As Michael Jordan once said, "Talents win games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." It is precisely team unity, the ability to collaborate and interact that help achieve the highest goal. How to make a team a friendly collective, where they know how to listen to each other, allocate roles, and demonstrate themselves to achieve a common goal? We have selected for you the top bright examples of corporate team building at the Russian and global level. Get inspired and implement bold ideas with us!

Mission: round up the sheep

It seemed like there was nothing difficult in herding a flock of sheep into a pen? After all, this is easily handled by just one shepherd and a dog. This is exactly what the employees of Sainsbury’s – one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK – thought when they were faced with such a challenging task. However, their initial attempts ended in failure. The sheep scattered in different directions and completely ignored the highly qualified specialists with higher education! This continued until the managers started to negotiate with each other, listen, and help each other. After all, the shepherd and the dog act in harmony – that's the whole secret.

Detective story

Representatives of the Indian brand "JCB India Ltd" were able to feel like Sherlock's imitators. Gathering in the hotel lobby, they discovered an area cordoned off with yellow tape and a sign that read "Caution!". On the floor was an outline of a body, next to which lay a murder weapon – a hairpin, as well as evidence – a piece of fabric. Within two hours, participants had to investigate the "murder" and find the culprit. This exercise aimed to teach "investigators" to accept others' opinions and listen to different points of view.

Detective story

Dance flashmob

The entire sales department of "Johnson & Johnson" (which consisted of no less than 240 people!) used the Australian Open Tennis Championship for their fun activity. On the main square of Melbourne, crowded with fans and tourists, they disguised themselves as ordinary passersby, unexpectedly put on identical rainbow T-shirts with the inscription "Making smiles, changing lives," and started dancing. This mass incendiary dance attracted public attention and evoked positive emotions from passersby who happily joined the participants. Preparation for such a flash mob is part of teambuilding, requires hard work and long rehearsals. And of course, active involvement of each of its members.

Conquering mountain peaks

Enthusiasts of active and extreme sports will surely appreciate the idea of the Moscow branch of "Nestle". 17 daredevils literally conquered peaks, specifically - they ascended Elbrus. Conquering the highest peak of Russia and Europe naturally requires extensive physical and psychological preparation. The ascent is associated with difficulties and dangers. Therefore, the support of each group member is very important. Although there were some unpleasant incidents (minor falls and severe fatigue), overall everything ended well. 12 out of 17 people reached the goal, becoming true heroes.

Conquering mountain peaks

Zephyr tower

Specifically for the designers of the company "Microsoft", an unusual team building activity "The Marshmallow Challenge" was developed. Participants were asked to build the tallest tower possible from a set of everyday items. No, not boards, not styrofoam, not even cardboard. It's 20 long spaghetti, a meter of string, a meter of masking tape, and one marshmallow (or a familiar marshmallow) that should be on top of the tower. This structure had to be built in 18 minutes by just four "builders". Although the quantity and time may vary. Achieving the goal requires a creative approach, coordinated work, and the ability to make quick decisions.

Zephyr tower

Musical orchestra

The founder of the network of music schools Affettuoso Nikita Frolov decided to bring art to the masses. He not only teaches music to his wards but also strengthens corporate relationships through music itself. No, not with songs about friendship and mutual assistance. He turns any team, even one far from art, into a mini-ensemble in just one day. Beginners first have individual lessons with teachers and then practice in a group. By evening they can play a musical composition! Among the well-known clients who have tried this practice in their corporation are Google and "M.Video".

Musical orchestra

Top managers or a team of builders?

Top managers from different regional divisions of "MegaFon" were placed in unusual conditions for them with a change in social roles to improve communication among themselves. They were sent to the small village Terma on Kamchatka where they had to build a real family park with their own hands. All necessary agreements with local authorities and services were made in advance, and the location was chosen. However, these office workers were supposed to carry out most of the construction work themselves. They were divided into teams, each with a game technician present. Each group worked on a specific task for 2 hours before switching with another group. Before this, a briefing was held where participants shared information about completed tasks and upcoming stages with each other. As a result, the park was built which made local residents very happy. This event received extensive media coverage which positively impacted "MegaFon's" image.

Top managers or a team of builders?

In a dark-dark room...

In the late 90s, Andreas Heinecke developed an original training program called "Dialogues in the Dark". Its essence lies in placing people in a dark room guided by blind trainers. They ask questions, give various tasks that require interaction from all group members. The peculiarity of this project is that people are placed in extraordinary conditions. Other senses are heightened, requiring them to feel and sense things that are not visible to the eyes. These limitations sometimes led to amazing results. For example, a leader would show confusion or even panic, while a newcomer unexpectedly became a leader.

In a dark-dark room...

All aboard!

The event agency "Aventura" also strives to surprise its clients with unusual concepts. For example, for one of the well-known IT companies, an exciting team-building game with a maritime theme - "Exploring New Horizons" - was organized to celebrate the opening of a branch.

All aboard!

Participants photo zone transformed into real sailors! They "overcame" considerable distances on cardboard "rafts" with barrels of water, accurately hit targets with tennis projectiles from cannons, skillfully tied maritime knots, built lighthouses from giant Jenga blocks, and learned to recognize signals using semaphore flags. In the final stage of the event, experienced sailors independently built a huge ship from cardboard boxes symbolizing the start of the project. Everyone acted unitedly and harmoniously and ultimately achieved a common goal - "Opened horizons for conquering new IT peaks!

Secret recipe of a cohesive team

Another interesting concept was organized by our team for another major company: a unique team-building program for designing and cooking food with elements of a business game called "Cook - Sell - Earn".

The team-building program consisted of several stages. The main goal of the game was to earn as much "money" (game currency) as possible during each period of competition. Initially, participants randomly selected a cuisine in which they had to create their masterpieces under the guidance of professional chefs. Some got burgers, others shawarma, and some even Japanese cuisine. Then competitors were asked to build a food truck (a van with a mobile kitchen for selling fast food and drinks) and choose their own style, demonstrating creativity and inventiveness.

Secret recipe of a cohesive team

When food trucks were set up and culinary masterpieces prepared, participants were offered to sell their gastronomic creations. Novice chefs were looking for their target audience and proving why their dish was the best on the market. And when all the goods were sold out and eaten, teams had to assess how successful their food outlet was. To do this, it was necessary to conduct a financial analysis and calculate the profit. The team that earned the most currency was awarded the honorary Michelin star, while the other participants received pleasant prizes and a sea of positive emotions.

As you can see, team building is not only beneficial but also very exciting and fun! Want to move away from traditional sports competitions and contests in nature? Then contact our specialists! We will help unite your employees, and we will do it in a fun and original way.