There are various forms of team building exercises or activities, either implemented by the Company itself or via organizations which specialize in this field. Team building exercises and their objectives will be explained here.

Exercises associated with team building comprise a multitude of undertakings specifically tailored to develop and enhance members of a group so that they may progress and continue to work efficiently as a team. Team building exercises can involve unique actions and are designed for particular requirements. Some of these exercises can take up to several days, depending on a Company's short and long term goals.

The main objective of team building exercises is to help teams or the work force to grow to be interconnected components of individuals that can successfully work simultaneously to complete their duties.

Team building activities are deemed constructive for all types of teams. These exercises can be tailored for small or larger groups of people, for new participants or for focusing on targeted areas such as effective management, building trust or self-discovery exercises. In some cases, team building exercises can be specifically catered for a particular age group.  

Several types of the more popular team building exercises include: -

Communication Exercise
This is one of the most popular team building forms of exercise, incorporated by many establishments to help their employees' perfect problem-solving skills, and enhance communication capabilities. Tasks are put forward, and each team member attempt to come up with the best solutions via communicating positively within the time frame given. The objective here is to emphasize the magnitude of effective and positive communication amongst employees, and to rectify any problems encountered. 

Decision Making/ Difficulty Solving Exercise
This type of tailored exercise is targeted for employees whose daily tasks are to rectify complex predicaments or execute multifarious decisions. This is an archetypal exercise as it possesses the straight connection to what employers want and need their teams to accomplish within a designated time. The objective of this exercise is to ensure that team members find probable solutions to the tasks given. The tasks can be anything from simple to complex.  

Planning (Setting up)/ Flexibility Exercise
This type of team building implement pays particular attention to the various aspects of planning and being pliable to things ephemeral. When an employee is given a difficult task to complete which requires change and plans, he or she must be able to accomplish this with a clear mind and calmness. The goal of this exercise is to illustrate the importance of meticulous planning before coming up with a resolution.

Trust Exercise
Trust exercises can be both fun and educational. Team members are placed in situations where trust is absolutely pivotal if a particular destination or solution is to be reached. In many cases, this type of exercise is considered as one of the more difficult ones, as the levels of trust and comfort varies from one group member to the next. The goal of this exercise is simple; to inculcate trust amongst members of the work force.



Roger is a freelance journalist