Team Building the All Inclusive Way
Copyright 2006 Sandstone Limited
More and more people are booking "all inclusive" holidays. These
are the ones that have all meals and (usually locally produced)
drinks included in the base price of the holiday. Providing the
food is appetising and (for me) the beer is drinkable, they do
just fine.
Flicking through a travel brochure the other day, I got to
thinking what other commercially available offerings could be
all inclusive. I decided that team building is certainly one.
"What's new?" I hear you ask. "I've never had to pay for my
drinks or food on a corporate away day." Well, food and drink
are not the only - or even most important - resources at an away
day or conference. The people are.
So how does the term "all inclusive" apply to the team members
themselves? It's easy - think about it. They all need to be
included in the activity. Sounds simple, yet I'd wager that most
team building days don't follow this simple piece of advice.
What does the term "team building" bring to mind for you?
Whether they enjoy them or not, most people think of
quad-biking, abseiling, orienteering or some other outdoor
activity. These are activities that appeal to a certain type of
person but not all. As and when a manager chooses such an
option, he or she is probably forcing some members of the team
to go against their wishes - or feign illness on the day. Those
diligent enough not to "pull a sickie" are more likely to
dislike - and perhaps even hate - every minute of the day.
So what is the answer? Select an option that meets the lowest
common denominator? Choose a tea party with charades? No - this
has exactly the same problem at the other end of the scale. The
more extrovert, adrenaline junkies will savour this kind of
activity every bit as much as their less physically-inclined
colleagues would enjoy jumping off a cliff.
Does this mean that team building days are doomed to mediocrity?
Selecting something that offends the least rather than inspires
the most?
No. You can choose an "all inclusive" option. And these tend to
have more parallels back in the workplace as well, making real
team development more likely.
An all inclusive activity is one that has a core challenge or
task that is ongoing throughout the session. This core challenge
will contain the overall goal of the group, or teams within the
group if it is a competitive activity. It will be something that
everyone can either do or play a part in. Ideally it will also
be something that people will most likely enjoy, although it is
not essential that everyone does enjoy it.
Parallel to the main challenge should be ancillary challenges
that are optional and wide-ranging. These tasks should make
sense within the overall context of the main challenge. That is,
people will not wonder what relevance they have to meeting their
overall goal or feel that the link is unrealistically tenuous.
Chosen well, these discrete yet integrated challenges are what
make a team building session all inclusive. Include some that
will appeal to those who like a physical challenge and the
adrenaline junkies will be happy and involved. Include some
construction tasks and the engineering-inclined will be
ecstatic. Include some more cerebral tasks and those who enjoy
using their grey matter will be in their element.
Make each of these ancillary challenges optional and people can
choose their own idea of fun for the day and genuinely
contribute to their team's achievement. Everyone will leave
happy and the opportunity is there to highlight the similarities
to the workplace and identify real team improvements.
The best teams have people within them with a mix of interests
and skill sets. Their effectiveness is determined by how these
different skills are used within a team context to maximise the
outputs of the team. Different people using different skills in
parallel. An all inclusive team building session is simply one
that mirrors real life.