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Teams Benefit from Slowing Economy

Written by admin on March 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

A Slow Economy is Time for Business Process Improvement

You’re probably thinking “How could anyone benefit from a slowing economy?”

Well, this statement certainly needs clarification. Not every team will benefit from economic hardship. In fact, many teams will shrink (labor statistics are a blatant example of this sad reality) and many benefits will be cut. Managers and business owners are ‘tightening their belts.’

For some teams, however, the slowing economy is an opportunity to test their resilience, ingenuity and team performance. Successful organizational teams use the conflict created by the ‘recession’ to streamline their processes, create new products and move forward with renewed enthusiasm. Rather than fearing the next year, a high performance team will see this as an opportunity.

Here are a few things teams can do to weather the economic storm:

brainstorming sessions to identify emerging trends
improve business communication with clients and customers
business process improvement – streamlining the way businesses perform their daily tasks
planning for the future – vision for the short-term and long-term
training and development in techniques for meeting facilitation and team building
innovation training to learn how to be more creative
focus on teamwork and collaboration – utilize and celebrate the many talents of your staff

Out of conflict comes opportunity, and taking the time to reflect on what is working and what processes need improvement will go a long way towards dealing with a tumultuous economy.

Categories: Blog - Tags: brainstorming, collaboration, corporate training, creativity, facilitated team development, ideation, innovation, leadership, performance, strategic planning, success, suggestion box, Team Building, teambuilding, teambuilding goals, teams

Making the Case for Team Building

Written by admin on January 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Mouse Trap Trust Exercise

Over the years I have had the good fortune of working with groups from a wide variety of fields and populations – from youth camps, schools and Scouts to NGO’s, small businesses and government agencies. The individuals who contact me to secure a team building program usually have a general idea of team building and often have a general goal of getting to know each other, enhancing interpersonal communication and building trust between the members of the group. They may have previously participated in an activity that was billed as a team building event, but they generally have mixed feelings about the efficacy of the actual team building component, as opposed to the obvious recreational aspect. So, this begs the question: What is team building and why should we do it?

From my perspective, a ‘team’ can be as simple as an assembly of individuals whose purpose is to work together on a project or towards a common goal. In order to be an effective team, there needs to be a level of trust, good communication, and shared responsibility. The team will generally face multiple conflicts such as challenges to leadership or lack of group commitment. Overcoming these challenges allows the team to grow and evolve, and taking part in a well presented team building program gives teams an arena in which to make this evolution.

The tools and techniques used by team building providers are not as important as the facilitator’s ability to lead a team in identifying its strengths and opportunities for growth. NEXTeams uses a combination of experience-based activities and traditional meeting-style techniques, but the true value of its facilitation comes through the conversations that organically emerge during the process. These spontaneous and often passionate discussions are where the change in the group dynamics takes place.

Team building, if done well, can be the catalyst to change within an organization. The only way that this change can be significant or lasting, however, is through effective and timely follow-up. The follow-up process helps the team to take the lessons learned during the team building activities and build upon them during the day-to-day interactions within their organization. Follow-up enables the transference of the gains made during the actual team building event.

See Our Team Building Program Options…

For More Information Contact Eriq Powers

Eriq Powers
GO-NEXTeams
(240) 603-4150
info@nexteams.com
www.nexteams.com

Categories: Blog - Tags: corporate training, facilitated team development, leadership, nexteams process, teambuilding, teambuilding goals, teams

Team Building Event Planning 101

Written by admin on January 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Planning a Team Building Event

The staff at NEXTeams has been running quality team building and adventure instruction programs since 1998. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with all types of groups, under many different circumstances (we recently ran a Team Re-Energizer for 110 participants in a room that was only large enough for 75 people to stand in a circle – WOW!), and after over a thousand programs, we have learned a thing or two about TEAMS!

Many of the clients who contact us are uncertain of the goals of their teambuilder. Some clients have been assigned the task of booking the yearly off-site, and “thought we’d do some team building.” Others have a vague recollection of participating in a ROPES Challenge Course in school, and, while they “aren’t sure if everyone would participate…” the boss wanted them to improve their teamwork.

Things to consider when preparing to book a team building event.

What is the major goal? Fun off-site or challenging and goal-driven teamwork enhancer.
How many participants and will they be required to participate?
What is your budget? Is there any flexibility?
Where are you planning to hold the event? Office, school, park, hotel, conference center?
What time of year will your event take place? Do you require an inclement weather alternative?
Will the teambuilder be a stand-alone event, or part of a larger team development initiative?
What do you see as the benefit of taking part in a team building event as opposed to some other experiential activity (paintball, laser tag, a sports bar, etc…)
And more…

The bottom line is, there are lots of reasons to participate in a team building program, and knowing your group’s goals will help you differentiate between the myriad of activities that fall under the search term: team building.

Categories: Blog - Tags: event planning, teambuilding 101, teambuilding goals, teambuilding how-to