Why Do We Need Corporate Team Building Workshops?
Team building is a huge part of the modern workplace, but it's also one of the most misunderstood.
Yet, team building is a must if you want to build a strong company culture and create an environment where people are excited to work every day. You can't just sit around and expect your employees to magically bond together over their shared love of office supplies or the latest binge-worthy drama on Netflix.
Many organisations only view corporate team building activities as a quarterly event on their mandatory “to-do” list. They end up delegating a HR executive to google “fun corporate team building activities” without explaining the objectives of team building or the purpose of what they hope to achieve.
Back to Basics: Why is Corporate Team Building Important?
It is essential for maximising collaboration.
Let’s face it. Without collaboration, work might still get done, but you compromise in terms of efficiency or even quality.
A team who knows how to collaborate will be able to communicate openly with each other, and tap on the right people to be positioned in the right place.
According to the 2022 team-building statistics compiled by TeamStage, “nearly 75% of employees see teamwork and collaboration as essential.” Although team building is deemed a pivotal factor for success in the workplace, few resources are invested in it.
I believe I can represent the voice of many Singaporean employees (despite being a leadership coach myself) that they do not perceive the days dedicated to team-building activities as something that is of utmost importance to the team or organisation.
On the contrary, they probably take it lightheartedly as a fun time away from the office. For other opportunistic individuals, they might use it as a reason to take a day off and schedule a short getaway instead (yes, it’s an open secret).
Executives are feeling the impacts of a lack of collaboration in the workplace, where a whopping 86% pinpoint the lack of collaboration to be the contributing factor to company failures on the whole.
Greater focus should be placed on team building to optimise the collaborative potential of teams and the overall performance of the organisation.
It helps you retain your greatest asset – your people.
The same statistics compiled by TeamStage indicate that 33% of employees “believe that a culture of collaboration makes them more loyal.”
In the age of the Great Resignation, the importance of talent retention cannot be overstated. The cost of replacing any employee, let alone your best talents, is enormous. If it happens time and again, you can be certain that the aftershocks will be long felt.
Supporting your people by investing in team building will not be money wasted. When there is strong camaraderie within the employees, statistics have shown that more than 50% of employees would choose to remain in an organisation because of the sense of belonging they feel to the team.
That is an intangible factor that organisations have the power to influence. Truth be told, the level to which any employee feels engaged in their job or connected to their workplace can never be quantified. Yet, the staying power of this “emotional” factor is more important than anyone realises.
It has an impact on performance and productivity.
We’ve gone over how corporate team-building activities have the potential to foster stronger bonds within the employees and build engagement in the process.
Statistics show that organisations with a fully engaged workforce have the capability to double the revenue earned. It goes on to state how team building “can improve work ethic and innovation up to 10 times.”
At the end of the day, organisations have a bottom line to protect. The way to protect that bottom line and ensuring the organisation continues to progress is not through focusing on performance metrics or processes.
The statistics evidently reveal that high-performing teams are teams who understand the power of collaboration, and team building lays the foundation for that.
How Does Strengths School Approach Corporate Team Building?
Strengths School is a quality corporate team-building vendor that, over the years, has partnered with more than 493 organisations and strengthened 515 teams (and counting). Here are the core areas that Strengths School excels in when it comes to delivering our corporate team-building workshops:
Knowing Your Strengths
At Strengths School, we believe that the purpose of corporate team-building workshops is to foster a sense of collaboration amongst the employees through employing the strengths-based approach.
Most corporate team-building workshops attempt to build team morale through fun activities that encourages interaction between employees. However, a quality corporate team building would help teams understand how to work together.
The best form of collaboration is when a team understands the strengths of every individual team member and leverages the collective strengths to push towards achieving their goals or KPIs.
Managing Conflict Through Strengths Conversations
One Google search is enough to show you just how many corporate team-building vendors are out there who utilise CliftonStrength (StrengthsFinder) as a profiling assessment tool.
The difference that Strengths School brings is our expertise in equipping teams to manage conflict. Conflict should not be viewed as a negative thing to avoid. Conflict is healthy. It is a natural part of working together as a team that stems from the different working styles of individuals within the team.
We have worked closely with our clients to customise corporate team-building workshops that equip teams to manage conflict differently. A salient example is how we introduce the concept of Strengths conversations that help team members use the Strengths language to appreciate and value their differences.
That allows team members to forge a deeper connection and fosters greater collaboration in the future.
Corporate Team Building That Makes A Difference
The next time you plan your corporate team-building activity or scour through lists of corporate team-building workshops, remember that it can and should go beyond just fun activities.
Each corporate team building day is an opportunity for teams to build or strengthen their culture of collaboration and communication. If you think your team missed the boat, it’s not too late. Now is the time to make the best use of that opportunity.
Written by Jason Ho
Ideation • Strategic • Adaptability • Relator • Self-Assurance
Jason is Southeast Asia's very first Gallup Certified StrengthsFinder Coach and founder of Strengths School. Having worked in the finance and consulting industry for a number of years, he brings a wealth of experience from the private sector. Jason is extremely passionate about the power of StrengthsFinder in management and business, and actively conducts StrengthsFinder workshops and coaching sessions all across Southeast Asia for individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential.
