Staff Bonding Ideas

Staff bonding can be done in corporate settings or in the wilderness.

Corporate team building and trust can be the difference between a successful company and one that ends in failure. Despite what some managers and accountants believe, team morale truly does have an impact on efficiency and productivity. If coworkers feel positively about one another, they are more likely to put in the extra effort. For this reason, team bonding is an important part of business.

Communication Activities

Clearly, communication among employees is important to running a productive enterprise. Bonding activities should place a premium on strengthening these skills. Many managers bring their workers to an outdoor ropes course. There, they build communication skills with challenging outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting. On the raft, they must work together to row the boat and steer it in the right direction in the face of a rush of water and large rocks.

Trust Games

Corporations also focus on strengthening trust among coworkers. The commitment bridge is one common trust game. The game has two thin parallel wires stretched across two trees. Each participant stands on a wire and leans toward the other participant. As each participant shifts his weight to the other person, the two remain standing on their respective wires. The two then slowly slide from one side to the other. They must trust each other to mutually support their weight.

Building a Competitive Spirit

Fostering a competitive environment in the office is another positive step for company bonding. Members of each team become closer with one another as they work to achieve a common goal of defeating the other team. It also helps to prepare them for beating the competition in the workplace. Common sports such as soccer and basketball are good activities. Volleyball is a good choice for coed games.

Leadership

One point of staff bonding activities is to discover who are the natural leaders of the group. Create free-flowing games that require individuals to take charge and lead the team. One example is a scavenger hunt that requires much coordination and discipline to find all of the items in time. The goal is for the managers to take charge of this game to delegate responsibilities for each member of the team.

References

• Team Building; Corporate Team Building Activities
• Corporate Team Building Activities; Canadian Outback Adventures
• Committment Bridge; Ultimate Camp Resource