”Team Building” is all the rage these days, but what does it really mean? Generally speaking, it has to do with consolidating or strengthening the work team. In most cases it consists of an event that a company organizes in order to strengthen bonds and motivate team members. These days, organizations are constantly searching for ways to motivate their troops and unleash the creativity of their human resources, who are both the heart and soul of every organization. There is a growing trend towards hiring outside resources to launch team-building sessions. The terms burnout, depression, anxiety and absenteeism are unfortunately too common in today’s workplace. These issues are a major expense for employers, which is why there are specialists in this field who are working on solutions to help improve the performance of individual workers.

Sport as a Source of Motivation

Obviously, there are a number of different team-building activities to choose from. It can be as simple as a meal at a restaurant, or a week of workshops and conferences. Certain businesses offer services that are designed to change the daily habits and lifestyle of employees. By taking up different sports-related challenges, employees will raise their overall performance and efficiency, and be in better physical condition. What’s more, team spirit will be strengthened by the new climate of support and collaboration that was put in place to meet the challenges. Your business will profit from this new level of employee commitment which will also be attractive for any new employees you wish to recruit as they will be more than willing to adhere to this new business culture.

A Concept Which has Evolved

Team building, which became popular in the 80’s, was based on studies performed in the 60’s. The objective consisted of strengthening the ties that unite team members in order to improve their overall efficiency. If you aren’t quite convinced of the benefits of team building, here are a few that may influence your opinion:

• Better work climate
• Personal development
• Improved motivation
• Stronger commitment
• Better communication between team members
• Closer ties among team members
• Clearer objectives
• Improved efficiency
• Better understanding and appreciation of fellow employees
• Better awareness of personal and team potential

A Variety of Choices

Here are a number of ways to implement team-building activities in your business: A number of employers turn to the arts, theatre, painting or movies. Others will use role play, improvisation exercises, go-kart or other racing, outdoor survival, circus training, cooking lessons, etc. The choice of activities to use with your team members is unlimited!