This document discusses strategies for effective team building. It explains that team building can foster cohesiveness, increase motivation, improve morale and focus a team on problems. When done successfully, team building enhances team synergy and performance. The key aspects of planning team building are determining the leader, allocating sufficient time, and setting the right tone such as educational, meditative or humorous. The real objectives of team building are to knock down barriers between team members, connect different personalities and reduce stress in order to solve problems using different approaches.

1. Strategies for
Team Building
Leigha Walker

2. Overview
•Why do we use Team Building?
•Planning a Team Building Exercise
•The Real Objective
•Application 2

3. Why we use Team Building
“Used wisely, [team building] can
foster cohesiveness,
increase motivation,
and focus a team on a problem.”
improve morale,
Olsen, Team-Building Exercises for Tough Times, 2009
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4. Why we use Team Building
“When team building is successful,
it is assumed that team synergy is
enhanced, which leads to improved
team performance.”
Bloom, Stevens, Wickwire, Expert Coaches Perception of Team Building, 2003
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5. Planning a Team Building Exercise
Leader Time Tone
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6. Planning a Team Building Exercise
Leader
• You or another
manager
• Person with different
skills
• Outside sources
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7. Planning a Team Building Exercise
Time
• Short
• Long
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8. Planning a Team Building Exercise
Tone
• Educational
• Meditative (e.g.
stress relief)
• Humorous/Positiv
e
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9. The Real Objective
• Knock down barriers
• Connecting different personalities
• Reduce stress
• Solve problems using different channels
Ray, To Promote Wellness, Help Employees Reduce Workplace Stress, 2011
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10. Quick Team Building Exercise
• Importance of two-way communication
in the workplace
Arns, Paper Tear Communication, 2013
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11. Conclusion
• Team building is crucial in any business
• Determine the leader, the length, and the
tone of the exercise
• Knock down barriers
• Try implementing a team building exercise in
your next meeting! 11

12. References
Arns, J. (2013) Paper Tear Communication Organization for
Educational Technology & Curriculum. Retrieved from
http://teach.oetc.org/strategies/paper-tear-communication
Bloom, G., Stevens, D., & Wickwire, T. (2003). Expert coaches’
perceptions of team building. Journal of Applied Sports
Psychology, 15, 129-143. doi: 10.1080/10413200305397
Olsen, P. (2009) Team-Building Exercises for Tough Times Harvard
Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2009/03/
teambuilding-exercises-for-tou.html
Ray, A. (2011) To Promote Wellness, Help Employees Reduce
Workplace Stress Society for Human Resource Management.
Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/
articles/pages/reducestress.aspx
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