Better Teambuilding through Metaphors

I do a fair amount of teambuilding work, in particular in the areas of communications and conflict resolution.  And while every situation is a little different, the basic concepts are similar from one organization to another.  So I've been looking for ways to continue to make teambuilding more relevant and powerful, and I have a new idea I'm trying out.  I'll explain what it is.

Most organizations produce a certain product or service.  And the purpose of the organization can really bind the people in that company together.  Healthcare employees are motivated by health and patient care.  Aircraft manufacturer employees think about aircraft and the complexities of assembly.  Wedding planners generally enjoy thinking about weddings and event planning.

OK, so this isn't rocket science - but how can we use it?  How can we take what people do and use that information to help them learn?

This is my experiment. I'm putting together a series of teambuilding sessions right now for a group of healthcare workers.  So in building the sessions, I'm using the metaphor of the human body and health to engage them with the material. 

"What makes a body healthy" as likened to "What makes a healthy team." for example.

What I suspect is that by tying the concepts of communication and trust to concepts they are already familiar with, the material will have a freshness and relevance that goes a little deeper than "Let's talk about the communications cycle." 

Could employees at a sports arena benefit from discussing teambuilding using the example of how a world-class sports team works together?   Could aerospace engineers use the metaphor of "helping a plane take flight" to better understand their interdependence?

I think so.  I feel so.  I'll let you know what feedback I get, if any.

If you have anything to add to this post please leave a comment or send me an email.