What is team building (team building): ideas and scenarios + instructions on how to organize everything correctly

Indoor team building is relevant when there is no opportunity to go outside the city with a team for the whole day. You can hold such an event regularly so that employees can learn, communicate better with each other, and be charged with positivity. Below we have collected for you the most interesting and unique ideas for conducting successful team building indoors.

What is team building

The literal translation is “team building.” Simply put, team building is a small corporate event for no reason. But there will be no buffets, congratulatory toasts from the authorities and unrestrained dancing. The main goal of team building is to create a friendly and productive team. In a fun, playful form, team building helps to unite the team, identify leaders, and discover the hidden qualities of employees.

You can hold such a collective event yourself or with the help of an invited company that specializes in creating an effective team.

The place for team building can be your office, a rented area or a cozy outdoor location.

How is a team different from a group?

This is not an idle question, since team building is necessary for a group of employees to turn into a team.

Team building in nature

Meeting colleagues in nature will help combine business with pleasure: both unite the team and get some fresh air away from the office. You can choose one of the Moscow parks as a location or rent a vehicle and go to the Moscow region. You can do it in a day, or you can take tents and stay overnight - with songs and conversations around the fire. Such team building is easy to organize both in summer and winter.

Here are some ideas that employees will love.

1. Rope park. Any obstacles may await you on the way to your goal, but you can overcome each of them. Remember this when you find yourself on a thin wooden plank ten meters above the ground. Climbing the rope park route is a fun and slightly extreme activity. By fighting fear together, employees will become more united. The main task is one - so that everyone can reach the end of the route. And the rest will support him.
2. Obstacle course. You need to prepare for such an event in advance. Choose a site away from prying eyes and make a simple obstacle course. But keep in mind that not only trained employees must cope with it, but also those who rarely leave their computer.
3. Treasure search. Prepare a small surprise gift for each quest participant in advance. Place them in a small chest or old suitcase and hide them in a secret place. And then prepare clues that will help you find the right path to the treasure. The employees' task is to work together to solve all the riddles and discover hidden treasures.

Why is it needed?

Buddhists have a legend that the answer to just one question provides answers to many more questions. And this question sounds like this: “And for what?” And it is very easy to apply to team building.

It is clear that the company needs a strong and effective team. But here's what for? Why is team building needed?

Below are a few points that will fully answer the question of why team building is needed and why team building in an organization should not be neglected:

1. Unite the team. Create that same “team spirit” in the company. Which should transform your employees from disparate mechanisms into a single, ideally working system. Almost agile methodology;
2. Improve interaction. Colleagues also need to be trained to communicate with each other. Correctly set tasks, give feedback and help in work. Such qualities are especially needed in Scrum project management;
3. Strengthen the authority of the leader. Leaders are often treated as tyrants. But if employees see that the leader reveals himself completely differently in informal situations, then their opinion may change dramatically;
4. Remove the “load”. Family, children, stress at work. Everyone has it. And it can lead any employee to stress or even dismissal. But if the company helps you unload emotionally, then people, albeit unconsciously, will be distracted and will be grateful.

As a result of all these actions, the goal of team building in the organization is a positive background, and most importantly, an increase in sales.

Because the company becomes not just friendly, but results-oriented. I really like the comparison with the fingers, which, when combined, turn into a fist.

Sports team building

If your team loves sports, you can take a simple but effective route and organize an activity day. For example, go to the beach and play volleyball, organize kart races or fun starts. Another simple and affordable option for active team building in nature would be a corporate relay race in the nearest park followed by a picnic on the grass. But try to organize this event so that there are no winners and losers. After all, your goal is to unite the team, and not turn colleagues into rivals.

We are holding an event

For a team building event to be successful, the following stages of preparation should be completed:

1. Decide on goals. Do you want to make your team closer, resolve conflicts, increase employee motivation, or strengthen your own authority? The content of the program depends on the chosen goal.
2. Decide on a budget. Wrapping yourself in a sheet is inexpensive, but going rafting down the river is not cheap.
3. Find the person responsible. This may be a third-party company or an in-house department with authority to conduct events.
4. Choose a time. It all depends on the initiator of team building. If the initiative comes from the authorities, you need to focus on the working day. It is unfair to deprive people of their rightful day off because you wanted to strengthen the atmosphere of mutual assistance in the team. If the employees themselves have expressed a desire, a day off will do. The best option is to arrange a vote.
5. Work out all the details. Order a round-trip bus, take care of snacks and a full lunch, take into account weather conditions and the characteristics of the team - this is the minimum for a good organization of team building. Every little detail is important, for example, pre-arranged pens, notebooks and badges.
6. Introduce a "spy". According to Western standards, during team building, a competent instructor who understands psychology must be present on the site. He will draw a psychological portrait of each participant individually, as well as general compatibility. Of course, the companies preparing the event do not employ such a person. Therefore, you can ask an employee who enjoys your favor and trust in the team to observe his colleagues. He will be with everyone, carry out tasks and draw conclusions at the same time. This should be an objective person who will soberly assess the situation, and not run to knock on management.

Team building on the water

A great idea for the hot season is summer team building on the water. There are a lot of options: from sailing together on a yacht on the Moscow River to mastering water skiing. There is also paddle boarding, kayaking, water rafting, a sailing regatta and even underwater team building - especially for those who have long wanted to learn how to scuba dive.

Moscow event companies will also offer you the opportunity to build your own rafts and take a ride on them. Or arrange a water battle with an interesting scenario and capture the flag at the end of the adventure.

Participants

Ideally, the entire team should take part in team building. Even those employees who work remotely, temporarily, under a fixed-term employment contract, unofficially, etc. After all, each of them in this particular period of time works for the benefit of the company.

The team can be absolutely diverse, from young girls to older women. To ensure everyone feels comfortable, team building should consist of exercises that take into account different ages and physical abilities.

Culinary team building

Culinary master classes are becoming a popular format for holidays and corporate events. Why don’t you all cook some delicious food together for the whole team? And if standing at the stove seems too boring and mundane, choose a corporate master class from a sommelier. You will be able to take a gastronomic journey through the most important wine-producing countries and learn how to choose the best wines on store shelves. And, of course, this evening will not be complete without tasting.

For a culinary evening, we recommend choosing suitable venues for team building in Moscow using the Bash Today marketplace. In a separate selection, we have collected the best options for lofts with their own kitchen.

Extreme team building

Nothing brings people together like strong emotions. Of course, it is not necessary for the whole group to jump with a parachute. Choose options that will be easier for the whole team to decide on. For example:

• go on a jeep expedition;
• arrange a river rafting trip;
• organize outdoor laser tag;
• come to the tank training ground and ride real combat vehicles;
• Rent a light aircraft and take an air tour.

Try to get out of your usual comfort zone together and shake up your team, tired of office routine.

Team building in a photo studio

After such an event, you will not only have a lot of impressions, but also a lot of interesting photographs. Invite employees to choose outfits that they would never wear to work. And let them not forget to take cameras or mobile phones with them. Everyone’s task is to take an original photo and present it to everyone else. Collect all your photographs together and display them to your team using a projector. At the end of the presentation, select three winners by general vote and award them. For example, an additional day off in the middle of the week.

You can choose a small and cozy or spacious photo studio for such a corporate meeting using a selection of venues from Bash Today.

Teambuilding quest

Do you want to reboot your team? Then organize a team building quest for them, during which team decisions are very important. With the help of different scenarios, you can not only entertain your colleagues, but also “pump up” important skills - think effectively, make decisions quickly and not be afraid to offer your own options.

You can choose a dynamic and active quest, or you can focus on an intellectual orientation. You can go on a bike adventure or stage a fictional prison escape. If it’s difficult to come up with a scenario on your own, you can always turn to professional organizers.

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Labor Day

Labor not only ennobles, but also unites. It is no coincidence that Soviet potato harvesting trips greatly increased the spirit of camaraderie and unity.

Organize a work team building event, for example, a cleanup day. You can clean the area around the office or some public place, for example, a river bank, a park, or a public garden.

Having exchanged trousers and a jacket for work clothes, and a folder with documents for a rake, people change a lot. An informal work environment clearly shows what was hidden under the tie. A couple of hours spent cleaning reveals a person better than years spent in an office.

Team building in winter

Winter is a great time of year for active team building in nature: the frosty winter air will definitely not let you stand still. You can go to the Moscow region and organize a group ride on cheesecakes, ice skates, snowmobiles, organize a winter obstacle course or a trip to visit the huskies. Or maybe organize orienteering? Most importantly, after outdoor activities, don’t forget to heat and feed your team. To do this, you can rent a country house or cottage. On the adjacent territory you will organize winter activities, and then you can warm up inside and arrange a delicious and cozy lunch or dinner for all guests.

Musical team building

Do you work in a creative team? Then your employees should like this format of a corporate event. It can be organized both indoors and outdoors. Suggest to your colleagues:

• make a video for your favorite song;
• try to repeat musical rhythms using claps;
• arrange a karaoke or “Guess the melody” competition;
• go to a master class on learning to play the drums.

Get ready - it's going to be loud! And if you don’t want to disturb your office neighbors, it’s better to rent a separate loft for musical team building in Moscow.

Bad examples

Unfortunately, team building is easy to ruin.

Here are the typical mistakes of holding an event:

• The program is too hectic. “Competitions, competitions, trainings, let’s test your intellectual abilities, and let’s check how you know your colleagues, let’s play”: don’t do that. Carry out team building in doses. By the way, the counterbalance to a hectic program - a boring event - is equal in degree of failure.
• Lack of food. Team building can last 4–5 hours, plus physical and mental activity requires a lot of energy. It’s good to have one full lunch with hot dishes, one or more coffee breaks. This will help restore strength, add vigor and good mood. During a snack, you can share emotions from games, laugh, joke and relax.
• Subordination. The office has junior and senior managers, department heads, deputy directors, a manager and other positions. During team building, boundaries and statuses should be erased. The main goal of team building is to experience your colleagues first-hand. To do this, you will have to turn everything upside down, for example, appoint a junior manager who has never managed anyone as the head of a department. And let the director act as an errand guy.
• Transforming team building into a corporate event. Unfortunately, most Russian companies are guilty of this. Organizations preparing team building programs note the inactivity of many employees. For example, the person responsible for the preparation calls and says “there will be 50 people, at most 30 people will take part in the games, but we will set the tables for everyone.” Typical Russian team building events follow the same scenario: they ran, jumped for 1 hour and went to the table. Then they danced well and parted ways. And in the morning everyone is discussing how the dark accountant danced with the deputy director. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Yes, good team building should be fun and exciting. But, first of all, it is work. Work on yourself, your selfishness and laziness. Learning to listen and hear your colleagues is the task on the agenda. Explain to employees that you will organize a corporate party for the New Year, for the company’s birthday, on February 23 and March 8. There will be funny competitions, delicious food, complete (within the limits of decency) freedom of action and maximum relaxation. Don't let team building become a party with zero benefits.

Virtual team building

I wonder if your team can cope with the alien invaders? What about terrorists? Check it out in one of the VR clubs in Moscow. Put on your virtual reality helmets and immerse yourself in a new world of adventure and action. You can choose an interesting plot for yourself in one of the team games or go to a large VR arena to play laser tag or your favorite “contra” game from childhood. Unite in the virtual world to become even more united in reality.

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The best VR clubs in Moscow Arenas, parks and other locations in the capital where you can go on a journey through the virtual world.

Team building in the office

You can organize a corporate event completely unexpectedly for your employees - without leaving your own office. Your team will definitely appreciate it if on one of the working evenings they will have fun games and a small buffet instead of the usual planning meeting.

To conduct effective team building in the office for your employees, you can use ready-made games and competitions.

1. A ball of wool. A budget-friendly and very fun game option for a team. Give half of the participants a ball of thread of different colors. The task of each player is to throw the ball to the colleague who has free hands. Just a couple of minutes, and all participants in the competition will be connected by an endless web. Now try to unravel! It's not as simple as it might seem. But your team can cope with any difficulties, right?
2. Jenga. Probably, many of you have already tried to build a record-high tower from wooden blocks. Why not use this game for team building, adding a little to the rules? Before the game starts, let each participant write on a piece of paper an interesting and funny question that he would like to ask his colleagues. Place all the papers with questions in a bag. The one who brings down the tower will carry a piece of paper and answer a tricky question left by one of his colleagues.
3. Guide, coordinate, help. Blindfold one of your colleagues tightly. Hide a small surprise for him indoors. Now use the hints to guide him in the right direction. The task of the team is to coordinate the actions of the main character as accurately as possible so that he can find the hidden thing.
4. Crocodile. The classic “imperishable” of any party is also suitable for team building. It’s better to choose “highly specialized” words for the cards. For example, if your team sells online courses, the presenter can explain to his colleagues such concepts as “Internet”, “online payment”, “webinar” without using his voice. Try to choose words that are both fun to show and guess.

What are the goals?

Team building is aimed at creating highly effective connections in the work environment, allowing the business to steadily grow and evolve.

This is possible by achieving the following goals:

1. Acquaintance. It is extremely difficult to establish productive connections when you simply don’t know anything except your colleague’s name. This situation is typical for a newly formed team or in the case of reorganization, accession, merger, division and other organizational changes.
2. Uniting employees. Which subordinates work for the idea? Practically, no one. This is normal: we need to go to work to earn money, support our families, pay bills, pay off our mortgage. In the whirlpool of everyday problems, you don’t really think about which pier the organization is moving towards. Team building demonstrates the importance of realizing unity of purpose and involvement in a common cause.
3. Increasing the level of mutual assistance. Modern realities are such that salary depends on personal performance, implementation of the plan, percentage of sales, etc. In such conditions, competition is a common occurrence. Why help someone if I have no benefit from it? Team building can stop the race for personal achievements and develop in people the desire and ability to ask for help and not refuse in response.
4. Mental and psychological relaxation. Team building is a great way to shake things up, change your surroundings, test yourself in a new role, and do something that never even occurred to you before.
5. Motivational boost. Very often, bogged down in everyday work, a person becomes apathetic, inactive and indifferent. Your gaze increasingly stops at the clock; most of all, you look forward to the end of the working day. Team building gives a good punch on the nose, teases, poses, at first glance, an impossible task. And when the group copes with the task brilliantly, the understanding comes: “we have conquered this height, why not conquer the next one.”
6. Smoothing out conflicts. When it comes to protracted enmity and fundamental hostility of several people, the whole company suffers. Team building is not a panacea for problems and squabbles. But it will help you recognize others and understand that the guys who are so annoying are actually cheerful and sociable.
7. Reducing dissatisfaction with superiors. Correctly selected team-building tasks put the manager on the same level as ordinary employees. And a good boss will try, just like everyone else, to contribute to a victorious conclusion. After this, the staff begins to perceive the director not as a dissatisfied, powerful, important turkey, but as a person capable of listening and supporting.

Team building online

When a team works remotely, employees may not even be aware that new people are joining the team. To help everyone get to know the newcomers or just to maintain team spirit, host a fun online meeting. For example, you can organize an intellectual game, a virtual quest, an online casino, an art party with painting, or even a video clip.

Don't waste your time on corporate meetings and activities. After all, this is exactly how - in a simple game form - you will help your team members become closer and more effective. And a close-knit team can achieve any goals!