Team Building vs. Building Teams

Team building and corporate training events can really suck.  Employees dread it. Many, when they see it coming will go hide behind a sick or personal day to avoid it they dread it so much.

The problem is 99% of team building events do not actually build teams.  Think about it, your typical events involve a competition, seeing something cool, or building something else.  We’re going to build a boat together! Or, we are going to break out of this puzzled room as a team! Great! But we’re not going to get anywhere in understanding how we can get better as a team. 

Why?

Employees will always take their individual approach and leverage their specific personalities in any of these types of traditional events.  Introverts and passive employees will hang back. They won’t present ideas or initiate effort. Assertive and extrovert employees will take the lead and rally the troops to get it done.  In one team building event that was a competition, I remember watching my name get crossed off a bracket for losing an ax throwing match. Now I’m not that sensitive but certainly some of us felt that sting of being a loser.  These things always happen in traditional corporate events and really what have you gained as a team? 

Rethink “Building the Team” with us here at Amplified.  We’re not an organization that believes that everyone deserves a participation trophy but we do believe everyone has great ideas that can evolve a team.  A team building event should create an environment where every individual recognizes this too (everyone experiencing an “ah-ha” moment) and have a great time doing so!  

Check out our podcast - coming soon - on Team Building vs Building Teams where we discuss the key differences. 

And we want to hear from you!  What goals do you have when hiring for a team building or corporate training event?  Did you meet your resulting goal? If so, what made it happen or if not, what was missing?  Let us know in the comments: