Team Building Games for Remote Associates
Effective team building games are an essential part of the workforce, even if you all work remotely. Spending time online or on the phone communicating with your co-workers builds camaraderie among staff. This sense of belonging builds trust, so you work together more efficiently. Finding the right team-building exercise for your group depends on your needs. You may need to conduct several different games to account for everyone's work styles and personalities.
Other People Are Reading
-
Favorite View
-
Set up a thread in your internal Intranet program where remote associates can log in. Ask each employee to look out her favorite window, at work or home, and describe the view. She should explain how this view reminds her of something from her childhood. For example, if your favorite view overlooks a snowy mountain terrain in the dead of winter, it may bring back memories of snow days when you were a kid. Describe the excitement of the first snowfall and activities you would play with your friends and family during a storm. Require each associate to comment on one or two other threads. This exercise allows employees to get to know each other on a more intimate level.
Early Bird Game
-
Split associates into two separate teams. Using the phrase "the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese," assign each team to one side, the bird or the mouse. Each team is required to make a slide-show presentation as to why their system is more effective. Within each group, there should be a fact-checker, graphic designer, modulator or other necessary positions to create a slideshow. Allow each team to view the other team's slideshow. Have an open thread listing open-ended questions and allow room for an overall vote as to which is better for business; the early bird or the second mouse. This is a creative thinking type of team building game.
-
Newspaper Interpretation
-
Ask each associate to visit his local online version of the daily newspaper. Each employee should find a story and relate it to one of the motivational theories. You may want to list the theories from which they can select, such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs or McGregor's XY Theory. Require all associates to comment on at least one other team member's interpretation of the story and write their own interpretations in a separate thread. When responding, you should explain if you agree with the original interpretation or if you think another theory applies. This game explores motivational theories and applies them to the real world.
Preparing a Meal
-
Split associates into groups of two or three people. Assign each group an imaginary simple meal to prepare, such as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or heating a microwave meal. Each associate has to write a detailed description of how to make her food item including simple instructions. Allow each member within the group to read each other's assessment of the meal preparation. Members should point out positive aspects of their team member's instructions, as well as any steps they may have missed. For example, one of the first steps of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is to open the jar. If the associate does not write this step, fellow associates are unable to follow through with the other steps of this imaginary meal. This type of game builds organizational skills and communication within a group.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
