Spring 2009 Management Article- By Chris Reynolds

The father of modern management, Peter Drucker, stated that “knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” Team-building programs can provide the ‘shot in the arm’ that employees, departments, and even whole companies need to keep the innovation, inspiration, and stimulation flowing.

By involving company members in team-building exercises, managers are exposing their employees to an ‘outside the box’ mentality that opens new avenues and thought patterns. These new “thought trains” allow employees to see daily situations, situations they've seen day after day for years, in a new light. Options that were out of reach become attainable and choices that were not viable become available.

Properly facilitated team-building programs increase overall productivity, improve employee morale and augment everyday department efficiency. Participants develop novel ways of viewing their daily work routine and are shown a new light with which to view their coworkers and colleagues. These programs allow participants to experience valuable and relevant group-learning that is directly applicable to their company's mission and vision.

One main goal of team-building programs is to allow participants the chance to see that each valued company employee possesses an inherent set of strengths and abilities that lend a specific and unique vigor to the organization. Given tasks to accomplish, participants realize that they may not possess the capabilities needed to complete the task alone; teamwork is required.

Team-building programs do not diminish in value overtime and the effects from a properly facilitated program are not valuable for only one day. Corporate team-building programs are a long-term investment, continually allowing employees to become more and more pioneering and interested in novel solutions to age-old problems.

Drucker said, “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” Corporate team-building is that learning opportunity. By participating, employees will discover that they have the strengths needed to be a valuable member of their organization and their company team. They will find that they are the secret ingredient to company success.