Team Building 2.0
September 10th, 2009
10With companies hopping on the “Web 2.0*” train these days for the marketing, recruiting and customer service needs, you’d think they’d apply that knowledge to their team building strategies.
You know what doesn’t make me love my team members? Being led by a team member, blindfolded, around a office maze. You know there’s going to be at least one guy who thinks he’s hilarious and has you walk into a wall. What is it with companies and trust exercises? No, I don’t want to fall backwards off of a desk into Dwight from sale’s arms. What does a near-death experience have to do with selling paper bundles? Note: I’ve been watching The Office lately. Plus, have you seen this?!
Exactly. Bears are everywhere. Watch out.
Want to know what a great team-building exercise would be? Well…since you asked :P I think playing video games would be swell. If your company can be on Twitter, you can also have an office Wii or XBox okay? I’m sure that someone wouldn’t mind bringing theirs in, especially if that means destroying someone at Mario Kart. I know, I know… we’re not getting paid to sit around and play games, but what if you worked at a toy or game company? Then what?
Speaking of Mario Kart, I think that is an excellent team building game. First, you take out some aggression with the Grand Prix. Throw some bananas and blue shells – get that all out of the way and focus your time on the team races. You can work as a team to gather coins or see who can hang onto their balloons as you try to finish the race.
Another fun office game is Rock Band. Why not set up in the conference room and rock out during lunch? It’s a great way to keep spirits high and with Beatles Rock Band now available, chances are everyone will love it – young and old! You can turn this into a great trust exercise by trusting that your team members won’t make fun of your horrible singing skills. Or you can just trust me when I say that they will. Either way, the key word here is trust.
Look at how happy they are:
It’s mandatory that your team take a picture like this while playing. You can add it to the orientation booklet for the newcomers.
What to take away from this post:
- Stop saying Web 2.0
- Video games are good
- Bears are not
* I hate that term.
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Jennifer Beese
Jennifer is the Community Manager. When she’s not blogging or tweeting you can usually find her practicing stand-up comedy in front of her bathroom mirror.
10 Comments Leave a comment
Team building is about everyone just being themselves… feeling comfortable enough to say and do anything (well, almost anything) in full view of a room full of friends (co-workers). Talking through the hopelessly crazy ideas as well as necessary conser
I would love this at my office, but too bad I’m only one of three people in this place that have ever even heard of Rock Band.
Tell us how you really feel, Jenn! =)
(I agree Web 2.0 very bland word.)
I believe that it is up to you Jay to educate the rest of them. They don’t have to understand it to play. I might be saying this because I want to laugh at them when they play.
Inter-office gaming sounds awesome! As long as people don’t take the losses and butt-kickings too personal. But yeah, awesome.
Right! It’s all in good fun Erini :)
I’m sorry, but directly from Tuenti, here is how we spent some evenings (photo at the right). :-)
http://estaticos.tuenti.com/layout/web2/images/corporate/photo_about2.jpg
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