To make the learning and the team development process more effective, during the course of the workshop a number of team building exercises and activities are used. These exercises are designed to be stimulating, informative and challenging.
Performance review and projection
Using input data from the workshop planning phase, delegates interpret key performance data, ‘where have we come from?’ ‘Where are we heading?’ ‘What caused…?’ ‘How did that…’
This contextual team building activity is powerful, much more so than monthly performance targets that take 'snapshots in time' and will often lead to a fundamental change in how performance is viewed, at all levels. In addition it can often reveal hidden problems.
Time series graphs of key performance indicatorsTrends are an important or should be to organizations. They are very important to large investors, who seek confirmation of trends in earnings growth and profitability. Trends are important to national economies, we all want to see growing prosperity, growing employment opportunities and a downturn in criminal activity.
It is very easy to take a snapshot of any kind of data and ‘spin’ it as being positive in relation to some ‘growth in …’ or ‘decline in …’ in the short–term, when the medium to long term picture is otherwise. It is also easy to manipulate data to give a false picture of what is really happening.
Using time series graphs of key performance indicators and using the simplest of trending techniques delegates will fundamentally change their approach to performance management. This focuses team building on the main objective, performance improvement. Events in history can be fully explored and their affects on performance evaluated.
Performance review and projection
Using input data from the workshop planning phase, delegates interpret key performance data, ‘where have we come from?’ ‘Where are we heading?’ ‘What caused…?’ ‘How did that…’
This contextual team building activity is powerful, much more so than monthly performance targets that take 'snapshots in time' and will often lead to a fundamental change in how performance is viewed, at all levels. In addition it can often reveal hidden problems.
Time series graphs of key performance indicatorsTrends are an important or should be to organizations. They are very important to large investors, who seek confirmation of trends in earnings growth and profitability. Trends are important to national economies, we all want to see growing prosperity, growing employment opportunities and a downturn in criminal activity.
It is very easy to take a snapshot of any kind of data and ‘spin’ it as being positive in relation to some ‘growth in …’ or ‘decline in …’ in the short–term, when the medium to long term picture is otherwise. It is also easy to manipulate data to give a false picture of what is really happening.
Using time series graphs of key performance indicators and using the simplest of trending techniques delegates will fundamentally change their approach to performance management. This focuses team building on the main objective, performance improvement. Events in history can be fully explored and their affects on performance evaluated.
Team Building Blocks
This exercise will give a baseline on the core dynamics of effective team building, that leads to performance improvement and individual employee growth.
Role playing
Using the open systems model of the organization, role playing is simple to setup. During the preparation stage for the team building workshop, relevant special interest groups (or SIGs )are identified. For a commercial organization these would include:
Employee SIG
Senior management SIG
Owners (shareholders) SIG
Suppliers SIG
Customers SIG
Again using the open systems model it may be appropriate to have only internal SIGs, thus:
Sales SIG
Marketing SIG
Manufacturing SIG
Administration SIG
Output from the team building process, such as problems, challenges, opportunities, weaknesses etc. are evaluated from the differing perspectives of each SIG. The key during role playing, is role reversal, for instance rank and file employees role play senior management, then explain how they would handle situation x.
Delegates will use role playing as a means of stimulating discussion, that is aimed at problems solving
Provides individuals and the groups with insight into attitudes that may differ sharply from own
It gives the delegates the chance to assume the personality of (to think and act like) another group; leading to better understanding
Sometimes groups are able to explain cultural / hierarchical differences more clearly
Can be used to seek out possible solutions to emotion laden problems
Gives everyone involved a bigger picture of the relationships, processes and workings of the organization
Buzz sessions
Buzz sessions can be inter spaced through out the team building process to stimulate thought, discussion and add interest. These short sessions entail a guest speaker delivering a short presentation on a relevant subject. Such speakers can be experts in their field, they can be internal employees (QA manager for instance) or external guests from suppliers and or customers.
The idea is to further add goal congruence, context and relevance to the team building process.
Site visits
Site visits can be arranged and conducted prior to the workshop, during the workshop or post the workshop. They are used to develop organizational awareness to compare how the the organization perceives itself internally and how it is perceived externally by suppliers and customers.
Site visits also develop better working relationships and improved problem solving capability. It brings together the concept of 'thinking outside the box' by visiting those who 'live and work outside the box'.'
To relate theory to ‘real’ problems.
To study something that cannot be brought into a classroom.
To stimulate interest and concern.
To demonstrate a course of action ‘in the field’ or in a work environment.
To talk to other workers in their working environment.
To find out details of how things are done.
To study organizational cultures or environments.
Site visits can be arranged and conducted prior to the workshop, during the workshop or post the workshop. They are used to develop organizational awareness to compare how the the organization perceives itself internally and how it is perceived externally by suppliers and customers.
Site visits also develop better working relationships and improved problem solving capability. It brings together the concept of 'thinking outside the box' by visiting those who 'live and work outside the box'.'
To relate theory to ‘real’ problems.
To study something that cannot be brought into a classroom.
To stimulate interest and concern.
To demonstrate a course of action ‘in the field’ or in a work environment.
To talk to other workers in their working environment.
To find out details of how things are done.
To study organizational cultures or environments.
The evaluation activities
During the team building workshop, where appropriate, a number of evaluation activities are deployed.
Problem development time–line exercise
Any organizational problem has an history. Problems in the team building workshop are evaluated historically with this activity.
During the team building workshop, where appropriate, a number of evaluation activities are deployed.
Problem development time–line exercise
Any organizational problem has an history. Problems in the team building workshop are evaluated historically with this activity.
Predicting the future exercise
This activity will assist in gaining agreement for the need to change. What is looked for is the negative consequences flowing from allowing a current unsatisfactory situation to ‘fester.’
Exploration of change analysis activity
Designed to explore a problem in terms of what happened and when in some detail this exercise takes real workplace events and has the groups analyze past events and the effects on SIGs.
Individual, group, organization, suppliers and customers needs analysis activity
During the team building workshop problems in one area or another, or at one level or another will come to the fore. Delegates, through the various exercises and activities will have pinpointed when things started going wrong, they will predicted what they think will happen if things continue in the current vain and they have begun to explore the problem in terms of the effect the unsatisfactory situation is having on them.
Delegates explore what they would like to build into a future solution to this current unsatisfactory situation, that meets their role playing SIG needs.
These team building exercises and activities let the group get to grips with their (and your) problem. How would they solve this (or that) particular problem, taking cognizance of all the dynamics, internal and external, they have explored. These activities greatly improve the problem solving capabilities of delegates and a greater awareness of the dynamics involved in making decisions.
This activity will assist in gaining agreement for the need to change. What is looked for is the negative consequences flowing from allowing a current unsatisfactory situation to ‘fester.’
Exploration of change analysis activity
Designed to explore a problem in terms of what happened and when in some detail this exercise takes real workplace events and has the groups analyze past events and the effects on SIGs.
Individual, group, organization, suppliers and customers needs analysis activity
During the team building workshop problems in one area or another, or at one level or another will come to the fore. Delegates, through the various exercises and activities will have pinpointed when things started going wrong, they will predicted what they think will happen if things continue in the current vain and they have begun to explore the problem in terms of the effect the unsatisfactory situation is having on them.
Delegates explore what they would like to build into a future solution to this current unsatisfactory situation, that meets their role playing SIG needs.
These team building exercises and activities let the group get to grips with their (and your) problem. How would they solve this (or that) particular problem, taking cognizance of all the dynamics, internal and external, they have explored. These activities greatly improve the problem solving capabilities of delegates and a greater awareness of the dynamics involved in making decisions.
