The Importance Of Team Building Exercises

How strong is your team? When it comes to success, having a harmonious team that is working together and striving for the same goal is essential. How do you build that morale and motivation within your team, though?

Team building games are some of the most effective methods of developing communication and confidence among your employees. In this blog, we thought we would take a closer look at what these activities are, the many benefits they provide, and some examples of exercises you can do to strengthen your team.

What are team building games?

Before we take a look at the many benefits that team building activities can bring to your organization, it is first important to understand what they are. These team building games can be short weekly activities or an annual dedicated day, but they all have the same goal: to increase communication, build trust between employees and keep them engaged.

Over the years, these kinds of events have garnered a bit of a negative image from employees, but the right team building exercises can transform how your organization operates. The most successful team building events are those that do not feel like a corporate day at the office. Instead, they should be a fun and engaging way to bring your employees together and allow them to connect with each other in a way that does not feel forced or fake.

What are the benefits of a team building game?

The right kind of team building games can help you to take your organization forward and can provide a wide array of benefits, including:

Build trust with other team members

The most successful teams are those that are able to work together with confidence; however, in order to do this, there needs to be trust among employees. Team building activities are a fantastic way to develop trust, ensuring that each member of staff knows that they can fall back on each other when required.

A strong sense of trust among your team also helps to ensure that everyone feels safe and confident in opening up and sharing their strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities.

Enhance communication skills

Team building exercises will also help to enhance the communication amongst your staff. Effective communication is the backbone of success, so being able to improve how your team engages with each other will ensure everyone understands their roles as well as those of their peers.

Teambuilding games boost productivity

With better trust and stronger communication, you will find that there is also a far higher productivity rate. Not only will employees be able to share their workloads more effectively, but when everyone understands their strengths and weaknesses, they can support each other and sharpen their skills.

Foster creativity

That ability to share skills and communicate more effectively will also help to foster creativity amongst your team. When we work solo, we are often limited with our ideas and perspectives; however, sharing these projects will bring new innovative ideas that can transform how we see each project.

Strengthen relationships

One of the biggest benefits of team building activities is that they will bring your employees together and strengthen their relationships. When your team members are close and connected, it makes work more enjoyable, enhancing morale and ensuring everyone feels supported through the highs and lows.

Enjoy healthy team member competition

Of course, while collaboration and shared ideas are perfect for increasing productivity, healthy competition is also essential in pushing the boundaries and helping employees to achieve more. Team building exercises are a great way to build team spirit and ensure everyone is pushing themselves to achieve their best.

Reduce conflict

Conflicts can be one of the most damaging aspects of any business, and the longer that these are left unresolved, the greater the impact on your whole team. Disagreements are a part of life, and effective team building activities will help ensure your employees will be able to amicably resolve any conflict quickly.

Become more accepting

Not only will it help to reduce conflict, but team building exercises can also help your employees to become more accepting. Inclusivity is one of the most important aspects of any modern business, and regular team building exercises will allow people to understand different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Enhance skills

Team building activities are also a fantastic way to share skills and allow employees to learn from others. This shared learning experience will also give different team members the chance to take on leadership roles, allowing them to enhance their creativity and decision-making skills.

Establish a strong company culture

Above all, though, effective team building activities can strengthen your company culture. When your team is working together and maximizing their output, it creates a fun and enjoyable environment that your employees will want to remain in.

What are some of the best games for teamwork?

While there can be no denying the many benefits that come from team games, what are some of the best to incorporate into your corporation?

1.     Office trivia

A great one to help your team understand each other and the workplace is a simple game of office trivia. To play this, think of 20-30 questions about the office, such as “What color is the coffee machine” or “how many people named Ben work here” and hold a quiz-style competition.

Just remember not to make any questions too personal or could place anyone in an embarrassing situation.

2.     Blind Drawing

Ideal for groups of up to six people, this team game involves one employee in each group designated the artist and the rest of the team having to describe an item for them to draw; without telling them what the item is.

This is a great game to help enhance creative thinking and communication amongst your employees.

3.      Reverse Charades

Rather than having one person stand up and act out a scene, reverse charades require a team of people working together to act out that phrase or word while one person has to guess. This is a fun game and a great way to improve communication skills and increase confidence.

4.    Emblem design

When it comes to games for teamwork, having small groups work together to create a new emblem or logo for the company is a fantastic way to boost creativity. Have each group reflect on the company’s values and achievements, as well as what they want to see in the future, and ask them to reflect on this in the design.

This is a great way to boost creative thinking for the whole team and also help showcase to other team members why your organization matters.

Looking to transform your organization’s productivity?

Team building games are a fantastic way to transform your organization’s productivity and success. Here at Shiftbase, our mission is to help you take that even further through innovative technology designed to support you in improving efficiency and maximizing performance.

Want to find out more? Check out the array of features our system provides or get in touch with our team, who will be happy to help answer any questions you have!