If you are in management, you understand that the managers' objectives of team building are more than just getting all the employees to work well together. It goes deeper than that and involves creating a bond so employees become and act like a team. This is important in any office setting because a successful team becomes more efficient in the way they work, helping each other and creating a sense of mutual accomplishment.
Managers' Objectives of Team Building
No matter what the size of your office, managers' objectives of team building need to include everyone. Though you may have employees who work together more often, including the whole office has advantages and makes everyone feel like part of the team.
Depending on what type of business you work in or own, you may look at this task of team building differently. If you do have "teams" that work together exclusively, consider having multiple team building events including a corporate team-building gathering for everyone and then separate into team bonding meetings or activities.
MLM or Direct Sales Team Building
If you are a manager working in direct sales or multi-level marketing, team building now refers both to adding new members to your team and creating a sense of partnership. Implementation is required at a managerial level. By building a large organization or team, you earn bonuses based on team sales.
Team building is essential to creating a full time income with direct sales. Not only do you need to create your team, you also need to train them and build relationships. Leaders with close-knit teams are often more successful in their business than those who just recruit but do not cultivate a team culture.
Corporate World
Managers' objectives of team building differ slightly in the corporate world. Your team is those you hire. Often, you work together on projects for clients and need everything to go smoothly. By propagating a team culture, you can create better products and jump ahead of the competition.
Small Businesses
Even small businesses need to look at team building. The same philosophy applies to you as to the corporate world in that a team who works closely together can compete better for projects and bids with better results.
Team Building
Let's look at the reasons to work on team building:
- Efficiency: A strong team works together more efficiently. They know how others on the team react in certain situations and can be prepared for different issues that may come up.
- Strengths: Having a strong team allows you to build on your team members' strengths. This way you do not have the logistical member trying to work on the creative part.
- Enjoyment: When your team gets along and feels a sense of commitment to each other, they have more fun at their job and experience employee motivation. Studies show that employees who like their job and work partners are more productive.
- Commitment: When you feel like you are part of a team, you are more committed to helping with the project and to the company. You will experience better employee retention.
- Communication: It is easier to communicate with a team who willingly works together and helps each other out. If a team member does not feel comfortable approaching another employee, productivity and communication can be hampered or lost.
- Relationships: Building strong relationships helps create a stronger feeling of being part of a team.
- Cost Effective: When your employees work together, projects will get done quicker and more efficiently.
Accomplishing Your Objectives
Managers' objectives of team building can be accomplished different ways. If you have the budget, a retreat is a great option for creating team building. If you are limited in time and resources, there are other options to fulfill these objectives.
Retreat
Take your employees out of the office for a weekend getaway. Many camps offer professional retreats where you can spend time bonding and performing trust exercises. A retreat should be a combination of training and fun.
Games
Though it may not seem like the way to reach managers' team-building objectives, playing games is a great way to accomplish your goal. Games can range from a friendly basketball game against others in the office to Win, Lose or Draw. There are also great trust exercises that teach team building and working together.
Professional
If you do not feel you can achieve your managers' objectives of team building on your own, hire a professional to come in and initiate a weekend workshop.
Once you have established your team camaraderie, you will fulfill your company's objectives towards team building and can experience the benefits that come with this bond. Team building should be done one to two times a year to continue training and to strengthen the established bond. When you hire new employees, be sure to plan an activity that will help them feel more like part of the group.