Team building, by definition, is the construction or development of a cohesive team. Within a business context, it is a term used to talk about activities and practices carried out with the objective of strengthening relationships, enhancing collaboration, boosting productivity, and promoting unity among members of an organization.

These activities aim to cultivate skills such as effective communication, problem-solving, group decision making, and collaborative teamwork. Likewise, they focus on the development of positive interpersonal relationships and a supportive culture within the team. 

Here we explain how you can implement team building in your organization, as well as the type of activities you can organize both inside and outside the office. 

How can you implement team building in your company?

Team building is an ongoing process that goes beyond a single event, but rather takes part of a long-term strategy. To implement it within your organization, here are some key steps you can consider:

1. Identify your team’s needs

First of all, you need to become aware of the challenges or issues that your team is currently facing, and determine what are the specific needs or areas of improvement that you would like to address. This will help you define the appropriate focus and the team building activities that will help you achieve your objectives.

2. Organize the activities

Once you’ve established the objectives, determine the most suitable activity to align with your team’s profile. While you’re planning, consider aspects such as how much time will the activity take, the group size, and the budget, and make sure you communicate the objectives and the importance of participating to your team.

3. Conduct the team building activity

Explain the activities and their objectives to the team, and point to a leader in the group to guide and moderate the exercises. It is important that all team members feel involved, encouraging participation, learning and reflection. 

4. Do feedback

After each team building activity, dedicate time for the team to share their experiences, lessons learned and observations. Evaluate the results based on the objectives you set and take note of areas of improvement for future activities. 

5. Integrate into corporate culture

As I mentioned earlier, team building should not be a one time event, but rather an ongoing strategy integrated into the goals and culture of the organization. Incorporate the team building philosophy into the day-to-day work and encourage your team to propose ideas for improving collaboration within the company. 

What is the purpose of team building?

Team building can help strengthen relationships and improve the efficiency of teamwork, by encouraging collaboration, communication and trust. The key purposes for team building include:

• Improving internal communication by promoting openness, active listening, and clarity while transmitting information. 

• Strengthening teamwork, collaboration and synergy among the members of the organization. 

• Creating opportunities for leadership skills development.

• Promoting cohesion and a sense of belonging within the team. 

• Enhancing performance and productivity in day-to-day operations.

Cultivating a positive work environment and stimulating motivation to increase talent retention. 

The best ideas for activities to promote team building

There is a wide variety of activities that can adapt to the different profiles, needs and goals of each team. Here are some ideas for your next team building: 

Activities outside the workplace 

This could be a great opportunity to change the environment, step out of the office, and build connections with your team in a different setting while engaging in activities such as: 

• Scavenger hunt
  A recreational activity that involves forming teams and competing on a series of brain teasers and skill challenges along a designated course. This type of activity mainly focuses on problem-solving abilities, communication, joint decision-making and collaboration. Its duration may vary, depending on the number and complexity of the challenges, and it can adapt to different spaces and team sizes, although the saying “the more, the merrier” certainly applies.  
  
  
• Sports games
  A sports competition can be a great option for strengthening teamwork and collaboration, while promoting a healthy and active atmosphere within the organization. Whether it’s a sports tournament, an olympic-style event, or an aquatic or adventure activity, there are many options that can be tailored to the team’s preferences. It is ideal to dedicate a morning or an afternoon for such activities, allowing all team members to participate.
  
  
• Cooking contest
  A MasterChef-style challenge where teams compete to prepare a dish within a specific time limit, and the cherry on top is that once finished, you have a meal ready to enjoy together. You can choose a specific dish such as pizza, paella or sushi, or a particular theme like tapas or desserts, always leaving room for creativity and taking into account the preferences of the team members. Culinary activities as team building foster collaboration and creativity in a relaxed and fun environment. 
  
  
• Volunteering 
  These activities allow teams to work together on projects aimed at generating a positive impact in their community, creating enriching experiences that strengthen the relationships between the members of the team. 
  There are a lot of volunteering activities that can be carried out as a group, but it is important that the objective is aligned with the values of the company, it can even be integrated into its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. This way, it helps team members identify with these values.  
  
  
• Escape room
  These challenges where a team has to work together to solve a series of puzzles and complete a mission within a time limit have gained a lot of popularity. 
  Any resemblance this may have to a work project, is not a coincidence. That’s why this activity is an excellent choice for team building, as it promotes collaboration, effective communication, time and pressure management, and skills development within a playful and enjoyable setting.

Activities for the workplace

There are many activities that can be carried out within the workplace to make the most of the resources and the spaces available, and they help with the cohesion of the team on a daily basis. Here are some examples: 

• Icebreakers
  As its names suggest, these are exercises designed to help break the ice among the members of a team, and help them get to know each other a little better. They are usually simple and enjoyable activities that don’t take much time, and they can be implemented at the beginning of a meeting or a gathering that involves all team members.
  There are different icebreaker activities that can adapt to each group. Some examples include: 
  - Two truths and a lie. Each participant shares three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is false, and the others have to guess which one is the lie. 
  - Did you know… One by one, participants share a fact about themselves that no one else on the team knows. 
  - Guess who. Each person writes down a characteristic about themselves anonymously (it could be an adjective, hobby, favorite movie or band, etc.), and once everyone has done so, they must guess which description corresponds to each team member. 
  
  
• Contests
  A trivia competition about facts of the company or the team, a talent show, or replicating a tv contest, are all activities that can promote participation, cohesion and teamwork. They can be adapted to any number of participants, and if your workplace has event spaces, you can conduct them for a large group and create a different and immersive environment for the team without leaving the office. 
  
  
• Treasure hunt
  The workspace can easily become the field for a treasure hunt. Whether it’s about finding a couple of hidden objects in a specific space, or following a series of clues that lead you to different areas of the workplace to reach the goal, you can make it as simple or complex as you wish in order to meet your objectives. Establishing teams with members of different departments and diverse skills can make the competition more even, as well as encourage interdepartmental relationships and collaboration within the company.  
  
  
• Hackathon
  A hackathon is an event where two or more teams come together to work on an innovative idea to solve a specific problem.
  While they are commonly associated with tech and innovation sectors, this is an activity that can be used by teams from different industries as it fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an intense, competitive and enjoyable work environment. Ideally, teams should be multidisciplinary, which also promotes interdepartmental collaboration when applied as a team building activity within a company. 
  
  
• Social events
  One way to incorporate team building into day-to-day operations in a company is by organizing regular social gatherings and celebrations. Examples include team dinners for special occasions, Secret Santa exchanges, afterwork drinks, and celebrating birthdays or promotions within the team. These informal activities promote the strengthening of relationships beyond the work environment.

Team strengthening during hybrid work

Promoting cohesion could be a challenging task for teams that work with a hybrid model. This is because communication may be affected by the lack of face-to-face interaction, leading members to feel disconnected from their team and even the organization. 

To work on a strategy that could help strengthen relationships within a hybrid environment, it is important to focus on establishing frequent and effective communication with the team, as well as promoting collaborative work in both projects and daily activities. 

Making the most of the workspace during on-site work can help you promote cohesion within your team. In this sense, coworking spaces are a great choice for hybrid models, given they usually have different areas and amenities that can be used for daily activities, as well as team building sessions. 

It’s also highly recommended to carry out team building activities while working remotely too. Here are some examples of some activities that can be conducted online: 

• Online icebreakers 
  Before starting a conference meeting, you can engage in a brief icebreaker activity to encourage interaction and help team members get to know each other. 
  On one hand, these activities can help strengthen the bond among team members despite the distance, and at the same time, they can help promote creativity and help you start with the right foot for a productive meeting. 
  
  
• Gamification 
  It is a technique that applies game elements to non-game situations in order to promote participation, motivation and engagement among the team. It leverages elements such as competition, achievements, rewards and rankings. Implementing gamification in remote team building activities can help strengthen relationships, improve communication and increase motivation and productivity. 
  
  
• Retrospectives
  As stated earlier, maintaining open communication channels is essential for fostering team cohesion. Retrospective meetings work as a tool that allows team members to share insights and feedback to seek for improvement.
  In a remote environment, these meetings can be very helpful for promoting collaboration, enhancing communication and establishing a positive and trusting atmosphere within the team. They contribute to the motivation and sense of belonging among team members.

Would you like to carry out team building activities in your organization but you don’t know where to start?

In Aticco we can help you find the right activity to reach your goals, and we organize it for you!
Contact Marina at servicios@aticco.com for more information!