What Are the Objectives of Team Building Events?

Any organization is only as strong as its team of people. This is why all companies could do with regular team building events. However, these events have to be properly organized and managed, and there has to be clarity in terms of what the goals and objectives are.

Overall Team Building Objectives

Team building events focus on the process of creating a strong team of people, which takes time. This starts with bringing people together, which must include a leader. It doesn’t end until everybody in the team is motivated to work together, and until they all share the satisfaction of achievements.

Through these events, a group goes through various developmental stages, and each of these stages has their own specific objectives and goals.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is the “forming” stage, where the goals and objects are very clear. The group cannot move into the second stage until those objectives have been achieved. Usually, they are:

1. To bring the group together as individuals, so that they feel like a team. This is about binding people together.
2. To align each member with the shared targets, goals, and purpose.
3. To build positive norms of behaviors, values, beliefs, and culture.
4. To establish who the leader is, and what their role is.

Stage 2

At stage 2, known as the “storming” phase, some of the objectives of stage 1 continue to be in place. New ones appear as well, however, including:

1. To ensure everybody continues to be aligned with the goals and purposes.
2. To allow different members of the team to work together, thereby developing positive relationships.
3. To generate new ideas and solve problems in a shared format.
4. To introduce team building processes such as team meetings, daily huddles, communication systems, and so on.
5. To determine what the short-term goals are, and how achieving these will be celebrated.

Stage 3

Stage 3 is known as the “norming” stage, which is where working together as part of a team becomes the norm. Effective systems and processes are in place, and the team works together very well. Some experts feel that stage 3 is the end stage, others feel it continues further.

Stage 4

Stage 4, if it exists, is about the high performing team, something that very few actually realize. Here, people are encouraged to develop their individual specializations and excellence, while continuing to be a part of the team. Key objectives include:

1. Increasing knowledge of the business.
2. To innovate through leadership and problem solving.
3. To give individuals greater responsibilities.
4. To ensure teams can be responsible for setting their own goals.

Exactly how team building events are formatted in order to go through the three (or four) stages varies greatly. Deciding to attend team building events, however, is always a good idea. It will help you to improve your business as a whole, while at the same time focusing on creating stronger, more efficient teams.