September is usually one of the most critical months in any organization’s calendar. The end of the third quarter is approaching, it is necessary to evaluate what has been achieved to date and, if there is any type of deviation, it is time to implement corrective actions. We still have time to make decisions that will help us end the year on a positive note, but we must be agile and implement the right measures as soon as possible. Within the field of Human Resources, it is also a time when a large part of our employees rejoin after the summer holidays and when the needs for the incorporation and development of talent are reactivated. In short, we are in one of the most demanding times in People Management, a moment in which among all the tools available we usually make use of Teambuilding. That’s why today we reflect on when is the ideal time to organize a Teambuilding.
What is organizing a Teambuilding?
As we highlighted some time ago in our article “What is teambuilding and how to organize it”, team building is a set of activities that aims to improve interpersonal relationships, communication and the ability to work in a team and with it, the productivity of the organization.
It is one of the most powerful tools for companies to address skills development and strengthen the links between people and towards the company itself.
Therefore, we must start from an identification of the competencies we want to work on in order to select which dynamic(s) we will put into practice. Only in this way will a teambuilding transcend its exclusively playful facet to take root with the organizational objectives and the strengthening of personal relationships between our collaborators.
Different types of Teambuilding
One of the greatest strengths of Teambuilding is the ability to surprise and take our collaborators out of the “comfort zone”. Whatever the type of action we develop, the change of environment and first-person experientiality will amplify the impact that it has on our teams.
A well-oriented teambuilding will pose different situations in which each person will have to make decisions in unfamiliar environments, which allows a reflection on the why of each behavior and, more importantly, a deep anchoring of learning.
“We forget more than 80% of what we read. We remember more than 75% of what we experienced.”
Taking as a starting point the experientiality and skills we want to work on, a teambuilding can be embodied in an endless number of formats, only limited by the available resources and our own creativity.
Among them, some of the most demanded teambuilding formats by Psicotec’s clients are:
- Hackathons: Hackathons are intensive collaboration events in which teams must develop, through agile methodologies, a prototype of a product or service in a limited time.
- Impro: Improv games help teams develop their creativity, flexibility, and ability to think fast.
- Unforgettable experiences: By leaving the usual environment we can create unique and unrepeatable moments. This will encourage motivation and emotional bonding.
- Volunteering: Organizing team volunteering activities can be a great way to foster social responsibility and teamwork.
- Collaborative cooking workshops: Cooking together can be a fun and rewarding experience that encourages collaboration and communication.
- Escape rooms: Teams must work together to solve a series of riddles and puzzles in a limited amount of time.
- Adventure routes/Into the Wild: Participating in a team adventure route can be a challenging and enriching experience that tests the group’s ability to collaborate and problem-solve.
When is the ideal time to organize a teambuilding?
Organizing a teambuilding is a great way to boost your team’s motivation and productivity. But when is the best time to do it? Is September the best time for your organization?
There is no single and common answer to all companies, but there are five clues that can indicate that we are facing a great time to organize a training action or teambuilding:
- Are you starting a new project? Fantastic! Take advantage of the opportunity for participants to get to know each other, generate communication flows and collaborative work dynamics. A teambuilding focused on teamwork and creativity can be a great ally.
- Do you want to enhance the leadership of your middle managers or managers? These are critical profiles and very valuable to achieve the objectives organizational and you need tools to achieve it.
- Have your teams gone through a very demanding period with high levels of stress and high workloads? It is time to organize a moment of tension relief, outside the office, in a relaxed and different environment to thank the effort, disconnect and thank all the effort. Have you thought about an outdoor or an adventure getaway?
- Have new professionals joined your organization? In high-turnover or recently created environments, in addition to a good induction and onboarding plan, it is extremely interesting to organize motivational Teambuildings. Not only will they serve to welcome new hires, but they will also allow us to work on the emotional and personal link towards the organisational objectives.
- Do you feel that communication or teamwork is faltering? Without a doubt, it is time to launch a Teambuilding linked to some type of analysis of the work environment, seeking to identify possible aspects of improvement.
In reality, any time can be a good time to invest in your team. Remember that the most important thing is to define an objective for the activity, a pool of skills to work on and choose the type of dynamic that best suits your needs.
Go ahead and organize your next Teambuilding! It’s time to think about what development and training actions in your plan for the end of the year and Christmas (dinners/lunches, Kick-off, presentation of results…)
From the Training and Talent Development Area of Psicotec we have been organizing the best training actions and teambuildings for all types of organizations for more than 35 years. We help you design, communicate and organise them. And, in addition, in Spain we can also help you to subsidize them through the FUNDAE Training Credit.
The best quality and the greatest savings in your Training and Talent Development actions.