Team building activities are an inbuilt part of company culture. It needs to be for a successful business because a team-oriented work culture is a sure shot way to ensure business success. Having all (or most) employees work together and towards a common goal helps boost productivity. 

The recognition of the value teamwork brings to an organization is why team-building activities are such a focal point for most HR functions. The ‘team building’ concept is now something of a buzzword, used for everything from strategic away days to staff nights out. But at its basic level, team building can be broadly defined as any non-work-related activity that entertains, motivates, and challenges staff. It also has the positive side-effect of improving skills related to the work done.

Most organizations now take every measure possible that brings employees together into teams. There are various team-building games and activities that you can organize to bring your teams closer. At the same time, such games can be played with smaller teams.

good teamwork isn’t about the personalities, behaviours, and attitudes of individual team members. It depends on specific enabling conditions. These could be factors like a supportive environment and a strong team structure designed to promote positive dynamics.

In short, it is not important who you have on your team, collaboration can be successful under the right conditions. Team-building activities can be an effective way to achieve these conditions. Even if the objective of your team-building day is simply to get out of the office and have fun by bringing people together and out of their comfort zone, you can help to sow the seeds for better collaboration down the line. This, in turn, can be a major motivator for your staff.

Listed below are five broad categories of activities that can be used to motivate and improve teams.

Activities To Motivate Your Team

1. Game Show Activities

It is surprising how playing a popular game can be a fun employee engagement activity. Whether you are playing board games like Uno, Ludo, or Foosball, or Jeopardy!®, Bingo, or more elaborate games like Kasauti (the Pakistani version of 20 Questions), or popular game shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who wants to be a Millionaire). 

Game show activities are a great way to get your team members working together. If your team is motivated by shared social experiences, these game shows are the perfect way to recognize them.

2. Volunteer Together

This is particularly useful for socially active organizations. CSR-focused businesses can hold a CSR day to bond, and boost morale while impacting the lives of those less fortunate. Companies must design an activity that lets their team give back. 

There are many ways to give back to society, it could be through fundraising as a team for a joint cause or spending a day at an orphanage or old home, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or simply collecting items for those who need them. These activities promote teamwork as your employees work together on the common cause that you select.

3. Give Your Team A Thrill

Some businesses have an employee profile that will enjoy experiencing an exciting event like go-karts, scuba diving, or zip-lining.  Other sports ideas can be hiking, rafting, or bungee jumping. While such activities are expensive to organize, they are a great way to reward and recognize your employees.

4. Solve a Problem as a Team

Design a dummy problem that should be solved. It could be a design, riddle, or brain teaser (you can make it all one after another). Ask your teams to present an idea on a big piece of paper. Just a sentence or two is fine. Next, have them pass the paper to the person to the left. Have that person use that new idea to create another solution. This will show your teams that each person’s input counts toward the result.

Tackling challenges and solving complex problems can give a team a sense of shared achievement into their day jobs. You may want them to consider a real problem facing your business or industry, or you may prefer a generic problem-solving exercise. Either way, pay close attention to how they perform as a team and provide feedback after the session.

5. Experience Virtual & Augmented Reality

Experience a unique virtual or augmented reality activity as a group. Your team will not only experience VR and AR for the first time but will also see how effective and fun it is to embrace change and new technology.