Types of Team Building Every Company Must Explore

The pandemic gave rise to the onset of the work from home culture which has compelled companies to explore diverse types of team building approaches and virtual strategies.

Virtual team-building is a great way to indulge remote employees, but it has its drawbacks too. Lack of physical interactions can lead to communication gaps and during online interactions. Remote employees usually make short work calls, giving no time to discuss things apart from work. And oh! Let’s not even get to the technical glitches.

According to a recent study, employees working from home can reduce their productivity upto 21% due to feelings of isolation.

Now, life is slowly getting back to normalcy. People are returning after a long sabbatical from a regular 9-5 work life. Businesses must redefine their team-building strategies for people returning to workplaces.

Team building tactics may sound simple, but implementing them can be confusing at first. Hence, it is crucial to understand the types of team building and how organizations can benefit by implementing such activities.

So let’s dive into the various types of team-building approaches to build a successful team!

Here are the six types of Team Building approaches.

1. Activity-based team-building technique

An activity-based type of team-building exercise gives your employees a break from the daily usual work routine. It helps the team to step out of their comfort zone. Here, the team members indulge in various mental or physical activities carried out both indoors and outdoors.

Organizing team lunches and outings enhance communication amongst team members. It connects them personally and discovers hidden traits. Outdoor activities need the teams to step out of the office, which is not feasible at all times. Indoor team-building games such as a Foosball tournament or a scavenger hunt are an excellent mood booster too!

2. Communication-based team-building technique

The key to any social networking is communication.

Perfect for a new team with all new members, a communication-based team-building approach can be a great ice breaker. These types of group-building activities for the workplace allow the team to get to know their colleagues a little better and share a personal bond. It can help break communication barriers, improve interpersonal skills and build trust among the employees.

There are various communication-based activities online that your organization can adopt irrespective of your team’s size. Some of them are:

• The barter puzzle: Divide the members into smaller groups. Each group will be given a jigsaw puzzle with some missing pieces. The members will have to find the missing parts by negotiating with the other teams.

• Truths and lies: Every team member will write down two truths and a lie about themselves on a piece of paper. The rest of the team will have to identify the lie among the three. It is a great way to get to know the team members better.

3. Skills-based team-building technique

Are you thinking of a team bonding experience that can be fun and productive at the same time? A skill-based team-building activity can enhance the skills of the team members required for their respective jobs.

Employees acquire skills that are beneficial for their job, which will improve the team’s overall performance. They participate in various training and development workshops such as leadership skills, managerial skills, negotiation, conflict management and creative thinking skills.

Managers can also combine skill-based workshops with some fun activities to keep things interesting. One of the fun skill-based activities can be the “Back of the napkin” challenge.

The goal of this game is to promote creative thinking and teamwork. Provide the team with a napkin and a pen. Give them a set of problems or questions to which they have to find a solution in the form of a sketch, flowchart, or graph. The team with the best solution wins.

4. Personality-based team-building technique

A workplace can be a mix and match of all sorts of personality. Hence, managers need to identify and nurture the various personality types.

Team leaders can carry out a personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Then they can coordinate tasks accordingly to bring out the best in all the group members. It helps employees to know their coworkers on an individual level. They are able to appreciate the uniqueness everyone brings to the table.

Some may perform better working with a large group of people, while the rest may prefer small groups.

Managers can assign tasks according to personality types. It will lead to better understanding and increased effectiveness in the team.

5. Problem-solving-based team-building technique

Challenges are inevitable in every team dynamic. When a large number of people are involved, clashes are bound to occur within the group.

According to this report, employees in the U.S spend approximately 2.8 hours each week involved in a conflict.

Problem-solving activities can improve communication, interpersonal relationships and mend differences to reach a common goal. The team leader must identify and analyze the problem. Then they must determine the best course of action to take.

You can make this process enjoyable by introducing fun games or exercises for the team. At the same time, you can learn how to work and grow together as a team.

Team members must take part with an open mindset and assess different ideas and solutions. This will make them have a deeper understanding of the team’s strengths and weaknesses as a whole.

You can have a look at these effective problem-solving activities that can help your team!

6. Value-based team-building technique

A Forbes report shows that millennials and Gen Y employees are more inclined towards social welfare. They believe in giving back to society.

A value-based team-building activity is a win-win situation for both the organization and the employees. Organizations can merge their CSR goals along with some outstanding team bonding experiences. It can give a meaningful experience to the employees by contributing to society and positively impacting the lives of those in need.

The activities can range from environmental, philanthropic, human rights, or economic responsibility. Events like charity cycling, cooking for a cause, and the welfare of the street dogs are some of the activities that your team must try. Such activities have also proven to boost employee engagement, employee morale, and job satisfaction. It can also act as a key factor in attracting young talent to the company.

Summing it up

All in all, team-building exercises should not only be a “fun time” in the office. It must also act as building blocks for bringing businesses and people together. Now the question arises, how frequently should there be a team-building activity?

In reality, what worked for a company might not work for another. It all depends on your objective and purpose. Therefore, there is no hard and fast rule to the routine of carrying out a team activity.

But there might be a few good indicators on when to conduct a team bonding exercise, which are:

• When a new member or two has joined the team.

• When you are planning to merge two departments.

• When you are trying to focus on a specific team issue or trying to improve a certain team aspect.

• When you are trying to improve internal communication. It can be between a geographically dispersed workforce or building camaraderie between them.

On a final note, regardless of the type of team-building activity you choose, be open to suggestions and feedback from your team as well.

Thadoi Thangjam is a content marketer and digital marketing executive at Vantage Circle. When she’s not geeking out over content strategies, she is probably hunting for the next perfect track to add to her playlist. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com