Employee performance is usually quite easy to measure depending on your industry. However, the factors that impact employee performance are usually much more difficult to improve or address. The majority of these factors are soft skills which simply can’t be measured, making it difficult to identify the weaknesses which are causing a decrease in overall employee performance.
Team building is a brilliant way to improve a host of these soft skills and, in turn, boost employee performance. Through intelligent design and an outcome-driven approach, it is possible to create team building days which target specific abilities that a team is lacking, improving their productivity within the workplace.
At Catalyst Team Building UK, we specialise in creating research-driven corporate team building events built around key soft skills which translate into the workplace. We have compiled this quick guide to illustrate exactly how team building can improve employee performance through real-life practise and experience. Here are some of the most important soft skills that team building can develop.
Communication and Collaboration
Whatever your organisation and the industry you work in, communication and collaboration play huge roles in creating an efficient, effective workforce. Being able to engage with colleagues, clients and external stakeholders is a fundamental role of business and without those interpersonal skills, teams often find themselves working against each other.
Team building is a great platform for building a sense of unity amongst colleagues whilst simultaneously improving other skills. Our Need 4 Speed team building event is a particularly good example where teams must take on specific roles to achieve success for the entire group. In addition, due to the need for a continually optimised workflow, team members also practise how to analyse each other’s abilities and make changes that will benefit everyone rather than a specific individual.
Another example is Chain Reaction Lifesize, in which participants work together to build a large, cascading Rube Goldberg style machine. To achieve success, teams must work together through multiple stages of development from theory through to testing and development. This broken-down process amplifies group ownership of the project and increases satisfaction upon completion. This is exactly what modern businesses need from their teams – unity and cooperation towards a common goal along with satisfaction upon success.
Overall, with improved communication and teamwork skills, every business, large or small, will notice tangible improvements in employee satisfaction and the workplace environment. Team building is a great way to achieve this.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Fast, accurate analysis and educated decision making are also fundamental components of business operation. Employees who can critically look at a problem and then solve it effectively are an asset to every organisation, particularly if they hold management positions. Team building activities often have problem-solving segments which will help employees practise and improve this skill.
The Discovery Challenge illustrates this perfectly. Through active movement and exploration, The Discovery Challenge asks participants to travel to predefined locations in their area and solve puzzles upon their arrival. Each puzzle is scored based on speed and competency, pushing those involved to try and solve the challenges using quick analysis and decision making.
Though fun, The Discovery Challenge is a highly demanding exercise that requires participants to test their critical thinking abilities in a range of ways. These tests help to train staff and refine their analytical skills, translating them into the workplace to enable better decision-making processes learnt through personal experience. All businesses need good decision makers to thrive and team building is another great way to train employees how to do that and improve their overall performance.
Motivation and Value Alignment
One of the keys to employee performance is satisfaction. Happy employees work harder and one of the keys to ensuring staff are happy is giving them a healthy working environment which illustrates the company’s core mission and vision. In a corporate setting, this is usually achieved through the development of company values but can be further boosted through team building days or events.
Events like Corporate Bodybuilding are a brilliant way for organisations to reiterate their values both through the activity itself and via the results. In Corporate Bodybuilding, participants come together in colour coded clothing and spell out words or symbols which are captured from above. This is a great way of incorporating key company messages into the working environment through images which everyone helped to create.
By emphasising company values, staff feel a greater alignment with their employer’s mission and are more motivated to help achieve that goal. With greater motivation comes a significantly improved employee performance along with a more positive and encouraging working environment.
Time and Resource Management
Along with productivity, efficiency also plays a big role in overall employee productivity. One of the pillars of efficiency is effective time and resource management, which can also see development through corporate team building events and games. Managing the resources available to you, including time, is a key life skill which makes a huge role in the workplace where completing work within a given time frame is often the key to success. Fortunately, multiple activities require these management skills to complete effectively and help participants to practise and create good habits.
Flat Out Formula One and Chain Reaction TableTop are both great examples of this. Whilst Flat Out Formula One has participants constructing and decorating a flat pack Formula 1 car within a given time frame, Chain Reaction TableTop requires those taking part to construct small, complex contraptions using limited resources and tools. Those taking part in activities like this are enjoying comprehensive development and real-world education in how to effectively manage the time and items at their disposal to achieve the best results possible. This is absolutely invaluable within the workplace.
Whilst these soft skills aren’t the only ones which have an impact on employee productivity, they are amongst the most important. At Catalyst Team Building UK, we deliver over 500 events a year for a host of different businesses and industries. If you are looking to create an outcome-driven team building day, or simply need an event that will engage your team and help develop a specific skill, explore our range of team building events or get in touch today.
