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Career Tips - Latest Issue (July 2008) FREE monthly newsletter dedicated to your career development. You'll need less than 15 minutes to read this newsletter. Team building Team, Teamwork, Team spirit...you can't be a football or cricket or basketball fan without knowing the importance of these T-words. And you can't be a player in the corporate world without knowing how much organisations crave to see their people work like team players. In fact, if you're working for a slightly training oriented company, chances are bright that you have been to at least one team building event in your career so far. I happened to attend my first team building event not long ago and that experience left me wondering about what makes people come together as a team, and what prevents people from working as a team. We were about 40 individuals from the same organisation, but from different functions and holding different positions. The event began by dividing the crowd into four groups. The way some of us shook hands and introduced ourselves to the fellow group members, it was clear not everyone knew everyone else. Just as we started trading fake smiles and getting comfortable, the trainer, a young guy, announced that each group was to complete a task--producing a short video film--over the next two hours. Each group was issued a video camera and all we needed to do was to come up with a script and then go outdoors (on a resort island) and shoot a film. And to give it a competitive twist, he declared there was a prize for the best film. Immediately, the training hall was abuzz with hectic activity as all four groups got into action, brainstorming ideas for the script, choosing actors, cameraman and so on. We couldn't remember the boundaries that usually separate us: nationalities, departments, races, positions, designations, etc. Instead, everyone was focused on the common goal: video film. Interestingly, in my group, some of the people known for "cold wars" in the office could now be seen cooperating like ideal team players. For the next two hours, we (all four teams) worked hard, enjoyed great cooperation within the group and eventually produced four films. Though we had started as 40 individuals, two hours later, we were four close-knit teams. There was clearly close bonding between team members. Incredible! But what happened next was even more incredible. Post lunch, we were regrouped to form four new groups. I was now part of a group with many of the former rivals from the film event. This time the task was to go around (walk/run/bus/car) the resort island to five specified places. And at each station, we were to complete one pre-determined task. And these tasks were designed in such a way that it could only be completed by pooling our efforts and having rich interaction among ourselves (e.g., standing together on a small carpet and then turning it upside down without touching it with hands). As soon as the trainer said "Your time starts now!" we again coalesced into four teams. It didn't matter that each group now comprised people who were rivals in the film-making event. For the next three hours, the four teams went about completing the five outdoor tasks with full enthusiasm and team spirit. After all, there was a prize for the team who would complete the five tasks earliest. Three hours later, when we returned to the training hall, four close-knit teams had been formed out of 40 individuals. The story would be complete unless I tell you what happened next. Back at work the next day, we quickly settled within our own compartments of departments, functions, positions, etc. The only impact the team building event had was we were more familiar with one another, but work wise, life was the same. >>CAREER TIP: Unlike a team building event, an organisation is much more complex phenomenon. In an organisation, people are aligned not by what they collectively want to achieve (goal) but by what they do (functions). There are multiple groups, each pursuing different goals. And there are groups within groups. Finally, in the end are individuals, often pursuing selfish interests for the sake of survival and progress. Indeed, it's not so straightforward like a team-building event to build a team, be a team player and lead a team in an organisational setting. Anyone can be a team player in a team building event, but not everyone turns out to be a team player at work. Nevertheless, though I am no expert, my first team building experience seems to expose the following bits of human psychology: + Our default state is working as a selfish individual, pursuing own interests, but each of us has the potential to become a team player. This potential, however, remains untapped in normal working situations because we're conditioned to pay attention to our own interests and goals rather than collective goals. + A bunch of individuals can be turned into a team if they can be made to pursue a common goal. Common goal/purpose/mission is like a catalyst for team formation. + A goal/purpose/mission becomes sharper and more galvanising when it involves some kind of challenge, like doing something within the shortest possible time. + People invariably experience fun, enjoyment, relaxation and bonding during team building events. What's the reason? These events dissolve the barriers of position, power, function and nationality that usually separate us from one another and leave us serious, stiff, tired and miserable. In short, as we shed our egos temporarily during these events, we feel better and closer to one another. Ultimately, it boils down to this question: Do we see the journey of career and the life itself as an individual game or a team game? Atul Mathur FORWARD IT: Would you like to share what you've just read with any of your friends? Click below to send a link to your friend. To SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter, send a blank e-mail to:subscribe Career Tips ***Copyright 2008 Atul Mathur*** |
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