Team building activities can range from the bleak to the awe-inspiring. The goal, of course, is to bring team members together in a way that inspires them to grow and develop as individuals and as a team, ultimately produces better, more meaningful results from the collective output. However, the extent to which any given team building activity recognizes success often hinges on the amount of innovation infused into it. If you want your team building activity to succeed, your best bet is to ensure innovation is a major pillar in your team-building plan.
team building activities

Avoid The Team Building Activities Rut

We see a lot of groups attempting to break out of their team building rut in our daily journeys—and we know that these ruts can be catastrophic to those pursuing innovation. While these “ruts” can take many shapes and forms, several patterns have emerged to help identify ruts you may not know you’re in. If you can answer “yes” to some of these questions, you may want to consider breaking the rut.

  • Your team building activities are always held in the same location.
  • No one can explain the point of your upcoming team building activity.
  • Your team cannot list three clear takeaways from the most recent activity.
  • The activity leader is in the role because of seniority and/or no one else was willing to volunteer.
  • Your activities haven’t had a theme since 2008.
  • You can’t remember the last time someone asked, in advance, when the next upcoming activity was (presumably because they were excited about it—but even remembering it would count!)
  • You would try to find a way out of going if you weren’t the one in charge of executing it.

Ensuring Innovation

Whether you’re in a rut or simply looking to improve the results of your team building activity, make sure you can answer “yes” to at least some of the following to ensure innovation in your team building events.

  • The next planned event is a new concept or type of activity.
  • The next team-building event includes physical participation (i.e., music team building, outdoor elements or physical activity).
  • There are 3 clearly outlined goals for the next event.
  • Our assigned leaders for the day are new to this role and/or volunteered for their roles.
  • We have a clear purpose for our event and a planned agenda to meet our goals.
  • Pre and post event activities are in place to expand our effectiveness and engage attendees.

Whether you were able to answer “yes” to many or just a few, you may be wondering how this helps ensure innovation. In short, the ability to clearly define, understand and then connect goals to attendees and activities creates a foundation for natural innovation. The more connected your attendees feel to the purpose of the event, the more likely they will be to bring their own ideas and innovative input to the table.

See How Innovative Music Team Building Activities Can Be

About Billy Kirsch

Billy is a Grammy & Emmy nominated, CMA & ACM award winning songwriter with numerous Top 10 hits to his credit. His team building programs and keynote speaking presentations help people tap into their creative abilities to become more innovative and engaged in their work. Clients include Fortune 100 companies and organizations throughout the world.