5 Team-Building Activities to Enhance Collaboration
No matter how amazing your employees are, it doesn’t mean they’ll all get along and collaborate organically. Most workplaces include people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and goals, and they need a little extra help to appreciate the perspectives of their teammates. That’s where team-building collaboration activities can boost morale.
Many famously successful companies, like Google, Pixar, Apple, Amazon, and Marvel Comics, recognize the need for team-building. The right activities — which vary depending on the people involved and the company's goals — can improve employee well-being, boost customer service, enhance creativity, and foster collaboration. Overall, the ROI of a team-building experience done well will more than make up for the initial expense.
To that end, what are some of the best team-building activities to enhance collaboration? Here, we’ll share 5 creative ideas that work for most people and won’t break the budget.
1. Have a Cultural Potluck Day
Few things unite people as well as food does! And if your team is full of diverse individuals, there’s likely to be a variety of cultures influencing their favorite recipes. This activity is the perfect culmination of a DEI requirement.
Schedule your diversity courses for the morning (see this list from Obsidi® for some top-tier suggestions) and plan a potluck lunch for the afternoon. This takes planning because you’ll need to get people on board by having them sign up for a recipe and giving them a stipend. Let them share the cultural stories behind their food casually (putting people on the spot in front of their peers can be intimidating). This experience is a chance for some who usually stay under the radar to shine and others to learn about them and their culture.
2. Get Active With a Sports Theme
For groups where most team members are active, have a sports theme team-building activity. Think about your elementary field days when your school had relay races, apple bobbing, and other fun yet simple games. What could you put together for the employees on your team?
Come up with a theme that supports your company’s values, and build the games around that idea. Adjust the rules to include everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. Games like the egg toss are inclusive for most people, but you’ll want to consider any disabilities when you plan your activities to ensure you’re not leaving anyone out. Don’t forget to design some masterpiece prizes!
3. Set Up a Trivia Night
What nuggets of trivia does your team hold in their brains? Send out a survey asking everyone what their perceived areas of expertise are, and when the results are finalized, create trivia questions around the most common answers. Then, have a trivia battle of the minds. Add drinks, meals, and snacks delivered to the office, some upbeat background music a la the ‘80s pop hits, and break everyone up into teams. Compete for the honor of having the most knowledge, plus fabulous prizes!
4. Bond Over Community Building
Is there a significant need in your community that seems to be on everyone’s minds? Maybe your area has been affected by a natural disaster that impacted hundreds of people, or there’s a strong need to help the homeless. Why not put your team-building budget to good use and pay your employees to volunteer and give back to their community?
Whether it’s working in a soup kitchen to feed people in need, helping to build a home for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, or rebuilding after a disaster, organize a community activity and let your team know they’ll be paid to spend the day helping others. The only caveat is that everyone must work together on the same project, although what they do at the project site can vary based on their skills and abilities.
5. Visit an Escape Room
Escape rooms are becoming some of the world's most interactive team-building experiences. These brain-intensive activities can be in-person or virtual, making them ideal for any company. They’re affordable, and there are nearly endless options to ensure your business’s values are included.
For example, you may want to host an escape room where the clues lead you to landing a top-paying client or saving the world from a deadly epidemic. Or, you may want to let your team escape reality by solving a murder mystery. No matter which type of escape room you choose, everyone must work together to solve the clues — and, of course, win the prizes!
Conclusion
Fostering collaboration and building morale are targets that not only make your company a better place to work but they can increase productivity and profit. Start by creating some team-building activities, then use the momentum from the day’s excitement to continue nurturing a workplace atmosphere of community and connectivity.
