Why team building is important for your business
Have you ever watched a sports team win a match, and noticed how the star players always give recognition to their coaches and their teammates? Working together as a team is essential to success, and this applies even more so in the world of business. Effective team building can bring several benefits to your company, such as improved employee morale and productivity – and as the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work.
Although the idea of ‘team building’ activities might make you think of trust falls and company picnics, the reality is that team building is one of the most important investments you can make in your staff. It plays a crucial role in creating a stable, goal-oriented team, which is fundamental to any company’s success. With this in mind, here are some of our top reasons why team building is important for your business.
Improves productivity
Team building events help teams learn how to solve problems together, and ask for help when it’s needed. Employees can step in when another member of their team needs help catching up, or needs to delegate some of their tasks, which means that in the long run work is completed more efficiently and to a higher quality.
A little bit of healthy competition can also help in this regard. By giving teams a certain target to achieve, people are more likely to go out of their way to help others to achieve the goal of being part of the ‘better’ team. This encourages your employees to work collaboratively in order to improve their efficiency.
By taking the time to understand each other’s working styles, and giving each employee the chance to exercise their individual strengths for the benefit of their team, this is certain to have a knock-on effect and improve overall productivity back in the workplace.
Builds morale
Research from Gallup has found that 57% of UK employees consider themselves to be disengaged from their jobs, which means they are more likely to be emotionally disconnected from their workplaces, and less likely to be productive. Team building activities and events are a great way to fight this problem, and create a happier, more motivated group of employees. They can help build morale and camaraderie, especially between colleagues who don’t get to spend time with each other on a regular basis.
Team building helps your employees to connect with each other and build stronger working relationships that contribute to overall job satisfaction. In fact, additional research from Gallup has found that among female employees, those who strongly agree they have a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged (63%) compared with the women who say otherwise (29%).
Giving your employees the chance to socialise with each other outside of the office is essential in keeping them connected with each other, and ultimately, with your organisation. Regular team building events are therefore a great bonding opportunity, and can go a long way in boosting overall employee morale.
Improves communication
Communication is at the core of any team building activity. When employees work as a team, they discuss the task they have been given and the best approach to achieve their intended result. Some naturally take charge, whereas others prefer to mediate within the group. Team building activities are a great way to learn what your different employees’ communication styles are like, and how they might work together in order to achieve a common goal.
Team building activities also provide an opportunity for your colleagues to approach colleagues they don’t know too well. As humans, we are naturally inclined to approach people we know before those we don’t. By encouraging your colleagues to work with a new group of people, you can open up new channels of communication within your company. This helps create an open work culture, which gives your employees the confidence to approach different people and be fully transparent with each other.
Encourages problem solving and conflict resolution
As Vivian Scott explains on Dummies, ‘team members build stronger bonds when they have common ground, through either shared interests or similar experiences’. Team building activities provide your employees with an opportunity to relate to each other, and build rapport over something they have in common with each other. They might lead to your employees learning something new about each other, which can influence their professional relationships for the better and reduce the chances of future conflict.
Team building activities and events provide a neutral forum for employees to discuss their different approaches to a task, without the pressure of a real-world deadline adding stress to the situation. They can go a long way in helping your staff see eye-to-eye with each other, and help resolve any workplace tensions that might be troubling them.
Fosters learning and innovation
According to research from LinkedIn, 94% of employees say that they would stay with their employer longer if it invested in their learning and development. Team building activities are a great opportunity for this. By giving your staff a chance to demonstrate and develop traits such as leadership, problem solving and communication skills, they can identify any areas of improvement to work upon and then apply in the workplace.
Team building activities also encourage your staff to think outside of the box, and gives them a risk-free environment to try out new approaches and ideas. Furthermore, by working with other colleagues, they can also work in collaboration to come up with innovative solutions to tasks. If your activities are successful, this mentality will be transferred into the workplace and result in a more creative and communicative team.
Team building activities give your employees the chance to experiment and develop their skills, which can not only benefit your business, but also helps them to feel respected and valued.
Final thoughts
Having a strong team is important, no matter what the size of your business is. Your staff are your greatest asset, and by investing time in team building activities, you will be able to enjoy benefits such as increased productivity, better communication between your employees, and an improvement of company culture.
We hope this article has inspired you to make team building a priority within your business, and that you’re now able to come up with some ideas for how to explore this with your team!
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