Miller,
Brian Cole. Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises
That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes. New York City: Amacom, 2003.
Summary and Discussion
This work is a very
practical easy to read guide for team building. The book is divided in two major
sections. The first section has detailed
instructions and a presentation of key team-building principles. The next section has fifty practical
activities that help to instill these key principles within the team
itself. These activities are easy to
carry out and flexible, so as to be customized to fit various groups. The type of format used is not
only well presented but simple to follow.
The first section has two major topics of
discussion. The first topic is How
to Run a Successful Team-Building Activity. Under this section,
the author informs us that the type of building exercise will depend on what
principles need to be improved within a given team. With the current competitive spirit in the
market, institutions demand much from their employees. Employees who are accustom to working as a
team will be the most beneficial to the organization as a whole. Teamwork breads success since it provides a
broader range of answers to problems.
However, teams will not simply develop on their own. Thus, building a
team on a sound foundation of strong principles is essential to effective team
building.
There
has to be a plan to implement principles within in any team. The activities given in this book
are organized based upon the building up of these essential principles within
any given team. While growing closer,
team members should enjoy each other and have fun when carrying out these
exercises. All the while, they should be
taught how the principles can be incorporated practically in their day-to-day
working routine. Finally, members of the
team should be reminded constantly on what they have already learned. Keeping key principles in front of the team
members is necessary for long-term benefits and positive results.
The Principles
The
first principle discussed is the art of quality communication. As with each principle, there is an activity
provided meant to instruct and instill the values that each principle provides.
Communication is the fundamental principle of a working team and consists of
both the ability to listen and speak. In
a business setting, serious listening and discussion skills are most
crucial. If there is a communication
breakdown in a group, it will be almost impossible to accomplish even the
simplest of tasks. The method of
communication is also vital; especially in the way one expresses himself, both
verbally and non-verbally.
Another
key principle to quality team building focused the reader’s attention on the
virtue of honesty. Activities provided
are meant to be solved by the members practicing open and honest communication
with each other. Members will be
involved in this activity by listening, asking questions, and persuading
others. This emphasizes the significance
of good honest communication in solving problems whether personal or work
related.
Another
principle discussed was problem solving or brainstorming. Brainstorming solves problems in calm and
casual way. When done the correctly it will be efficient in bringing out
members originality and experience. If a
group is moving in circles, an individual’s experience in conducting a
brainstorming session can help push the group to the next level. The
activity, if properly conducted, is supposed to force the participants to come
up with solutions to a rather fascinating and complex problem. In the end, members will feel as if they have
contributed to the team and also recognize the potential in other team members.
Another
key principle is trust. Trust in a team
is very important, and it should be established as soon as a team is
formed. Activities promoting trust are
recommended for new teams so that a solid foundation will be built from which
the team will grow and succeed. The
activities require teamwork and reliance on every individual so as to develop
this much-needed principle of trust.
Where trust is created, friendships are often forged, and bonds are
strengthened, bringing strength and longevity to a team.
Teamwork
itself is a principle of teambuilding, which may seem to go without saying.
However, it can’t be overstated that this is the very principle that allows a
team to tackle a challenge effectively.
A team that that doesn’t work may still be a team, but it accomplishes
nothing. A team must be built on the
principle of working together well.
Tackling a problem as a team makes it seem more manageable since it is a
shared burden. Also, working as a team
builds harmony and coordination between members. The exercise supporting this principle is
supposed to highlight that an individual can achieve more when working as a
team rather than working alone.
Every
member should use his strength to counteract his teammate’s weaknesses. Once members are familiar with their
individual capabilities then their roles will be well distributed. Members will be assigned roles that they will
do better than any other member in the group, which make the team more
efficient and successful.
Leadership
is another principle of team building.
In these exercises members of a team have a chance to train and
challenge their leadership skills. These
activities can also be used to select a leader.
Precaution should be taken in this process, because choosing the wrong
leader can destroy an otherwise strong team.
Pride can cause dispute among team members as they compete for this
title. This can be a big problem if many
members try to exercise leadership characteristics during an activity at the
same time. Members are taught through
the activities to take turns at leading.
The finest leaders are those who begin very low on the ladder and work
themselves to the top. Some members
cannot be leaders simple because they make bad decisions or cannot move their
team to accomplish anything. Leadership
exercises can be used to detect this potential pitfall.
The
principle of decision-making is also vital to any team. Decision-making faces a team at every turn
and must be addressed wisely. When
solving a problem, there are always several methods that may be employed, each
with its own consequence. Analyzing
options is required as one must consider all the available resources and
anticipate possible results. The number
of solutions available may seem endless considering that each team member can
potentially present numerous alternatives.
This means each person should be given a chance to express their
opinion, but a good leader will bring the discussion to a close and help the
team form a consensus.
Self-esteem
is another important principle if the full potential of a team is to be
realized. Self-esteem can fluctuate
easily during team building activities and that makes it a delicate principle. To improve the self-esteem of a group may be
relatively easy, but that is not necessarily the case for each individual. If a team is to perform at its full
potential, individual members must be at their best and have confidence in what
they do. Activities are presented to
help build esteem within the team and the individuals within.
The
second topic in the first section is What Could Go Wrong with a
Team-Building Activity. In this topic, the author focuses on how a
team building can turn out to be a disaster. When the team is mocking the
activities, dispirited, or not responding well to the given principles certain
actions must be taken immediately.
Calling aside individual members to address unacceptable behavior or
attitudes may be necessary and should not be put off for very long. Team building is a form of teaching, and like
a teacher, the leader must maintain order and respect with the audience.
Team
building will fail if the teacher does not inspire the team. Sometimes the exercise itself might not be
all that exciting, but a good teacher can make it enjoyable with the right
approach and preparation. Organizing a
lecture for the team is a mistake. Team
building activities are not meant to turn into a sermon or a lecture. It is a time for the group to improve team
performance by improving the way they relate to each other.
The
author also warns that an exercise that is overtly silly or even absurd is a
mistake. Team members will miss the
point of the activity if they are too focused upon its absurdity. Also, care should be taken on the
presentation of each activity so as not to appear to discriminate to a certain
individuals who may not be able to participate.
This will discourage the team and they will lose respect for the leader.
The
second section of the book has illustrations of various activities, and has
been written with a similar format. The
author starts with the activity then shows its purpose and when it is to be
used. A list of materials and a guide
for preparation is also provided. There
are convenient questions to ask the members to see how they have responded to
the exercise and even tips on practical application.
Finally,
he gives other variations of the activity to be used in numerous different
settings. Most activities do not need a
lot of preparation or materials, making them very convenient. Each activities is tailored to instill the
fundamental principles of team building and the table of contents is an
wonderful guide to find the key principle one may wish to emphasize.
Personal
Application in the Ministry Setting
Miller
is wise to point out that these activities and the principles they instill are
not unique to the business world. In
fact, while reading this book I chose to use one of the team building
activities for our monthly ministry staff meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by the
results. I’ve always considered our team
to be very close and open with each other, but this activity showed me we still
had room to grow. After opening our
normal staff meeting with an ice breaker activity and asking some pointed
questions to each of our team members, I felt the group really connecting on a
new level. We have worked together for
over five years and I had begun to take our team’s cohesiveness for
granted. I hadn’t realized that, though
we were healthy, we weren’t really growing or being challenged. This book helped me to see that and find a
creative way to build our team.
Additionally,
as a father of four kids, I’m now planning to steal a couple of the activities
for a fun family night. A family, after
all, is a team. It is interesting how
truth can be applied in any setting and still produce good fruit.
