Since my friend had been a part of a major team oriented business throughout his career he could identify with what I was saying and he found himself in general agreement with my assessment of the need for team building.
1) They are not employees they are team members.
2) Productivity increases when team members work together as opposed to a business comprised of lone rangers.
3) Problem solving is best observed in team-oriented brainstorming.
When we began discussing some of the problems inherent in a lack of team building I mentioned the lack of productivity and cooperation. My friend agreed and then he said something that I hadn't considered, ?It won't be long before those employees steal something.?
At first I found the comment strange. After all, why would an employee steal something just because team-building ideals were not observed?
The more I thought about the issue the more I began to understand the scenario my friend was talking about. You see, employees often look at what they do as slave labor. Yes, they willingly took the job, but they often find the notion of being an employee frustrating as their job satisfaction level plummets. Many of these workers will say things like, ?They do not pay me enough for this.? They are simply doing a job instead of molding a future and forging a path.
?Employees? can often find themselves in a place where they simply carry out orders without being considered as useful in overcoming problems. They can get frustrated when they feel that you really do not consider them valuable. In larger corporations they might wonder if you even know who they are.
If these frustrated employees come to the conclusion that you do not consider them valuable and rewards are non existent or minimal they may reach out and reward themselves. They believe there should be more to a job than what they experience, but no one has given them a voice to express their opinions on matters that affect them.
These ?employees? may steal time, office products or other items that may not typically be missed. Of the items listed it is time that is most often stolen. These employees will figure out ways to manage the bare minimum in duties and then they might spend time on the Internet or talking to other employees or on the phone.
Many employees find ways to do their work as slowly as possible to keep a low expectation of their efforts. In this way they steal from their employer.
Team building not only maximizes potential it also provides the purpose many need to feel as though their work is valued and that they can contribute to the overall success of a company.
No one likes to feel invisible, but if they do expect the potential for employee theft.
Sometime after the industrial boom, social awareness and unions gathered to protect the employees' welfare. Companies and competition grew throughout the U.S. and more focus was directed within. Corporations saw a direct relationship between work quality and employee mental health and wellbeing. Large staffed businesses saw that there was value in boosting moral and recognizing the individual as well as the company as a whole.
There is a duality to the group that drives attitude. Employees both think as a whole and as an individual. However each attitude coalesces into a whole group thought. So each individual needs to be paid attention to. The catch is there is no real timely way of doing that. Enter the team building exercise where small groups do the work.
The Problems with Traditional Team Building Exercises
To pay attention to the individual while bolstering attitudes in a team building effort is done traditionally by creating groups first. Groups are given a task or goal to work towards in some form of rewards system -- something to mirror an exemplary form of what should take place in the office under regular business constraints and working well doing so.
However, given some statistics based on a group dynamic, there will be individuals who will assume dominant personalities and tend to create an oppressive system that may alienate or marginalize some members. This is usually due to the rewards or the stakes that are involved. There are some exercises that are used to detach the reward system and focus more on the game at play while using everyone in the group as important talent. One of the techniques is the use of scavenger hunts.
The Scavenger Hunt Advantage: Team building in Chicago
Scavenger hunting in Chicago lends a wealth of opportunity, landmarks and history for an enriching experience. Many organized hunts will take groups through the neighborhoods hitting infamous locations and landmarks. The scavenger hunt is more than just a regular team building in Chicago exercise; it involves the interaction of team members -- each and every one of them. The Hunt questions do not center on a specific task where one person may be better than the other within the group.
For instance, someone knowledgeable of the Chicago area will not necessarily have an advantage over someone who may be good at word games. The questions are varied enough to touch on many different skill sets. One could be trivia based, another could include a hidden anagram or a word may allude to a dual meaning that unlocks to reveal the answer. The questions can take them through downtown to the Sears tower, or over to Wrigley field, asking varied and unusual questions that touches on such a variety of subjects that someone in every group will usually have an answer for.
Team building in Chicago with a scavenger hunt provides great landmarks for game questions and also helps the workers know each other not by force but by simply having fun and getting out on the town. The corporation and workers reap social rewards such as:
- Socially lubricate the group communication - Build teamwork naturally, unforced and fun - Build lasting bonds between each other, they'll have fond history together - They'll know more about Chicago and appreciate it more - Gives them a great excuse to throw a party or meet for drinks afterward
Both Scott Lindsay & Art Gib are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.