As Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” It is team unity, the ability to cooperate and interact that help achieve the highest goal. How can you turn a group of employees into a close-knit team that knows how to listen to each other, distributes roles and expresses itself to achieve a common goal? We have selected for you a top list of striking examples of corporate team building at the Russian and global level. Get inspired and bring bold ideas to life together with us!
Mission: Herd the Sheep
At first glance, what is so difficult about driving a flock of sheep into a pen? After all, just one shepherd and a dog can handle it. That is exactly what the employees of Sainsbury’s, one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, thought when they were given such a challenging task. But their very first attempts ended in failure. The sheep ran off in different directions and completely ignored highly qualified specialists with university degrees! This continued until the managers began to negotiate with one another, listen and help. After all, a shepherd and a dog act in a coordinated and harmonious way—that is the whole secret.
A Detective Story
Representatives of the Indian brand “JCB India Ltd” got the chance to feel like Sherlock followers. Gathering in a hotel lobby, they discovered an area cordoned off with yellow tape and a sign saying “Caution!”. On the floor was an outline of a body, and next to it lay the murder weapon—a pin—as well as a piece of evidence—a scrap of fabric. Participants had to investigate the “murder” and find the criminal within two hours. In this way, the “investigators” were supposed to learn to accept other people's opinions and listen to another point of view.
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A Detective Story
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Dance Flash Mob
The entire sales department of “Johnson & Johnson” (and it numbered no fewer than 240 people!) used the Australian Open tennis championship for their fun event. In Melbourne's main square, packed with fans and tourists, they, posing as ordinary passersby, suddenly and simultaneously put on identical T-shirts with a rainbow and the words “Making smiles, changing lives” (“Making smiles, changing lives”) and started dancing. This mass, energetic dance attracted public attention and evoked positive emotions among passersby, who happily joined the participants. Preparing such a flash mob is part of team building, requires hard work and long rehearsals. And, of course, the active involvement of each of its members.
Conquering Mountain Peaks
Fans of active and extreme sports will surely like the idea of the Moscow branch of “Nestle”. 17 brave souls literally conquered peaks, or more specifically, climbed Elbrus. Conquering the highest peak in Russia and Europe, of course, requires lengthy physical and psychological preparation. The ascent involves difficulties and dangers. That is why the support of every group member is very important. Although there were some mishaps (minor falls and severe fatigue), on the whole everything ended well. 12 out of 17 people reached the goal, becoming true heroes.
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Conquering Mountain Peaks |
Marshmallow Tower
An unusual team building activity called “The Marshmallow Challenge” (“Marshmallow Challenge”) was developed specifically for Microsoft designers. Participants were asked to build the tallest possible tower from a set of available items. No, it's not boards, not foam plastic and not even cardboard. It is 20 long spaghetti noodles, one meter of thread, one meter of cassette tape and one marshmallow (or the marshmallow we are used to), which must rise at the top of the tower. Four “builders” need to build such a structure in just 18 minutes. Although the number and time may vary. Achieving the goal requires a creative approach, coordinated work and the ability to make decisions quickly.
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Marshmallow Tower |
Musical Orchestra
Nikita Frolov, founder of the Affettuoso chain of music schools, decided to bring art to the masses. He not only teaches music to his students, but also strengthens corporate relations through music itself. No, not through songs about friendship and mutual assistance. He turns any team, even one far from art, into a mini-ensemble in one day. First, novice musicians study individually with teachers, and then in a group. And by the 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”.
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Musical Orchestra |
Top managers or a construction crew?
Top managers from various regional divisions of "MegaFon" were placed in unusual conditions with a change of social roles in order to improve communication among themselves. They were sent to the small village of Termalny in Kamchatka. There they had to build a real family park with their own hands. All necessary agreements with local authorities and services had been made in advance, and the site had been chosen. But the main construction work was to be done by these office workers. They were divided into teams, each with a game technician. A group worked on a specific task for 2 hours, after which it switched with another. Before that, a briefing was held, at which participants passed on to each other information about completed work and next stages. In the end, the park was built, which the locals were very happy about. The event was widely covered in the media, which positively influenced MegaFon's image.
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Top managers or a construction crew? |
In a dark, dark room...
In the late 1990s, Andreas Heinecke developed an original training called "Dialogue in the Dark". Its essence is that people are placed in a dark room, led by blind trainers. They ask questions and give various tasks that require interaction among all group members. The special feature of this project is that a person finds themselves in extraordinary conditions. Other senses become heightened, and one has to feel and sense what cannot be seen with the eyes. These limitations sometimes led to surprising results. For example, a manager would show confusion or even panic, while a newcomer could unexpectedly become a leader.
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In a dark, dark room... |
All aboard!
The Aventura event agency also strives to surprise its clients with unusual concepts. For example, for one well-known IT company, in honor of the opening of a branch, an exciting team-building game with a maritime theme was organized — "Opening New Horizons".
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All aboard! |
Participants of the event transformed into real sailors! They 'covered' considerable distances on cardboard 'rafts' with barrels of water, accurately hit targets with cannons using tennis shells, and expertly tied sea knots. The novice sailors also built lighthouses from giant Jenga and learned to recognize signals using semaphore alphabet. At the finale of the event, the now-experienced sailors independently built a huge ship out of cardboard boxes, which symbolized the start of the project. Everyone acted cohesively and in harmony, and in the end achieved one common goal — "Opened horizons for conquering new IT heights!".
The secret recipe for a cohesive team
Another interesting concept was organized by our team for another large company: a unique team-building program on constructing and cooking food with elements of a business game, "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 in each period of the competition. To start, participants drew lots to determine the cuisine in which they would create their masterpieces under the guidance of professional chefs. Some got burgers, some got shawarma, and some got Japanese cuisine. After that, the competitors were asked to build a food truck (a van café with a mobile kitchen for selling fast food and drinks) and choose their own style, showing creativity and ingenuity.
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The secret recipe for a cohesive team |
When the food trucks were built and the culinary masterpieces prepared, participants were asked to sell their gastronomic creations. The novice cooks looked for their target audience and proved why theirs was the best dish on the market. And when all the goods were sold out and eaten, the teams had to assess how successful their food outlet had been. To do this, they needed to conduct a financial analysis and calculate their profit. The team that earned the most currency was awarded an honorary Michelin star, while the other participants received nice prizes and a sea of positive emotions.
As you can see, team building is not only useful, but also very exciting and fun! Do you want to move away from traditional sports competitions and outdoor contests? Then contact our specialists! We will help bring your employees together, and we will do it in a fun and original way.
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