Team Building Sessions: An Effective Group Intervention

Team Building Sessions: An Effective Group Intervention

• I have been conducting team building sessions for many of my clients throughout my time serving as a Human Resources Consultant. A team building intervention is meant to serve as a group intervention to resolve issues and problems in general within a work team or group.  I thought I would simply list some of the frequent questions that I get from the general public or individuals within the workplace who wish to utilize a team building intervention to resolve group or team problems and issues.

Key Questions:

Who should participate in a team building exercise, activity, or event?

• Just as the name team building suggests, this is a group intervention when there is a feeling or opinion among the leader or leaders within a particular group that a team needs to work together in a more effective, productive or professional manner. 

What are types of workers or staff members who could benefit from a team building activity or exercise?

• Team building can occur within any team whether the team consists of line staff or people at various levels of management.  I have professionally conducted team building sessions for various workers within a small or complex organization.  It really does not matter what is the job title of the people or participants who attend a team building session.  It is important to know and understand that team building is a people, group, and human resource intervention. 

What is the emphasis of a team building training session?

• Overall, it is about getting the team to communicate and behave in a professional manner or in a more productive manner.  It is about getting a particular team to set ground rules regarding how the group will resolve conflicts, how the group will communicate in an effective manner, and how the group would like to work together in order to achieve departmental or organizational goals.

• Most importantly, each team, organization or department who participates in a team building session decides before the event what are the topics and issues that will be discussed.  Therefore, an effective team building session is about customizing issues, topics, and problems to meet the needs of a group or team. 

Where can a team building training session take place?

• I have conducted team building sessions for organizations within a variety of settings.  Team building sessions can take place in work spaces such as a conference room, a training room or in a more informal setting such as at a hotel meeting area, an off site retreat venue, or during a video conference setting.

• Lastly, with the growth of interactive technology, I am starting to conduct team building sessions utilizing video conference, skpe for a pc or laptop, or facetime on the ipad. Video conferencing can be an effective tool because the facilitator can see or observe the interactions and responses of the participants in real time.

When is the best time for a team building session to take place?

• It is the prospective or respective clients' choice regarding when a team building session will take place.  I have conducted team building sessions in the morning, afternoon, evenings or weekends; however, I think the best time to conduct a team building session is when a particular group feels the best time for everyone within a team to work together so that there are no interruptions and so the group can really focus on the agenda items and issues during a team building session.   

• Research suggests that adult learners become more effective learners when they participate in a shorter learning assignment rather than a whole day training session. In addition, I have found that adult learners are much more productive when they meet for shorter periods of time and during a time that is more convenient for each member of the group. 

How is a team building training session conducted?

• A particular client or the management team within an organization usually decides how the team building session will be conducted.  The training consultant or the team building facilitator typically works with the management of an organization to decide upon how the team building session will take place, what will be the topics for discussion during the team building exercise, what will be the length of the team building session, and what are the follow-up action items for each team building session.

How is a team building session different from a typical training session about a given topic?

• A team building session focuses more on group or team issues while a traditional training session focuses on teaching a particular topic or subject matter.  Also, a team building session is primary about getting the team to be more effective and productive; therefore, the participants of a team building session usually give much more feedback and dialogue to one another because the team is trying to resolve certain conflicts or issues.  Remember, team building is absolutely about getting the team to a place where there is better communication and working relationships among the members of the team.  

When should an organization, department, or team go through team building training?

• Team building is a group intervention or process that involves a consultant serving as a facilitator.  It is typically utilized when there are complex issues facing a team or organization or the group wants an outsider to serve as a third party to help guide a particular discussion.

What are some of the topics that can be discussed during a human resource, team building session?

• Team building is an avenue or method to address many different types of issues such as group dynamic issues, communication styles, conflict and conflict resolution issues etc. It is important to note that a particular team usually or typically decides in conjunction with the training facilitator about the items or topics on the agenda of a team building session.

Summary:

• The purpose of this particular document about team building is to provide the general public, potential clients, or individuals with a general  overview regarding how a team building activity or event can benefit your particular organization, business, department, team or group.  Again, this general information is now meant to talk about a particular situation or team building session.  
• It is my sincere desire in writing this post or message that people will clearly understand how human resource professionals and consultants can utilize the group intervention like a team building activity or exercise to assist people or groups within any workplace to resolve problems within a team by considering a team building activity.