The Importance of Team Building in an Organization

Every leader wants to collaborate with a solid, united team with superior performances, but those teams don't just happen. You can hire the best experts in the industry, but if they cannot find mutual language, understanding, and trust, you're facing a lot of turbulence and frustration. 

However, even if that scenario occurs, there is one efficient way to improve interpersonal relationships in your company: team building. Team building in a self-managed organization is as important as in big corporations. All employees can use a chance to bond and improve their skills and interpersonal relations.

This article will explain everything you need to know about the team building concept: what it is, how to organize it, and what benefits it will bring to your business organization. Let's start.

What Is Team Building?

The name is pretty suggestive: team building makes your employees become team players who have a common goal and work together to achieve it. The primary purpose of team building is to establish and develop a sense of cooperation among colleagues and to make them feel appreciated and valuable to the company. Regardless of the position they work in, all employees have a chance to communicate outside of their workplace and better understand each other's interests, feelings, and needs.

A company can achieve team-building goals through various educational, recreational, or entertainment activities. Incentive programs can include outdoor or indoor activities that bring people closer, encourage interaction, build trust, develop team spirit, and raise adrenaline. 

Why Should You Organize Team Buildings for Your Employees?

Every employee in a business organization has a set of hard and soft skills. The human resources management team checks hard skills - technical knowledge - when they get a candidate's CV. However, soft skills are challenging to see through. You can only know how collaborative your colleagues are once you start working together.

Team building strengthens employees' soft skills: a sense of collaboration, communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, flexibility, mutual trust, and respect. By performing carefully chosen team-building activities, you'll create a team you can rely on out of a bunch of independent individuals.

💡Article pick: How To Instil Self-Advocacy in Employees and Build Stronger Teams in the Process

Team Building Advantages

Here are some of the most prominent advantages of team bonding activities:

1. Coworkers are getting the chance to connect 

You might think your employees spend eight hours in the office together; how much more time do they need to connect? 

Working together is one thing, but real bonding occurs outside the office. Time spent on fun activities will allow your employees to discover mutual interests and become friends. As a result, they will be more productive and efficient in the workplace.

2. They develop mutual trust and understanding

Trust is the basis of all interpersonal relations and the ultimate goal you should aim for when creating an efficient business team. Mutual trust makes employees feel connected, debate their ideas, collaborate, and make decisions. People who trust each other will feel safe to openly discuss their vulnerabilities and ask for help, leading to authentic teamwork.

3. Communication improves and flows smoothly

When people know how to communicate, they can solve almost every problem, which is what team building is all about - people who can openly discuss any topic without conflict. 

By encouraging communication, you'll create a friendly work atmosphere everyone wants to be a part of. Employees will understand the importance of each role and be willing to help everyone achieve their goals. 

4. A cohesive team has better performance

Coworkers who like each other will work better together. Suppose an employee finishes his task; he can help his colleagues complete their assignments. Team members who don't sympathize will be less willing to jump in when needed. As a result, the whole team will be less productive and struggle with overall performance. 

Team building activities successfully resolve this issue, providing valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of every team member. Each employee can contribute to what he is best at without wasting time and energy.

5. Bringing together remote-working teams

The remote working trend was at its peak of popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many companies continued to practice this work culture. Remote workers can feel isolated and unappreciated, even when this work model is their initiative. 

Team building activities are the chance to bring together and encourage a positive atmosphere and cooperation between people who work from different locations. 

6. Promotes good physical and mental health

Team building positively affects physical and psychological health. Conversely, employees who practice a sedentary lifestyle are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancer. 

A day outside and physical activities in the fresh air can make people move and strengthen their muscles. Regular exercise can also reduce stress and anxiety, which can lead to high blood pressure and many other health issues. 

Also, many people have conflicts with colleagues, which makes them tense. Team building is ideal for discussing things, resolving disputes, and reducing tension.

7. Reduces burnouts

The World Health Organization (WHO) says burnout is "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." 

Team building allows employees to distance themselves from everyday stress and enjoy relaxing activities or non-work-related challenges. A small break will make a difference for an employee at risk of burnout, who will come back to work energized and able to handle new tasks.

8. Awakes healthy competition

Only healthy competition is good competition. So you want your employees to restrain from scheming and tripping each other. You want them to work together to beat the competition; therefore, you should awaken a competitive spirit during team-building games that demand team engagement. During these games, teams will cooperate with other groups and work on problem-solving, time management, making strategies, communication, and other essential skills.

9. Team buildings make employees feel appreciated

Team building events are a type of reward for all your employees' hard work; organizing them at least once every quarter would be great. The business environment is dynamic, and managers rarely have time to pay attention to all the achievements that employees make. Team building is the perfect opportunity to engage in fun activities and tell team members that they all matter.

10. Improves business organization culture

Workplace culture represents how things are done, and team building can significantly improve this business aspect. Employees who trust and support each other will positively impact each other's motivation, creativity, and overall performance. 

Therefore, as a manager, you want to organize activities that inspire your team to communicate, cooperate, and develop solid interpersonal relations. Your team will improve its soft skills, advancing the company culture.

💡Article pick: 5 Ways to Encourage Internal Knowledge Sharing and Why It Matters

Need a Hand with Team Building Organization?

Team building will allow you to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Employees will acquire and improve problem-solving skills that are useful in our work in the long run, and through games and activities, employees will also work on their self-confidence. This way, shy employees with a lack of self-confidence will be freed and empowered, and no one in the team will be demotivated, misunderstood, neglected, etc.  After a joyful team-building experience, the company will become a place where employees feel comfortable, accepted, and motivated.

If you lack time and inspiration and have no idea how to organize your employee team buildings, contact some of the best digital marketing companies and enjoy all the benefits these activities will bring!