Can team building games make a difference?
People have different ideas about what motivational activities are and what they are for. What are they supposed to achieve? Do they work? Are they worth spending money on?
The Theory
Top universities, business schools and businesses themselves all agree how important creating a great team is for success. Harvard University describes the process as a “science” and outlines the ingredients needed for it here. But what part can team building activities play in all this? Can they really transform how well people work together? Plenty of research suggests they can.
- A study at Radford University confirmed that “team training can be effective in a variety of situations and a variety of organizations”. It recommends “continuing to train teams on teamwork skills (such as collaboration and support) and training general and specific teamwork skills”.
- A survey by the University of Central Florida confirmed that team bonding activities can benefit team performance. Goal setting, interpersonal relations, problem solving and role clarification were flagged up as key areas which benefit.
- Professor Eduardo Salas is a world expert in helping organizations design and implement successful team training strategies. This article sets out how effective team building can be in improving team outcomes among health care workers. “Many providers and administrators are looking for evidence that team training is effective,” it says. “Does it impact patient safety? Does it improve the work environment? Does team training work? YES, it does.”
- Links to academic research into how you can best create and motivate a successful team are also available in this article.
- The key to any successful enterprise, of course, is how you motivate the people involved in it. “Motivation is the key to performance improvement,” say team development experts Accel. Go here for the articles and advice they provide on how to achieve this.
The Practice
Team motivation theory is one thing. Putting it into practice is another. When delivered well by experts who know what they are doing, it can achieve impressive results. Well run team building activities build confidence, raise morale, hone skills and improve team performance. Contact us to learn more about how our games work and what benefits they bring. We have detailed information we can send you about all our games. With some, the emphasis is very much on improving team spirit by encouraging people to have fun together while tackling various enjoyable challenges. With others, key training objectives are delivered. All the games have been created by us and are run exclusively by us.
For more on the games themselves, please take a look at our team building games and business games.