By Suzy Robinson
Last week members of SDHRC were locked in an abandoned apartment of a serial killer with 60 minutes to gather clues, crack codes and discover a way to freedom. Why? To motivate, unite, communicate, develop and achieve, of course!
Okay, so it wasn’t an actual apartment (although the serial killer story was based in enough truth to provide psychological drama). What we experienced was a team building exercise designed to bring us together, using our individual strengths and talents for a common goal …ESCAPE!
Team building activities and experiences used as organizational development tools break down barriers, boost morale, and create cohesiveness …in other words, they build your company a TEAM!
Break the barrier: Whether it is interpersonal relations, introvert or extrovert personalities or management level barriers, team building exercises provide the opportunity to level the playing field regardless of title or company position which can do wonders for employee morale and team cohesiveness.
Boost morale: One team member was a whiz at Sudoku, one was an expert at math and another great at details and observation. Each individual skill was a necessary piece of the puzzle to successfully escape the room. Teams must openly communicate and become comfortable in expressing their ideas and opinions to achieve their goal. Each successful step working as team, will provide increase in confidence, morale and lots of “high fives”.
Create Cohesiveness: Well, nothing like a little fear to bring a team screaming together! Problem solving activities requiring coworkers to work together and lean on each other’s strengths can provide a sense of respect, trust and belonging. Feelings and attitudes are often influenced by other people and team members can provide mentor ship and reinforcement through positive support and feedback.
Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” I have to tell you, ‘ole Hank was right. It was awesome to come together as a team outside of the office, the clues and codes were definitely a “process” as we worked together and leaving that room behind was definitely a SUCCESS in my mind. Oh, and did I mention we escaped with 8 minutes to spare? Just call us SDHRC Team MacGyver.
