Planning team building activities in a corporate setting is a great way to break down barriers and encourage better collaboration. When we work in a corporate setting, it’s common to get stuck within the hierarchy and within our team silos. To help encourage cross-departmental collaboration, team building exercises are a great place to start.
Lots of people will roll their eyes at team building exercises but they soon discover just how fun they can be. Lots of people enjoy breaking up the monotony of the working day with different activities and can enjoy the social aspect of getting to know others in the company.
If you’re struggling for team building ideas in the corporate environment, try these suggestions. We’ve tried to include a mix of active, creative and problem solving ideas that will suit a wide range of teams of all sizes.
Fundraising bike ride
Make it a collaborative affair or encourage a spot of competition. Planning a charity bike ride is a great way to encourage everyone to stay active while also doing something positive for your wider community. It could be a weekend fun ride or participants could be covering a significant distance. This kind of team building event could encourage lots of your workers to take up cycling to work, which would be a net positive for their health and the environment.
Treasure hunt
A treasure hunt is a great way to get out and about and get active. Teams compete to find clues that will lead them through a succession of challenges before they reach the final prize. This can inspire a sense of competition and collaboration between groups of people that might never have mixed before. By the end of the challenge, they will all be more familiar with their teammates and know more about their skills and strengths. This is also a helpful way for managers to spot leadership potential in juniors.
Escape room
Similar to a treasure hunt but with more brain teasing challenges, an escape room will bring out a sense of competition and help to encourage collaboration. This is a more accessible version of a treasure hunt as the participants won’t need to cover any ground; the entire challenge takes place in one room, which makes it ideal for those with mobility issues. It also stops it from becoming a fitness challenge, which can make some people feel excluded.
Building challenge
Perhaps one of the most famous team building challenges in a corporate setting is the building challenge. First choose a material and then choose a structure. A popular choice is to use paper straws to build a bridge structure. You could also use a variety of materials to design a vessel that will allow an egg to be dropped from a height. This encourages teamwork, problem solving, leadership and collaboration. If teams cannot agree on a method, they will be unable to complete the challenge, so it also requires some dominant personalities to give way to others.
Daily ice breakers
You don’t have to plan a special event to enjoy some team building fun. Try building ice breakers into your everyday routines. You could introduce a communal coffee break where team members can share a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. You could also introduce ice breakers at the start of weekly meetings to help everyone to loosen up and get to know their teammates a little better. This is ideal for large teams that don’t regularly cross paths, as it will break down barriers and encourage better collaboration. Cupcake decorating, yoga classes and drinks socials are other simple ways to encourage teams to mingle.
Closing thoughts
Planning icebreakers and team building activities for large teams can be a daunting task, but with a bit of creativity, you can land on something that everyone will enjoy. This is an ideal opportunity to see team dynamics at work, spot potential friction in your teams, and see who displays leadership potential when given the opportunity to shine.
The key to a successful team building event is to make sure that no one feels sidelined or left out. Think about accessibility issues and make sure you offer inclusive challenges that everyone will enjoy.
