Most work roles today include “team player” as a classification or even a requirement in the job description. After all, the current office framework and processes call for team members who can effectively interact and product quality work with partners and colleagues who come from various backgrounds. Diversity is the key and buzzword of the workplace, so you may find yourself working with others of different race, socioeconomic status, educational background, and other factors.
While diversity has its myriad benefits in terms of productivity, office management consultants advise business owners to also address harmony in a group. After all, different backgrounds also bring with it different opinion and ideas, so it’s great to find balance in the group before requiring everyone to be friends with everybody else.
This is where team building activities should come in. Here are four things that employees can benefit from in fun and well-designed team building activities.
Communication
When a message is passed on from one person to another, there will be so many modifications that by the time the message reaches the last person in the room, the message will have been greatly altered. To work well with others, an employee should be able to communicate clearly and effectively. This can be addressed in a “pass-the-message” game among colleagues. A game debriefing will then align everyone’s interpretation of the game and allow the participants to learn from the simple game.
Innovation
The interconnectivity of people in today’s world somehow diminishes one’s ability to think original thoughts. It’s challenging to write fresh ideas, and people who can come up with new storylines are considered brilliant or even genius. This is how important innovation is, especially at work. While established business practices have their own benefits, most companies try hard to find more efficient processes to generate more income. Team building activities can also foster an innovative attitude, a growth mindset, and becoming an individual who can think outside the box.
Trust and Conflict Resolution
Working in a group also involves conflict and trust issues. After all, you only know your colleague through his or her work output, and it takes effort to know another person outside of work. You only get to talk about personal issues during a Friday night out or maybe on a lunch outside the office building. There are many team building games that address trust and conflict resolution, and this can be useful in your own team, too.
Attitude
Key performance indexes like attendance and productivity are measurable, but attitude, though hard to quantify, may matter more in general terms. After all, how one handles work problems and personal issues can tell you more about that individual. A positive attitude can be introduced, if not developed, through team building activities. And it’s often better to work with positive individuals than be dragged down by negative attitudes in the workplace.
Consider incorporating these key workplace soft skills in your next team building activity to maximize everyone’s potential.