How can team-building games change productivity? Why it is so important to build a group of people who are happy to work together? What activities can we use as a tool? These are the questions I deal with in this post, but first, let me have a question:
Are you working in a team, or do you a member of a team?
If you belong to the first group, you must be happy because “Teamwork makes the dream work”.
Have you ever come across this phrase in your life? If you have, do you know what it actually means? Take a moment, and try interpreting this famous saying. Ask yourself, “How does teamwork help achieving the dream work? What makes teamwork better than solitary one?”
I am pretty sure you have an answer in your mind and let me tell you, you are absolutely right! Let’s explore more about it, comprehend its essentiality, and learn about team-building games that could be performed easily in a business setting.
Before learning about team-building games, we must reckon what “teamwork” exactly means and why it is so important. Just so you know, and as the word itself depicts, teamwork is an act of working “together.” In simpler words, it is more we and less me.
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Why is teamwork so essential?
Team-building unites individuals by empowering the concept of cooperation and collaboration within their minds. When people are devoted to working as a team, the workplace runs more smoothly, problems are solved faster, the dispute is less likely to turn toxic, and productivity is much higher.
Obviously, when all the workers are united on one page and have a mutual goal to achieve, they would work together to attain that quickly and indeed more efficiently. They would accept each other and respect each other’s ideas instead of unnecessarily competing amongst themselves.
Imagine a workplace where one employee is good at manufacturing a product, and the other one is good at advertising it. Ponder over their respective roles for a minute and then continue reading.
Ask yourself, can any of them function without the other one? No, right?
There’s no point in the manufacturer producing goods when there is no advertiser to help him sell what he is making. Do you see? That’s where teamwork resumes its role. It helps cluster all the individual strengths on a singular platform and then uses them for the betterment of the company they are associated with.
Yet, as easy as it might seem, workers in far too many companies lack the necessary skills to put it all together and “get the job done.” A lack of team-building skills amongst group members can stifle productivity, lower morale, and negatively impact bottom-line growth.
How can team-building Games help foster “teamwork”?
Quite possibly, the most remarkable explanation behind the execution of group building exercises is to get the desired results: collaboration and cooperation among the staff. Through a progression of planned team-building events that are fun and persuasive, groups fabricate considerable skills like correspondence, planning, critical thinking, unity, and compromise. Moreover, fun exercises help individuals see each other differently, which permits them to interface in an alternate setting.
Trust Building games likewise foster effective communication amongst all the employees. They foster their ability to speak up instead of being insecure about what they have to say. Maybe something they think isn’t good enough is actually all your company needs to ace, right?
Plus, I think everyone needs a break from work sometimes. Perhaps, playing a mind-boggling game with your colleagues is obviously a better idea than surfing purposelessly through your FaceBook timelines.
Reasons why Team-building Games are so beneficial
Reveal the trouble with communication
In the work environment, nothing is a higher priority than a sense of powerful communication. Perhaps, communication is the absolute key to development. Without it, you and your business literally stand nowhere.
With the accompanying actions, you can show easily highlight how easy it is for misconception and struggle to emerge because of poor or unclear correspondence.
- Present a series of statements, and ask all the individuals to interpret them independently. Write phrases like, “Turn this in at once,” “Do this, STAT.” Remember writing simple phrases and not complicated ones;
- Have every individual read their respective interpretations out loud and note the distinctions;
- Ask the gathering for approaches to eliminate vagueness in discussion and assumptions.
This simple action would enhance numerous skills in the employees. They would learn to listen to each other attentively, respecting what the other person has to say and mutually agreeing on a good note, instead of arguing over slight disagreements.
Wipe out the “reluctance to speak up”.
During meetings to generate new ideas, a few workers might be hesitant to make some noise since they stress that their thoughts will be scorned or disregarded. Wipeout that worries with this lighthearted brainstorming activity that urges individuals to be receptive and positive:
- Ask the employees to make a list of negative actions prohibited in the meeting. For instance, “That won’t ever work,” “We’ve done that previously,” “That is unimaginable,” and so forth;
- Create a list of NO words. This implies the phrases that can never be used or spoken in the work setting. Ban some commonly used yet negative sentences. For instance, “I can’t do this!” or “That’s such a bad idea!”;
- Choose a fun “code word” when any of these prohibited words are heard during your meeting and have individuals call it out. Guess what? Now they’ll always be attentive and would have their ears set to monitor these NO words. Yet, their attention is all we need, right?
Strengthen relationships
When connections between employees and employers are solid, they are better ready to impart, cooperate to issue tackle, and oversee the clashes. The objective of such trust-building games remains the fortification of relationships and to help colleagues change their outlook from a “me” attitude to a “we” mindset.
- Organize a toy drive;
- Compete in a foundation run;
- Raise cash for a neighborhood school.
All these little acts could help tie stronger knots between the employees and the employers.
Unite behind a common goal
Building up goals is crucial to cluster achievement. Nonetheless, you can’t stop just thinking of them down. You need to work towards them, obviously!
Occasionally, you need to return to, reconsider, and maybe even modify your goals to guarantee they line up with the association’s evolving objectives. Every month, complete this activity with your team to urge everybody to cooperate toward a shared objective.
Try answering these questions at the beginning of every month:
- What is the goal for this month?
- How will we measure our progress on this particular goal?
- How will we know if we have achieved the objective?
Five amazing team-building games
Let’s have a quick look at some of the fun Trust Building games.
1. Scavenger Hunt
Is there really a more suitable way of taking a break from work than a scavenger hunt?
A scavenger hunt is an excellent way to get your employees up and moving while also encouraging collaboration.
You can do this indoors or outdoors, depends entirely on the available space. Hide various items in the facility and assign different groups to locate them. The group that finds the most hints wins!
2. Human Knot
Human Knot is a fun thing to do.
Form a circle with your team first. All should raise their right hand in the air, reach someone’s hand around the circle, and tangle around them completely. Then instruct them to cross the loop and join their left hands with someone else’s.
Check to see if they can unravel themselves without releasing anyone’s hand.
3. Blind Retriever
Blind Retriever aims to lead a blindfolded individual to a specific location or a secret item.
The challenge is an excellent way to see how well your workers collaborate under tension and react to commands.
To begin, divide your team into small groups and blindfold one member of each group. The first team to successfully guide their blindfolded partner to a secret object is the winner.
4. Active Listener
Schedule a meeting that the whole team believes would be normal. Deliver a dull, jargon-filled speech with a few random irrelevant sentences thrown in for good measure.
Finally, test the staff and see who was paying attention. Ask them to highlight all the jargons or inappropriate words you had intentionally used.
This could be turned into a team vs. team competition.
5. Business Simulations
A business simulation is just what it sounds like: a computer-based simulation of a real-world business or job problem.
Create an imaginary business dilemma (e.g., a job or project) and assemble the workers in a conference room to pull it off. Give them all of the information about the operation: guidelines, the objectives, and, of course, the deadline—and let them try their hand at it.
Give these joyous Trust Building games a try with your fellow employees. Tell me how it goes, okay?
Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance
I have always been a fan of books. Being a leader for almost 15 years, I have always found books a constant source of guidance and peace. Before laying down the foundation of my very own firm, I spend months searching and exploring ways to manifest my business’s overall success, and undoubtedly, this book helped me a ton.
It is titled “Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance,” written by Howard M. Guttman. Trust me; you would never regret reading it. It is worth every second spent on it! The way you lead would actually change after you give this book a shot; please go ahead!
Quick Wrap Up
The importance of effective teamwork can never be overlooked. It is the best tool every employee and employer needs to progress. Given the significance, every workplace should foster teamwork, and team-building games are the best way to do so.
Scavenger Hunt, Human Knot, Blind Retriever Active Listener, and Business Simulations are some of the quick and fun team-building activities. Try these today and let me know how it went!
What about you? Which game would you like to join? Share with us in the comments below.
