Incorporating the Fundamentals of Team Building into an Already-Established Business
The foundation for a successful organization starts with a cooperative and cohesive team. In order to achieve this unity, it is crucial to create an environment conducive to learning. By utilizing experiential learning programs, our participants achieve a higher level of understanding and retention. Implementing blended methods allows us to impact a diverse audience and accelerate the learning process. Learning is truly embraced in the environment we create.
We find that in most team development solutions, a message that encompasses the following attributes tends to be the most successful:
- Build trust: Put programs in place that build team relationships.
- Business results: Make an impact by breaking down barriers that impede performance in the workplace.
- Rapport: Promote respect across departments and practice effective communication.
- Have fun: Play is a vital piece to a successful team.
Team building in action
Our team building workshops are grounded in the experiential model (learning through experience) to address group challenges or reinforce corporate core values and messages. To be successful, teams will have to work together to reach a particular goal. Once the activity is completed, we will explore ideas as to what happened, what things worked and why some ideas failed. From meaningful group dialogue, broad conclusions will emerge, identifying common strengths and weaknesses. Under the direction of the facilitator, the team will be able to relate their conclusions to the work environment, thus increasing awareness and productivity on the job.
Learning plays a key role in the success of our team building programs. We accelerate performance through the use of efficient learning programs, blending teaching methods to reach all team members. By promoting a culture of learning rather than training, we create an environment where participants own their knowledge.
Core ideologies of our team building programs:
- Make it memorable: Help people grasp learning more readily through higher levels of engagement and fun.
- Make the complex simple: Break down more complicated concepts to a point everyone can relate to.
- Experiment without risk: Give participants the chance to test new concepts in an environment conducive to experimentation.
- Externalize thinking: Encourage open dialogue, giving people an opportunity to voice their ideas.
- Foster self-discovery: Teach lessons that are applicable in professional and personal life, and promote individual growth.
Here are two examples of successful team development programs.
Terra Nova
Terra Nova mirrors the real-world challenges faced by organizations. Participants join teams representing departments, regions and functions throughout a company. To be successful, they need to bridge the gap between what they “know” and what they actually do. Despite a shared goal of “making Terra Nova prosperous,” individual teams typically focus on their own needs, rather than those of the organization. As a consequence, quality suffers, conflicts surface and bottlenecks form. The successful building of Terra Nova is a reflection of every individual and team’s desire and ability to create a culture capable of producing sustainable success, where results and relationships are in balance.
The program focuses on:
- Accountability
- Alignment
- Change
- Dialogue
- Execution
- Team building
Terra Nova will engage participants, build knowledge, create commitment and prepare your team to execute brilliantly as they balance the need for results and strong relationships. Download Terra Nova Team Building Details PDF
Enterprise
Teams race against the clock and their competition to construct a spacecraft on time and on budget, while balancing the need for results and keeping people engaged. To succeed, they must honestly assess performance, coach for performance and work together to align their goals and activities to achieve individual and team accountabilities. Enterprise is interactive, practical and learner-centric. Incorporating multiple debriefs, the design encourages active experimentation on the part of participants. Consequently, they own the results and the learning.
Enterprise focuses on the 6 C’s of accountability:
- Clarity
- Competence
- Commitment
- Collaboration
- Course correction
- Critical communication
Enterprise takes an interactive, hands-on and practical approach to teaching the theory and practice of holding people accountable, and rewarding participants who deliver on their commitments. Download Enterprise Team Building Details PDF
Ready to build a collaborative and driven team that is determined to learn? Call Driscoll Learning to maximize your team’s aptitude.
