2010 Team Building Trends in South Africa

Team building has been around for quite a while in a variety of forms. These range from going out for drinks and some games to REAL, genuine, true team building - trust building - relationship building.

In the past most groups went out for “fun” team-building-games style events. But what we are discovering today is the smarter companies are looking for better-bang-for-their-TEAM-BUILDING-buck… Better Value and results.

They are looking for fun, engagement AND sustainable positive results that impact the workplace culture, team relationships and productivity.

Smarter Managers

Managers, the smarter ones, who have come to understand that THEY drive engagement levels, also go along on the team building days to ensure that they become an integral and valuable part of the team synergy too.

Their biggest need is to have meaningful and insightful activities that help restore team spirit, open communication, honesty, energy, relationships, and put the team onto a sustainable, more engaged, and productive track.

In today’s times, change is THE constant." Teams that are resilient, cohesive, have clear, open and honest communications, great leadership, and engaged energy, will enjoy the challenges and thrive. Team games do not usually build these skills on a “fun” team building style day out.

Appreciate and Appreciative

People seldom feel appreciated at work, unless they have a very savvy manager or leader. So we have seen a great acceptance of our Appreciative Inquiry based Team events. These indoor activities focus on the positive and more of what-is-working. Rather than old style problem-solving that delivers.. Name-Blame-Shame experiences.

Appreciative Experiential team activities provide a safe way to play, have fun and learn, all at the same time. By letting people experience challenges and situations that usually occur out in the real world - only in a team game simulation environment, that builds and focuses on your strengths, they feel safe and empowered to fully participate. That’s a WOW for most people.

This enables team members to practice, fail, learn and succeed, in a non-threatening positive space. This experience also strengthens trust and the bonds between team members.

CSR & Edu-tainmant
We’ve seen great appreciation for "edu-tainment" style activities that facilitate action learning and personal growth, as well as provide a level of fun, energy and connection in our diverse workplace. People want to learn new things that they can use to improve their lives and the lives of others.

We’ve also seen a strong rise in CSR team building activities. That is, Corporate Social Responsibility events that give back to the most needy communities and/or reducing the organisations carbon footprint in some way.

This is a real team building outing when ...participants have to make group decisions on handling project issues, how resources are to be allocated and applied, how they will overcome challenges, how to meet deadlines, and finally how success is going to be monitored, measured and celebrated. 

This results in a meaningful event for the team that helps the community in need. This enables the team to learn and practice important skill, uses their talents, and provides them with a genuine sense of purpose, value, meaning and accomplishment.

Our Corporate Cause Coach events give teams a powerful experience of accomplishment and pride that lasts. Their team’s outputs has a big impact on that community- which groups game style team building does not achieve. 

Trust Me!

Most people want REAL. They are tired of games. They want authenticity from their leaders, manages and co workers. People are looking for something they can TRUST and connect with.

There is much deception and mis representation all over the place. With unreliable adverts, untruthful politicians, escalation corruption, corporate thefts, damaging workplace politics – where is safe, easy, open and honest? What or who can you trust?

Trust is the glue and the lubricant to speed up workplace effectiveness on an optimized and sustainable basis in a world of diversity. Employee engagement is fast becoming part of the executive level focus, because they are discovering that it’s one of the primary points that drives a large proportion of success in their business.


Meaningful Results

Most of our customer calls are for our 1 day REAL team building events. People seem to be looking for genuine VALUE and sustainable results that are meaningful for the participants, as well as important to the workplace culture and the business results.

The shift is from…

Old-style Games… arriving at work the next day, after a fun team outing, with a hang-over, a sore or broken ankle… wrist or (put in your own injury here) and …bragging about who won and who lost.

To New Style Appreciative Engagement… arriving at work with a smile, possibly giving your associates a hug, or a honest and caring greeting, or honestly enquiring into how they are doing today? Usually followed with the following comment… “WOW that was a life-changing and team-changing day we had TOGETHER. Let’s make things happen around here.”

Do you feel that increased levels of RESILIENCE, better ENERGY (Personal) management, an APPRECIATIVE approach, and LEADERSHIP with heart, would change your employee engagement levels and team working effectiveness?

You betcha! We see it each time we do a REAL team building session.

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Namaste’

Tony Dovale
www.lifemasters.co.za
REAL Team Building Coach
Free Team building & Employee Engagement research report – email RTR@coachfree.com for your free copy.