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Teambuilding refers to a wide
range of activities, usually in a business context, for improving team
performance. Team building is pursued via a variety of practices, and can
range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations and multi-day
team building retreats designed to develop a team It generally sits within
the theory and practice of organizational development, but can also be
applied to sports teams, school groups, and other contexts. Team building is
not to be confused with "team recreation" that consists of activities for
teams that are strictly recreational. Teambuilding is an important factor in
any environment, its focus is to specialize in bringing out the best in a
team to ensure self development, positive communication, leadership skills
and the ability to work closely together as a team to problem solve.
Work environments tend to focus on
individuals and personal goals, with reward & recognition singling out the
achievements of individual employees. "How to create effective teams is a
challenge in every organization" Team building and can also refer to the
process of selecting or creating a team from scratch.
Teamwork
is a joint action by two or more
people, in which each person contributes with different skills and expresses
his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of
the group in order to achieve common goals. This does not mean that the
individual is no longer important; however, it does mean that effective and
efficient teamwork goes beyond individual accomplishments. The most
effective teamwork is produced when all the individuals involved harmonize
their contributions and work towards a common goal. + Teamwork Is an old old
wooden ship - - In order for teamwork to succeed one must be a team
player. A team player is one who subordinates personal aspirations and works
in a coordinated effort with other members of a group, or team, in striving
for a common goal.
Businesses and other organizations often go
to the effort of coordinating team building events in an attempt to get
people to work as a team rather than as individuals. - - The
forming-storming-norming-performing model takes the team
through four stages of team development and maps quite well on to many
project management life cycle models, such as initiation - definition -
planning - realization. - -
Teamwork has also become increasingly
acknowledged as an essential skill for employees in companies both small and
large. Today’s increasingly global economy places a premium on teamwork in
the workplace. For companies that often produce goods on one continent and
then over a matter of a few days must transport, store and deliver them to
customers on another continent, teamwork is not just important, it is
essential. Teamwork has become so valued that many large corporations have
developed specific tests to measure potential employees’ teamwork abilities.
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Reasons for Teambuilding
- Improving
communication
- Making the workplace
more enjoyable
- Motivating a team
- Getting to know each
other
- Getting everyone
"onto the same page", including goal setting
- Teaching the team
self-regulation strategies
- Helping participants
to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses)
- Identifying and
utilizing the strengths of team members
- Practicing effective
collaboration with team members
- Retain valued staff
- Reinforce company
relationships and unity
- Break down barriers
between colleagues
- Build a co-operative
environment
- Increase productivity
- Improve morale
“The secret to retaining valued staff has less to do with money—it is more
about creating an office culture that people enjoy being a part of...”
Team Building help your companies retain and motivate staff?
Have you tried many different incentives
and gifts to retain your skilled employees but they don’t seem to have the
same effect as they did before? Research has shown that today’s employees
are looking for more from their workplace. Team building can help by
developing strong relationships between staff members and increases morale.
It’s not only Generation Y that want a fulfilling and enjoyable work place,
having a great team to work with is desired by all of your employees.
Fun Team Building Activities to Help Your Company Grow
Not all companies have team development for
their workers, and depending on the managers, this may not be needed.
However there are many large companies with departments that do not know one
another, that could work better if they understood the work that others do,
and if they all learn to work together, for the good of the company and
ultimately for the good of everyone working there too.
Team development is something that is often
overlooked by companies, especially in these tough economic times, but they
need not take up much company or personal time, and they do not have to be
expensive activities either to be successful. Simple fun activities can
pay off dividends, with better communication between departments, staff that
know one another a little more than at present, and a happier atmosphere in
the workplace, as employees feel more appreciated. All these benefits
can result from a couple of hours out of the office perhaps, doing some fun
activity that mixes up groups, putting department members on different
teams, so that everyone gets to know other members of the company that
perhaps they have never even met before.
By having a couple of fun team building
activities a year, that perhaps only last for a couple of hours at a time,
you can help improve the atmosphere in any company, and the productivity
level too. Staff will feel more appreciated, which means that they will in
all probability work better, and perhaps even harder for the benefit of all
at that workplace.
So what kinds of team building activities do
work well for most businesses? Fun non-stressful activities are recommended.
There can be enough stress in the work place without adding any more to it!
And your employees probably deserve a little down time.
Taking a few hours off the work week can work
very well, and act as a reward.
Team building activities should involve as
many people from the company as possible, and many businesses have found
that scavenger hunts work really well. Each team contains a member form each
department, so that it is a social time to get to know members from these
other departments while having fun. The idea of a scavenger hunt can easily
be adapted to your needs, but one that works well is to use cameras to take
photographs of the whole team, excluding the photographer, at particular
locations or in certain situations. For example, the whole team may have to
find a bike store, and have their photos taken there. Or they may have to
go to a used car lot, or the public library. The options are endless. But by
taking photographs of the complete team, it reduces the chance of cheating,
and you may find some people willing to cheat! You can set any time limit
you want for this hunt, but it needs to be a realistic time for them to get
everything required.
Then you could all take a class together,
maybe learning archery, or some other activity that not too many people have
tried before. This gives everyone the chance to have a new experience
together, and if it can be an activity that needs team work then this is
even better.
Obstacle races are good for this, and they
can be indoors or out, depending on your location and the time of year.
Twists can be added to the obstacle course so that team members do have to
cooperate and help one another. After all the idea behind this is team
development, so it's only right that there should be some cooperating, and
communication in the team building activity.
The Top 7 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Employees
1) They are not motivated by money alone
In numerous studies conducted over the last
fifty or sixty years, researchers have concluded money is not the prime
motivator for most people. Yes, people work for money -- but it is not their
biggest motivator.
One famous model of behavior ? Maslow's
hierarchy of needs ? yields a clue as to why this is true. In summary,
Maslow's hierarchy says that all of us have five basic needs (physiological,
safety & security, social, esteem, and self-actualization). According to
Maslow, "a need once met no longer serves to motivate." If you have your
physiological needs met (food, shelter, & clothing), more of the same will
not inspire you to work harder.
Employers help people meet their
physiological needs with money. More money will not necessarily get people
to work harder.
It is true that some people work harder for
more money, but many will not. If you want to inspire high-level
performance, you've got to dig deeper. You must work to understand what
motivates each person on your team.
2) They don't want their worth determined by
the number of hours they are at work
I once heard a business owner say, "An
entrepreneur is someone who will work 80 hours a week for themselves so that
they don't have to work 40 hours a week for someone else." I have found this
statement to be very accurate.
Many people believe that what motivates them
also motivates others. When it doesn't, they often get frustrated and
confused.
Remember that your business is your dream,
not your employees' dream. They probably want to do a good job, but they
don't want you to evaluate them based on the number of hours they spend in
your business. Reward them based on the quality and/or quantity of work they
produce. Reward them for the service they provide to customers. Don't use
"face time" as a measure of their worth.
3) They want to feel like part of a team
Most people want to be part of something
great. Create an environment where people feel like they are part of
something bigger than themselves, and they will respond favorably. Reward
individual performance, but build the team. Avoid competition within your
team at all costs. You want your team competing together to win your
business competition. You don't want them fighting each other.
4) They want you to respect them
I've seen many entrepreneurs start a business
to avoid an organization or a person who treats them with disrespect. Funny
-- I often see these same people treat their employees with disrespect when
they become the boss. What happened?
5) They want you to value their opinions
The studies that show money is not a prime
motivator also find that people want their supervisor to show appreciation
for their contribution at work. Show your appreciation and value their
input. Your employees will truly be your greatest asset.
6) They want to make a difference
People like to do things that matter. People
need to feel like their contribution helped the team. Show your people how
their work made a difference to team results, and you'll likely tap into
their internal motivators.
7) They want your business to succeed
Most people realize that they are unemployed
if your business fails. They don't want that any more than you do. Listen to
them. Learn from their insights. They may not have your monetary investment
in the business, but they do have a big stake in your success.
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What are Team
Building Exercises and what is
their purpose?
Team building exercises consist of a variety
of tasks designed to develop group members and their ability to work
together effectively. There are many types of team building activities that
range from kids games to games that involve novel complex tasks and are
designed for specific needs. There are also more complex team building
exercises that are composed of multiple exercises such as ropes courses,
corporate drumming and exercises that last over several days. The purpose of
team building exercises is to assist teams in becoming cohesive units of
individuals that can effectively work together to complete tasks.
Who can benefit from Team
Building Exercises?
Team building exercises are useful for all
kinds of teams. Some exercises are designed for smaller teams, some for
larger teams. Some are designed for new teams, others to focus on specific
areas of an established team to be worked on. In addition to this, team
building exercises also are for different age groups. In addition to this,
some team building exercises are intended primarily for a specific age
group.
Types of Team Building
Components and its Exercises
3 components of
teambuilding : Communications, Negotiation and Conflict
Communication Exercise
This type of team building
exercise is exactly what it sounds like. Communications exercises are
problem solving activities that are geared towards improving communication
skills. The issues teams encounter in these exercises are solved by
communicating effectively with each other. • Goal: Create an activity
which highlights the importance of good communication in team performance
and/or potential problems with communication.
Problem Solving/Decision Making Exercise
Problem Solving/Decision making
exercises focus specifically on groups working together to solve difficult
problems or make complex decisions. These exercises are some of the most
common as they appear to have the most direct link to what employers want
their teams to be able to do. • Goal: Give team a problem in which the
solution is not easily apparent or requires the team to come up with a
creative solution
Planning/Adaptability Exercise
These exercises focus on aspects
of planning and being adaptable to change. These are important things for
teams to be able to do when they are assigned complex tasks or decisions. •
Goal: Show the importance of planning before implementing a solution
Trust Exercise
A trust exercise involves engaging
team members in a way that will induce trust between them. They are
sometimes difficult exercises to implement as there are varying degrees of
trust between individuals and varying degrees of individual comfort trusting
others in general. • Goal: Create trust between team members
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Methods for Team Building
Team building events often take participants
out of their regular work context, and use the new context as an enabler of
change and development - allowing team participants to get to learn more
about each other in a new (nonwork) context.
3 Components of a Team Building Exercise
Part 1: Instructions
This part of a team-building exercise
involves introducing the participants to the instructions for the exercise.
Part 2: Activity
This part of the team-building exercise is
the exercise itself. This is when participants utilize the instructions and
begin to participate in the actual activity.
Part 3: Debriefing
This is the most important part of a team
building exercise. The facilitator will close the exercise with a review of
the purpose for the exercise and how the team accomplished it.
For the debriefing portion of the team
building exercise using open ended questions is a tool that a team building
facilitator uses to bring participants to examine what was learned.
These questions have no right and wrong
answer they are meant to trigger thought and insight in the team members.
These questions can be used for front loading - setting up the thoughts
prior to the beginning of a team building activity. These questions can also
be used following an activity to reflect on the individual experience, team
experience and actions plans for behavioral change within the team.
Team interaction involves "soft"
interpersonal skills including communication, negotiation, leadership, and
motivation - in contrast to technical skills directly involved with the job
at hand. Depending on the type of team building, the novel tasks can
encourage or specifically teach interpersonal team skills to increase team
performance.
Experiential learning
Key Concepts of Experiential
Learning
“Traditional”
Model of Teaching
In more traditional models of
teaching and leading, the teacher is seen as the definitive source of all
pertinent information. The teacher passes knowledge on, and the participants
learn it. The participants are usually passive and are generally viewed as
receivers rather than learners.
Experiential Learning Model of
Teaching
A holistic educational philosophy
where carefully chosen experiences supported by reflection, critical
analysis, and synthesis, are structured to require the learner to
take initiative, make decisions, and be accountable for the results,
through actively posing questions, investigating, experimenting,
being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being
creative constructing meaning, and integrating previously developed
knowledge.
The Learner
Learners are engaged
intellectually, emotionally, socially, politically, spiritually, and
physically in an uncertain environment where the learner is free to
experience success, “failure”, adventure and risk taking. Learning usually
involves interaction between learners, learner and educator, and learner and
environment. The learner is challenged to explore issues of values,
relationship, diversity, inclusion, and community.
The Teacher
The primary difference between experiential learning and the
traditional model of teaching is the teacher doesn’t provide all the answers
to the group - - the participants learn primarily from each other
and through the experience or activity.
The teachers primary roles
include selecting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries,
supporting learners, insuring physical and emotional safety, facilitating
the learning process, guiding reflection, and providing the necessary
information.
The Primary Goal
The need for connection and love
is the primary goal of all human beings (“The Six Human Needs” love &
connections, significance, certainty, uncertainty/variety , growth and
contributions) and because of this, the primary goal of experiential
learning must be to help students connect at an ever-deeper level.
Experiential learning is learning through reflection on doing, which is
often contrasted with rote or didactic learning. Experiential learning is
related to, but not synonymous with, experiential education, action
learning, adventure learning, free choice learning, cooperative learning,
and service learning. While there are relationships and connections between
all these theories of education, importantly they are also separate terms
with separate meanings.
Experiential learning focuses on the learning
process for the individual (unlike experiential education, which focuses on
the transactive process between teacher and learner). An example of
experiential learning is going to the zoo and learning through observation
and interaction with the zoo environment, as opposed to reading about
animals from a book. Thus, one makes discoveries and experiments with
knowledge firsthand, instead of hearing or reading about others'
experiences.
Experiential learning requires no teacher and relates solely to the meaning
making process of the individual's direct experience. However, though the
gaining of knowledge is an inherent process that occurs naturally, for a
genuine learning experience to occur, there must exist certain elements.
According to David Kolb, an American educational theorist, knowledge is
continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences. He
states that in order to gain genuine knowledge from an experience, certain
abilities are required:
-
the learner must be willing to be actively
involved in the experience;
-
the learner must be able to reflect on the
experience;
-
the learner must possess and use analytical
skills to conceptualize the experience; and
-
the learner must possess decision making
and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the
experience.
Implementation
Experiential learning can be a highly
effective educational method. It engages the learner at a more personal
level by addressing the needs and wants of the individual. Experiential
learning requires qualities such as self-initiative and self-evaluation. For
experiential learning to be truly effective, it should employ the whole
learning wheel, from goal setting, to experimenting and observing, to
reviewing, and finally action planning. This complete process allows one to
learn new skills, new attitudes or even entirely new ways of thinking. The
reason why games are popular as experiential learning techniques is because
of the "fun factor" - learning through fun helps the learner to retain the
lessons for a longer period.
Most educators understand the important role
experience plays in the learning process. A fun learning environment, with
plenty of laughter and respect for the learner's abilities, also fosters an
effective experiential learning environment. It is vital that the individual
is encouraged to directly involve themselves in the experience, in order
that they gain a better understanding of the new knowledge and retain the
information for a longer time. As stated by the ancient Chinese philosopher,
Confucius, "[t]ell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve
me and I will understand."[need citation]
An effective experiential facilitator is one
who is passionate about his or her work and is able to immerse participants
totally in the learning situation, allowing them to gain new knowledge from
their peers and the environment created. These facilitators stimulate the
imagination, keeping participants hooked on the experience.
Comparisons
Experiential learning is most easily compared
with academic learning, the process of acquiring information through the
study of a subject without the necessity for direct experience. While the
dimensions of experiential learning are analysis, initiative, and immersion,
the dimensions of academic learning are constructive learning and
reproductive learning. Though both methods aim at instilling new knowledge
in the learner, academic learning does so through more abstract, classroom
based techniques, whereas experiential learning actively involves the
learner in a concrete experience.
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