Why is Team Building Necessary?

High labor efficiency, tough competition and a stepped-up pace all require teamwork and cooperation, both among colleagues within a department and among different divisions or departments of any organization.

In a paradoxical way it is often exactly this stepped-up pace which prevents colleagues from spending time on developing cooperation and from functioning as a successful team. The situation is similar to the tale in which the lumberjack has to fell so many trees he has no time to hone his axe. But the fact is, in order for a team to function well, several conditions have to be met, and this is where we intend to assist our clients.

Our team building programs are always tailor-designed, individual programs devised on the basis of preliminary consultations and interviews. 

Our Programs Are Recommended for:

• groups of top executives;
• international groups - Cross-Cultural Team Building;
• organizational units as well as their managements ;
• cross-functional as well as project teams.

What We Think Makes a Well-Functioning Team

Our collective experience of over 200 years and immense amount of work with teams have yielded the following factors:

• all members are aware of the aim(s) and have the same concept of the aim,
• all members ask clarifying questions and communicate well during their shared work,
• they discuss issues which emerge during work and think together,
• think-tanks and brainstorming work well,
• the correct strategy is selected smoothly,
• all tasks are assessed realistically,
• all members accept decisions,
• all members have trust in each other as well as in the leader,
• all members want to participate, everyone accepts the aim, the framework and the norms,
• tasks are broken down to individual levels,
• there is maximum attention in the course of realization,
• mistakes and errors are corrected on the run,
• conclusions are drawn, lessons are learnt,
• members carry out what has been agreed on,
• there is inner discipline,
• the team celebrated achievements and successes.

(for a more detailed view of our Efficient Team model, see the menu item Empowerment and Self-Directing Teams)

Aspects of Team Development

After learning about the situation of the organization and the team we also offer team building programs embedded into an OD-process, as well as individual ones. It is very important for a team to function well together, but team building also can help a team find its place within an organization: to experience how they can best contribute to the corporate aims, and to be able to improve their cooperation with other departments.

Further Characteristics of Team Building Programs:

• Building a sense of togetherness, strengthening trust;
• Knowing each other better;
• Clarifying expectations towards each other;
• Creating a common awareness of problems;
• Establishing a degree of dissatisfaction and finding ways to resolve that;
• Establishing what the team wants to achieve;
• Creating a sense of cooperation and dedication to Change;
• Learning along new experiences (Learning by doing);
• Shared laughs, experiences which members remember for years.

To our clients we offer both indoor and outdoor programs, as well as various combinations of the two. (For a more detailed description of out outdoor programs please consult the Outdoor menu items). Our professionally developed, highly diversified team building programs also benefit from organization development tools. Following a preliminary analysis of needs we tailor programs to the situation of the organization or the organizational unit.

Please send me further information or a proposal