team building

I've been thinking about this whole concept of sacrificing the self for the team for a couple of days, and then the article below landed in my inbox this morning.

For years team building practitioners and leaders have been proclaiming that there should be no "I" in TEAM. I think it's a concept that's fundamentally flawed and the breeding place for conflict and discontent.

Basic psychology is clear on this... people will do things for their own reasons and primarily for themselves before thinking of others. That's what Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is all about. It's also the foundation for Self-Actualization.

Leaving the "I" out of results, implies socialism - and that's why this article is so relevant...

Understanding people and their “natural” (or thrust) behaviour style can go a long way to helping HR professionals streamline the recruitment of new employees. Research shows that poor behavioural fit with existing team members can lead to conflict and a significant drop in team and individual performance. So it’s a good idea to be able to interview not only for ability and attitude, but also for behavioural fit.

 I have been involved in the teambuilding industry since 1994 and as a result I often get asked by industry publications if I’d like to write editorial or them.  When I agree, they want to charge me a fee because they feel that my article will constitute “marketing”. 

The real message behind this practice though, is not that they want to charge me for marketing, but they are willing to place anyone’s contribution if they are willing to pay.  Irrespective of the author’s experience and / or standing in the industry. The teambuilding industry has changed dramatically in recent times, in part due to the recession, but for the most part because people have changed along with companies' expectations of these excursions.

I recently met with Bruce a company owner and MD intent on growing his already-successful company. He’s in the process of employing Regional Managers, Sales Managers and devising an aggressive sales and growth strategy. He is looking to partner with me as a coach and mentor to his company – but what I discovered was astounding. Bruce has decided to cancel company conference. He’s cancelling the very bastion of motivation and team-building. I think he’s doing exactly the right thing.

I’ve done this with great effect in the past – both with small groups as part of Managment Training, but also at conferences with groups of a couple of hundred people!! The beauty of juggling lies in the fact that we’ve all marvelled at the skill of jugglers since we were little, but few of us have ever managed to acquire the skills.

I often get asked by industry publications if I’d like to write editorial or articles for them. When I agree, they want to charge me a fee because they feel that my article will constitute “marketing”.

The real message behind this practice though, is not that they want to charge me for marketing, but they are willing to place anyone’s contribution if they are willing to pay. Irrespective of the author’s experience and / or standing in the industry.

One such publication recently published a “feature” on teambuilding in which the contributors (along with glossy photos and company promotion) claimed that outdoor teambuilding was fast replacing indoor, boardroom-type training sessions. The same publication ran an almost identical feature about four years ago. It is naïve to think that in the fast –changing business culture we operate in, teambuilding trends would not also have changed over the last half-decade.

Last week I had a very interesting conversation with a prospective client. We pitched for their business last year (80 delegate conference and “teambuild”). Admittedly I got the pitch wrong and we didn’t get the business, but I figured there would be no harm in trying to get the deal this year. The client’s response last week though was thought-provoking.

Teambuilding has become a world-wide phenomenon and team building sessions have become synonymous with every corporate breakaway, conference and get-together.