What’s the point of holding an expensive corporate retreat if the results don’t last? If nothing improves.
I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. A day of paint ball, the company picnic or a ropes course may not delight the socks off of most employees but companies all around the globe insist on taking their employees out of the office and away from their families to get everyone better bonded through a retreat.
Whose idea was that anyway? Many executives and managers have bought into the idea that the more money that gets spent the better the results and the better they feel about themselves as managers. There is no logic to this position. It’s expensive and does not bring long term results.
Drip Team Building is a concept I talk about often to demonstrate that thriving, well functioning teams can be built with little or no cash investment costs. The “drips” are infusions of right brain activities on a consistent basis. Right brain activities allow our brains to see a big picture and look for solutions which is ever so critical for team meetings. If right brain activities are used routinely in even the most mundane meetings, the team members will get to know each other in a way that will help them work better together. Consider Drip Team Building to be an efficiency or productivity improvement tool. Over time, the team keeps improving, unlike what you will experience after a typical team retreat.
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Above is a chart that compares the investment costs and ROI of typical corporate retreats versus those for Drip Team Building.A good, skillful manager is, of course, a first requirement. After that, a team of misfits can be well bonded through a Drip Team Building approach to allow them to get to know each other and their differences over time.
It is true that a proper team can be built without a huge investment. It only needs a better understanding between the team members to build a good team. Every team members should be responsible, responsive and candid with each other to complete a critical work successfully.
Craig, yes you are correct about the need for “responsive and candid” communication among the team members. It’s hard to get people to work well with each other if honesty is blocked. Thanks.