The short answer is yes. But let us elaborate.
Behind a successful business is a team of hardworking individuals working together to make it all possible. It is rare for a business to be masterminded by a single person. However, in a team, one needs to stand up, take responsibility, and steer the group to the ultimate business goal. Hence, teamwork and collaboration must be enhanced to maximize the team’s potential to grow.
The pandemic has affected many businesses across the world. It also changed many aspects of the way we study and work. With the workforce shifting to a virtual arrangement, collaboration and productivity have become more difficult to address and practice. It is even more difficult for team leaders or even CEOs to handle a team remotely. Gladly, if you lead a team or a business, there are leadership courses you can take to help you adapt to the challenges of shifting to a virtual workplace and effectively manage your team.
What is team building?
Team building is a collaborative activity between your company or business members that can help them become a more productive and efficient team. It may be organized by the HR head of your business or the team leader.
Players or members have then grouped accordingly and subsequently given tasks to accomplish to reach their goal. In doing the tasks and reaching the goal, team members will develop some must-have collaborative and interpersonal skills along the way. If planned and executed properly, these skills can be ingrained in the team and make them better team players.
The importance of team building
Team building is essential for many reasons. It helps the players in your team become more collaborative and get to know each other beyond a professional level. It can develop bonds and friendships that will help the group work together more effectively and efficiently. This is because they can feel more at ease with the people they work with and build rapport, resulting in boosted team performance.
Moreover, team building activities, your team can even settle their differences and resolve any issues they have against their teammate or even against you as their leader. Team building will also yield to a friendly competition between your employees and create a strong team spirit. It also gives opportunities to the team members who do not speak up often a chance to express themselves and feel a sense of belongingness.
During team building activities, recognition, or even some awards can boost your employees’ morale and motivate them to work harder. Many team-building activities can develop team collaboration, such as communication, trust, resourcefulness, imagination, and creativity.
Lastly, it improves your company’s image and culture and helps employees develop a positive outlook towards your company. No one would want to work in a company where the environment does not foster a positive work attitude.
Can team building activities be done online?
Collaboration-enhancing activities are no easy tasks before the pandemic broke out. It became even more of a headache and a dilemma for many businesses when work transitioned online. Luckily, there are still many team building activities you can do virtually.
Team building activities are a great way for your team to take a short break off work. It will also help them re-energize, recharge, and keep in touch with the rest of the group. Virtual arrangements may be too stressful for some and may even make your team members feel isolated. This may result in sub-optimal performances that can affect the overall productivity of your team and your business.
Arranging virtual team-building activities can boost your team’s spirit, particularly on days when the team’s morale may be down and low. Whether it is just a simple icebreaker game, a competitive game, or just a short session of sharing team members’ day—to—day activities, these can all be arranged and done virtually.
Conducting a virtual team building
Whatever type of team building activity you have planned, conducting it is fairly easy and would not require resources you do not already have.
First, set a time and date for the activity. Ideally, you may set it once a week. You can even make it a weekly habit your team can look forward to. Team building activities do not have to be that long. An hour or two is sufficient.
Next, set up a video teleconference platform where the activity will take place. If your organization already has a subscription to Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, or any similar app, then you are already set. You can use these platforms to organize the activity.
Lastly, it would help if you had a facilitator or moderator. If you are the team leader, then it goes without saying that you will be the one to lead the activity. You may not get to participate in the games, but on the bright side, you’ll get to witness your team enjoy and build relationships.
If you feel extra generous, you can also give incentives or awards to spice up the competition!
It does not take much to bring your team members closer to each other, even if they are miles away. Incorporating team building activities in your work schedule will yield great results and performance from your members if executed well.
