Event: Sysmex Asia Overseas Team-building (Bangkok, Thailand)
Date: February 2012
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
Sawadee Kap!
This year started off with my first overseas team-building event in Bangkok, Thailand, along with 60 local and regional participants.
Discussions on the objectives of the team-building as well as suggestions on activities to deliver these learning values started several weeks ago. With a clear understanding of the high level and individual deliverables needed by the client, I went back to my drawing board and started toying with various team-building ideas. (I knew I wanted to break away from the traditional team-building activities and innovate a whole new paradigm to team-building.)
In traditional team-building activities, groups are given tasks/ challenges to complete within a specific time. The winning criteria is often based on speed, accuracy, timing, etc. However, in my new format of team-building, teams compete real time and make strategic decisions based on both prior outcomes as well as the decision of the other competing teams. The intent is to allow participants from various departments to understand the importance of building a lean and flexible organization, constantly tuned into the marketplace and seeking ways to outdo the competition.
Most often, as companies grow, they tend to lose touch with the external marketplace (environment) and turn their focus inwards, a clear example of by which every department is narrowly focused on managing their respective key performance indicators, resources and workload. The most often feedback heard from management is about a lack of ownership and initiative from staff. Successful managers are aware of the need to provide a clear sense of direction across the organisation, by sharing where we are today, where our goal is, how do we get there and what are the pitfalls and competing forces against us.
As such, the team-building activities were specially tailored to simulate firms competing in the marketplace - As every department gets caught up in the day to day routine tasks, they have to keep the big picture in mind and change their direction and decision based on what happened in the marketplace. These activities are intellectually stimulating and mentally challenging, keeping the participants charged up by incorporating interim minor successes, ultimately culminating into moving them towards the finishing line.
The event was a great success and every participant had a wonderful time of learning and sharing.
(If you would like to find out more about my team-building expertise, please email me at style.emcee.sg@gmail.com)