One of the things we’ve learned in our two-and-a-half decades of facilitating team building programs is how common it is for teams to jump into challenges without spending any time planning. Granted this is a human impulse, as many of us are compelled to take a “do think do” approach to problems, puzzles, and challenges. It’s an interesting phenomenon when it comes to work teams, though, as you wouldn’t think about allocating money to a marketing campaign or R & D project without some planning. Sure, the stakes are much lower, but teams are still driven to win or at…

The great thing about team building isn’t just how fun it is, but also how well its lessons apply back at the office. The other day we were doing an event with a group which involved completing an activity where the team has to touch a series of numbers scattered on the floor randomly in as fast a time as possible. The group got five goes at this activity, so a limited number of attempts. What’s interesting is how differently groups approach this challenge. Some dive right in, trying one technique or strategy, then maybe scratching it and trying something…

Proving Team Building ROI can be tricky in that it’s not something that produces clear data. You can’t easily say that your team building program in spring led to an amazing sales quarter, or that it directly reduced attrition, or helped with that product break-through you’d been searching for. However, team building gives back what you put into it, and team building events provide a treasure trove of learnings that you can bring back to the workplace. In this vein, we’re starting a “Team Building Lessons” series in which we provide anecdotes. Do We Try a New Approach? How Much…