Team Building Activities
There are hundreds of team building activities and events now on offer. Some are beneficial as a team building tool while others can be a waste of time and money.
On this page we review a selection of team building activities and look at their strengths and weaknesses.
If you have any suggestions for a team building activity that should be reviewed please do email us about the activity and the date, time and location it is taking place.
Team Activity 1: Chocolate Challenge
Run by team building company Fresh Tracks The Chocolate Challenge is a great activity that simulates a complete business process in a light-hearted and highly creative environment. It was created by Fresh Tracks in 1998 for the marketing team at Pepsi and has even been included as the final challenge on the BBC’s Apprentice.
Format: Participants are divided into teams of approximately five to undertake various team challenges. These include designing and producing an original box of chocolates from raw materials and creating a TV commercial for their product.
For more information about this chocolate team building activity please visit the Fresh Tracks website.
Pros: Because of the way this team building activity has been designed it is very flexible and can either be used as a fun and motivational team event or, with facilitation, as a team development activity that can link the learning back to the workplace. It can also be used for small groups of nine or up to groups of larger than 500 at conferences etc.
Cons: Make sure that you know what the objective is of your team day (for example: improve motivation, trust etc) so that these can be included in the day and then there can be tangibleoutcomes. Otherwise this team building activity could just be seen as a ‘jolly’ by staff members who we’re invited.
Team Activity 2: The Team Machine
Created by Fresh Tracks this energetic indoor or outdoor, large scale team building activity requires participants to co-operate with other teams to achieve a common goal.
Format: Each team is given a set of building materials to create a moving sculpture. The plans are muddled requiring sharing of data before building can commence. The group then set to work on their larger than life devices. Components must be assembled in just the right way for the individual mechanisms to work. Later the teams must work together to find the correct sequence of mechanisms, so that, once launched each element will trigger the next in a chain reaction building to an explosive finale!
For more information about this large scale team building activity please visit the Fresh Tracks website.
Pros: In this modern world or silo working and teams being spread across a different sites this team building activity is great at highlighting the importance of team work to be successful and the potentially disastrous results if works teams don’t communicate and trust each other and even compete amongst themselves. It also works very well with facilitated team development using tools such as Belbin, Myers Briggs and SDI.
Cons: Whilst this is one of the best team building activities out there you do need quite a lot of room and you definitely need a room with a high ceiling which isn’t always possible in some venues.
Team Activity 3: HeckMeck
HeckMeck is an excellent tool for anyone intending to explore coordination of procedures and structural change. It is also useful for illustrating topics such as team co-operation, leadership and change management.
Format: The aim is to construct a HeckMeck from 15 elements in the shortest time possible. When the team members first start to put it together, they have a visual guide to help them. Once they have assembled it, however, the first version is taken apart and the team has to rebuild the construction as quickly as possible – but this time without the guide. The group can only succeed by optimising communication and by ensuring that all team members coordinate effectively with each other. In fact, the most well-coordinated teams manage to build the HeckMeck in less than 20 seconds!
For more information about HeckMeck please visit the Metalog Tools website.
Team Activity 4: Lights, Camera, Action!
This film making team building challenge is an excellent way to get teams working together creatively, to produce a tangible outcome within only a few hours.
Format: Within a set time teams must produce storyboard outlines before using digital cameras and laptops to create and edit a finished film. The session can be varied to suit your requirements and can involve a simple storyboard exercise or the full production of a professional film with the assistance of trained cameramen.
For more information about this filming team building event please visit the Fresh Tracks website.
Pros: The problem with team building events can be that although they have a great impact on the day the lessons learnt can be hard to remeber a few weeks later once the pressures of work have mounted. With this event the not only does it work well with a facilitater but also the film that is produced can be used as a reminder of the learning from the day.
Cons: Some people don’t like being on film!
Team Activity 5: The Domino Effect
The Domino Effect Team Building Activity involves brightly coloured dominos and encourages teams to work together to build a variety of displays of toppling dominos.
Format: Teams of approximately six people get together and spend at least half an hour designing a display of toppling dominos. Once the design has been completed, each team is assigned an area in which they must build their exhibit. Teams work together to create a stunt or pattern within their designated area. When the time is up, the event will conclude with a dramatic display – as the first domino is toppled and (hopefully) the rest all follow. The more complex, testing and stunning the display is, the more points your team will receive. Just make sure that no dominos are left un-toppled!
For more information about our Domino Effect Team Building Activity, please visit the Fresh Tracks website.
Pros: Perfect for larger teams, The Domino Effect Team Building Activity highlights the ways in which we need to communicate and co-operate as part of a successful group. Participants can also have lots of fun with the dominos, and be as creative as they like with extra points added for complexity and spectacle.
Cons: One slip or misplaced domino could easily ruin your team’s chances of success.
Advice on Choosing Team Building Activities and Exercises for Work: Deal With Conflict, Change and More
Team-building exercises can be a powerful way to unite a group, develop strengths, and address weaknesses – but only if the exercises are planned and carried out strategically. In other words, there has to be a real purpose behind your decision to do the exercise.
This short video shows you what to consider when planning a team event.
For more information about this please click here.
If you have any suggestions for a team building activity that should be reviewed please do email us about the activity and the date, time and location it is taking place.