In Defense of Teambuilding

In the past, I've written about how a lot of stuff gets piled under the definition of teambuilding.  Bowling tournaments, ropes courses, donuts in the breakroom, etc.  I've distinguished between real teambuilding and what might better be called morale events.

I've noticed though that even in the world of consulting and organizational development, teambuilding has somewhat of a bad name.  Consultants who do teambuilding are contrasted with those who do "real" work, and it seems to be assumed that teambuilding is an activity done by junior consultants who couldn't find anything meatier to get involved with.

Where do I get this sense?  From the consultants who say "Ah, yes.  I used to do teambuilding when I first started." with a kind of superior yest benevolent tonethat one gives a child riding a bike with training wheels.  From those polite yet clearly baffled HR managers who seem to respond to the news that you do Teambuilding in the same way they might reply if you said you were a clown at children's parties.  "Oh, that is very nice.  Sounds like fun."

Where along the line did teambuilding become insignificant work?   I'm genuinely curious.

As part of my work, I offer a rigorous seven week teambuilding program delivered over the lunch hour.  It's powerful and challenging work, really gets people thinking and modifying behavior, and it has a track record of delivering results.  Not a morale event, it includes training, role playing, deeper discussions, action planning, and a manager coaching component.  While any program can continue to get better (and this one will too) I'm quite proud of it.

So yes, I take my teambuilding work very seriously, and it irks me a little when I get the impression that many view this work as "fluff" without substance!

I suppose it's best to continue doing good work and avoid being chaffed by those who think I'm simply waiving the pom-poms of a team cheerleader.

But I'm still a bit confused by the reaction I get when I talk about teambuilding.   If you have any insight on this, I welcome your thoughts!

Oh, and if you're curious about the my teambuilding program, you can read about it here.

Comments

[Lucy]

I think much of the distaste for teambuilding comes from what you mentioned above - lackluster efforts grouped under the umbrella of teambuilding.

I think the other half of the equation comes from the fact that many are suspicious or downright disbelieving that you could make a disfunctional team work better together. Often times, personalities and work styles are so different that people can not imagine harmony.

Learning about different personalities and styles is one thing (aka Meyers Briggs), convincing me that by changing my ways/ thinking/ actions, I can make slacker Joe a great team member is another.