When you think of team building, what comes to mind? Ropes courses, cooking classes or other one-day experiences? How about walking across hot coals? More than 75 percent of 235 executives surveyed by S&MM in 2002 had participated in team building events like these, but many still doubted their lasting impact. There is no quick fix for creating an effective team, they said. Were they right?
Instead of expensive and time-consuming events, why not leverage what you already have? According to a Wall Street Journal article (available to WSJ subscribers only), Richard Couch, the chief executive at Hypertherm Inc., just shuffled the seating arrangements to encourage on-going discussion and collaboration. He created product-development teams with members from every department in his metal-cutting technology company, including engineers, researchers, marketers, and salespeople, and just made them sit together. After some initial complaints, they eventually found ways to share their insights and expertise from all angles.
If rearranging the cubicles isn’t feasible, something as simple as holding a meeting with different departments to encourage honest conversation might get you started—that’s essentially what Couch’s strategy accomplished, except on a daily basis. Or perhaps team-building events just need more follow-up. What strategies have you found effective?
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