I suppose as someone who designs and delivers team building away days I should answer “ Of course they do, just sign the contract here and here please” (Actually we don’t ask you to sign a contract, an email confirmation and a deposit to secure the date in our diary will do)
Being realistic though, it really does depend upon the expectations you had about the outcomes.
For example if the team has issues with the way the way communicate with each other, how work well they work together as a team (rather than a collection of individuals) or perhaps there are some personality clashes, the team building intervention required probably needs to be much more focused than say a skittles evening away from the work environment or a meal out.
In such a scenario those that do get on well with each other will socialise with each other, which could very well reinforce the differences with those that don’t. Some may consider it “bad form” to talk about work related issues in a such a social setting.
On the face of it everyone had a good time, but were any underlying issues sorted out?
In a previous blog I wrote about how important it was to look at the desired outcomes before making a decision about the type of team building away day required.
In the example above, an evening out playing skittles or treating the team to a meal out together could be the perfect way to say thank you for a job well done.
So an appropriate and well organised team building away day can work wonders for team morale but if there are issues to be resolved then some careful thought is required if the desired outcomes and goals are to be achieved.
