O.P.T.I.M.A.L. approach to organizing a successful team building event

Tasked by your boss to organize a team building session when you have not even conducted an ice breaker before? Do not despair. This article seeks to provide insights on intelligent questions to ask and important things to look out for when organizing a team building session.

The änergy O.P.T.I.M.A.L. approach:

1. Objectives of team building

“Why are we holding this team building event, and what do we expect to achieve?”

To have an end in mind, a purpose, is crucial to planning a team building session. Having objectives mean that you can skew or tailor the activities to meet your expectations. The objectives would, in many situations, form the guiding principals to select the appropriate activities.

Having clear objectives would also help to set the tone for the team building session, and establish the expectations of participants involved, so everyone is moving in unison towards the same direction/ goal.

Having conducted team building sessions for a variety of organizations, some of the more common reasons why team building is required, are as follows:
a) To create synergy in a new team/ team with new members
b) To create an opportunity for staff from different departments/ functions to interact
c) To address certain work issues
d) To reinforce their corporate values
e) As a form of training
f) To reward their staff with a day away from the office
g) To interact and have fun

Each of the reasons listed above will result in emphasis on different aspects during the team building session. For example, for a new team, we would want to spend a little more time during ice breakers to allow the participants to get to know one another better. If reinforcement of corporate values is the imperative matter, we would want to ensure that the intended values are visible to the participants, for example, as banners, posters or on the little souvenirs that they receive.

2. Profile of Participants

“Who will be attending the team building session?”

Another important factor in planning a successful team building session is the profile of the participants. Age range, gender mix and other background information like educational level and job scope, should be taken into consideration while sculpting the program, to ensure that the program would be suitable and relevant for all participants.

Special consideration should also be made for participants who have chronic injuries, medical history or disabilities - they should still be able to actively participate in the activities, without aggravating their conditions.

One other point which organizers frequently overlook is the dietary preferences of the participants. In a multi-racial country like Singapore, participants may be Chinese vegetarians or Indian vegetarians, while others only consume Halal food (food that is lawful and allowable under Muslim law) or even Kosher food (food that has been prepared so that it is fit and suitable under Jewish law). There may also be participants who are allergic to certain types of food. The best way to find out about dietary requirements is to check with the participants directly.

3. Time Frame for planning the team building event

“What is the targeted date of the team building session and its duration?”

Dates are important, especially when there is a need to secure venues and check the availability of key personnel or speakers. Typically, we would recommend a lead time of about 2 to 3 months to plan for a small to medium-sized team building event, catering for less than 80 participants. If the event is large-scale, the lead time may escalate to 6 months, or even a year before.

When conducting team building outside working hours, some organizations may wish to consider dates of school holidays or school exams, especially for organizations, which place emphasis of balanced work and family life. To encourage maximum attendance from participants, organizations may wish to leave the school examination and vacation periods untouched, for their staff to spend that extra time with their spouse and children.

Duration of the team building session should also be taken into account - is it going to be a half-day or full-day event? If there are specific issues to be tackled or other forms of planning or training involved, it may be good to consider a 2-day or even 3-day program.

4. Inclinations of the participants

“What will the participants prefer to do during team building?”

Having information about the profile of the participants is usually sufficient. However, whenever possible, unearth the type of activities the participants are inclined towards - are they indoor-games type of people or the outdoor adventure type or do you have a good mix of both?

One can derive such preferences by having a poll or survey with the participants if you have an intimate group size, or by gathering the views of a sample group if your group size is overwhelming. Alternatively, reviewing previous team building sessions and the feedback received could also give a good indication of what is preferred (and what not to do again).

The rule of thumb is to have a good mix of indoor and outdoor activity especially if your size is big, unless you are deliberately exposing the participants to a particular type of setting, or you know their specific preferences.

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