Activities for team building are becoming more and more popular among Singaporean companies. Companies are paying massive sums for consultants in order to bring their employees out of their offices to play with them. Why should they play games in the professional team-building exercises? Do these team-building activities end up benefiting the employees or the business?
People are the most valuable assets for any company. Human beings were designed with the ability to transcend boundaries. However, the issue is that not every person comes close to realizing their potential. Why is that, you might be asking?
In many cases, mentorship and support are vital for an individual to reach their full potential. The capacity of each person to change and grow and be more enthusiastic about their work primarily is based on the way they perceive themselves. A place that is a place where people feel respected and competent is a setting that encourages growth and is positioned to succeed.
Every company that wants to be successful must focus on developing leaders, fostering individuals, and building teams within individuals. Each employee must be equipped with the skills that directly impact their work and abilities that foster friendship across different job areas.
Participating in Team Building Games
In his book, ‘Understanding how People Learn the Way We Learn,’ the author David G Reay explains that learning is actually an inherent process that all animals experience in varying degrees or degrees, especially in their development as well as throughout their adulthood.
Learning can be described as:
1* Continuous
Unconsciously or in a conscious way, we’re learning every day, Be it simple – such as learning what’s trending today or something more profound, such as understanding how to fall in love!
2* Natural
Learning is a normal condition. Being able to solve a problem is a sign of success. Being unable to know is a sign of failure, and no person would like to fail.
Three* Closely connected to doing things. ‘Experiential learning’
Learning by studying theory is a learned skill, but the process of learning through experience is a natural ability. Let’s take the example of a child who is trying to push objects into a container using cut-outs of various shapes to learn about spatial relations. The child attempts to match the shapes until he comprehends how to play and is able to complete his “game.” Only when you have the ability to perform something that you can claim to know how it’s accomplished.
Since we now recognize that learning through experience is a natural process, what is the reason why some people don’t learn? There are a variety of barriers to learning through experiential experiences, including:
* Insufficiency of motivation
* Work environment that is not suitable for the job.
* Subject matter that is inappropriate
* Past experience
* Self-image
* Inadequate study skills
* Poor memory
Any combination of these factors can hamper the learning process through experiential learning and create an obstacle to learning.
One innovative way to break through these obstacles is to encourage and introduce the process of learning through the play of games.
Team-building games can aid in remembering. Research shows that we can remember very well when we are having fun. In her book, ‘The Power of Mindful Learning’ Ellen J. Langer suggests teaching materials to children through play. The reason behind this is that people are drawn to the thrill of playing and can pay attention to these situations. This is because when something is unique and new, we are able to see different things about it. When playing team-building games, players are able to look at every aspect of the scenario in order to find out how they can overcome or win—an effective motivator.
Additionally, when playing games, individuals are relaxed and thus less self-conscious and less aware of previous experiences. Defenses are also reduced in a casual setting and ensure low or minimal resistance to learning objectives.
Another good thing is that games do not require extensive study skills or an extensive amount of memory, at least not in the team-building games created at anergy. Thus, any member of an organization can take part, regardless of their educational background, and all will benefit from the lessons learned during the team-building exercise.
Co-authors of “World Class Training,” Kaye Thorne and Alex Machray, state that “most memorable learning experiences(expriential learning) usually take place in a special environment.” The proper choice of location and layout is essential for fostering experiential learning. Most of our team building games require out-of-the-norm settings, away from the rigid work stations, structured boardroom tables, or classroom/theatre-style arrangements. The various settings could be refreshing and definitely engaging for participants. In team formation, the informal environment creates the perfect environment for individuals to reveal characteristics that are generally not visible in formal situations.
Another study from The National Training Laboratory (USA) has confirmed that learning through engaging in (experiential learning) is more effective than personal coaching.
“If we can find ways to engaging in our work and creating a blurry line between play and work the benefits are greater.” — Ellen Langer, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University
Another benefit of playing games for team development is the friendships that be built within teams. When team members work to do something together and work together, the spirit of teamwork is fostered, and the feeling continues to be felt long after the game. Through having fun, Team members also develop a deeper understanding of each and each other in a non-threatening setting. This will eventually aid in managing personality differences and contributes to more cohesiveness of an organization.
What else can we say? In a nutshell, experience-based learning through team-building games can become more effective, productive, and memorable. This makes it more valuable!