Experiential learning and team building: Team building 'reduces internal competition'

Date: 25/11/2011

Within any working environment there is the potential for competition; there will always be people who want to be the best and the one who is in line for any promotions and pay rises.

And while this can be a good thing in that it means these individuals will work hard to get ahead there are times when competition can get in the way of doing a job well, which is where team building can help.

Corporate team building activities can dramatically reduce internal competition, according to founding director of the consultancy firm 12Boxes, Malcolm Sleath.

Speaking to Consultant News, he said that getting out of the office and taking part in some different activities can help people recognise their role within the team and what their own individual contributions and qualities bring to the team as a whole.

However, to get this result, companies need to ensure that their team building activities are organised in a way which makes the lessons learnt easy to transfer to the workplace.

Mr Sleath recommends starting out by setting some inconsequential but challenging puzzles to get people in the right frame of mind. This exercise should allow the team to develop an effective way of working together which can then be applied to more serious issues. It is advisable to ask colleagues what they think issues in their workplace are prior to the activities starting so they are not blinded by a new found bond with their workmates.

The activities can end with the workers thinking about the ways they can apply the lessons they have learned to the workplace. It is up to managers to help enforce this action plan once back in the office.

Mr Sleath concluded that many work environments have a culture which rewards competition rather than genuine effectiveness.

"To change that requires bravery and true leadership," he noted.

Posted by Elizabeth Mewes
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