all BS. This article summed it up very nicely and I totally agree with it. I dread team bulding! If you got an Ass working on your team who don’t want to play as a team player, no amount of Kum-by-ya in some forced get together is going to change that. In fact, the team might come back hating each other even more. I was at one team building with one of the major US oil company once and came back not liking a Manager after that. The reason is this guy is so competitive that he actually shoved me out of a winning circle that I was in with his two hands just so he won’t lose!

I like what Mr. Kjerulf is saying about a non-competitive and positive way to help people work together. Perhaps I would see one before I retire.

]]> By: Team Idea's Please http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-250109 Team Idea's Please Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:20:21 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2007/10/the-top-5-problems-with-corporate-team-building/#comment-250109 I found the suggestions of what not to do great, but no ideas on what is good to try. I do believe in team competitions to a degree with one goal in mind for all teams. I don't however think we should play the, ok everyone gets a troply- even the loosing team to make them all "feel" better. The world out there is tough and our companies and employees need the skills to comptete, cope and handle the challenges. I found the suggestions of what not to do great, but no ideas on what is good to try. I do believe in team competitions to a degree with one goal in mind for all teams. I don’t however think we should play the, ok everyone gets a troply- even the loosing team to make them all “feel” better.

The world out there is tough and our companies and employees need the skills to comptete, cope and handle the challenges.

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