Online Team Building
Online Team Building
We have a small but growing portfolio of activities that can be run completely online using your web browser.
Check out our dedicated web site Team Building Rescue for full details.
Free Team Building
Free Team Building
RadioActivity is a team building simulation that is professionally presented and comes with participant briefing and debriefing booklets, a comprehensive facilitator guide and even PowerPoint slide shows for the brief and debrief. Download it from here.
Our free, online Team Effectivess Report is also a strong team building tool. Find our more about this.
Low Cost Team Building
Low Cost Team Building
In these difficult economic times, justifying a huge budget for team building sessions can be difficult. We think they are worth it. The return on investment from a professionally run, quality team building activity more than justifies the expenditure. Yet we understand that still not all teams can afford such an event. So here’s some options they can…
Cheaper team building options for you
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Space Rescue – The world’s first professional team building activity that is completely delivered over the web. No facilitators = low cost. It even works for virtual teams! From £285 (+vat) to £345 (+vat) per team.
Click here to see more on Space Rescue.
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MiniTreasure – Hot on the heels of Space Rescue comes an event cheaper option! MiniTreasure is a fabulous treasure hunt run entirely online! Suitable for teams of all kinds – including virtual teams. Fantastic value from less than £1.25 (+vat) per person!
Click here to see more about MiniTreasure.
Team building activities you can buy and run yourself
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MiniTreasure – A resuable trainer’s box version of the great online activity. A treasure hunt you can run indoors anywhere, any time.
Click here to see more about the MiniTreasure Starter Set.
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Perception – A great, fun team activity based on observation skills and a very famous film.
Click here to see more about the Perception Starter Set.
Team Building Retreats
Team Building Retreats
A case study written by Dr. Gene Benter (who has no connection with Sandstone)
Executive Summary: This case study revolves around the concept of team building that was illustrated in Case 2 incident. Questions number 1 and 2 provides positive outlook about team building. Team building based on this context increases teamwork and productivity. The combining together of people from diverse skills and capabilities build a strong synergy that makes their job fulfilling and satisfying. Questions number 3 and 4 are discussions concerning the development of physically inactive employees and their low performance have negative impact on the company. It also discussed maintaining close contacts of employees in the absence of direct contact with one another.
The term team building usually leads to the concept of choices, growth, and combined stimulus of individuals to work as one body in order to achieve the organizational goals. Several activities and group dynamics of team building are lined up in order for employees or the management to pursue the corporate goals through rigorous trainings, such as group self-assessment and group-dynamic games. Mostly, the activities inn team building revolves around the theory and practice of organizational development.
Team building is a continuous process of working together not simply as a workforce but as group of individuals with varying traits and competencies forming together as a powerful strategy to achieve the goals of the company. The compositions of diverse individuals in a team but possessing the common aspiration of the company developed a synergy that catalizes the unity of the group.
An organization is already a team but it be broken down to small unit so that job performance may not be hampered due to job confusion and too general tasks assignments. Building small teams clarifies each person role and contribution to the achievement of the organization goal. In order to strengthen the reach of the group, their camaraderie should be given priority to remove the barriers that hinder their progress as group.
Hence, team working retreats are conducted to build the gap that separates the members of the team from one another. Usually, team building sessions commence with knowing oneself, being oneself, and becoming the best of oneself. Once this is done, the next level is given in order to know the feedbacks from other members of the group. Finally, the exercise evolves to deeper knowledge and understanding of each other in the group. Activities and reflections are intertwined so that the group begins to develop excitement to work with each other. Once the individuals can happily engage with each other to solve a particular problem, the team is born.
Question No. 1
Do you believe that team building activities increase productivity? Why or why not? What other factors might be responsible for increase in profitability following a corporate retreat?
Team building increases the productivity. According to Riyad, “Organizational behavior integrates individual process, group process and organization processes and further these are intergraded to psychology, social science, sociology and other facts. So a team in an organization reacts with all these factors that is why success of an organization always rely on teams. As a result of these we can see teams are formed in organizations to solve management problems as well as to be successful organizations in foreseeable future.” (wiki.answers.com)
Why team building helps more productivity?
Team recognized to be useful to achieve the organization goal. In the team we can found there are different people who have different characters, behavior and skills. This mixing of people makes them to be synergy to achieve the goal.
* Multi resources: When we use multi resources and skills help us to increase the productivity.
* In make decision: if we depend on one person to take decision we put our self in big risk. But when depend on team there will be desiccations and Cooperation between the members to decrease the risk. In addition, this can help member to improve their skills during the time.
* Communication: this cooperation between members (special between the manager and member) and communicate in informal way can make positive felling between them. That help if in the future any problem happens the member will feel comfortable if they want to desiccation this problem with the manager. Also, this makes good relationship happens between organization’ employee which make good effect like increase the productivity.
* Work focusing: in team organization each team has own task. They should consider on it. That helps to make more and quality product. For example: IT company.
Question No. 2.
What are some other ways beside those described here to build effective teams and increase teamwork among company employee? How might these alternatives be better or worse than corporate retreats?
There are many ways to improve team work in company. Each kind of team has special way to improve it. But there are common ways. There we will talk some of them and describe how they work.
* Clear Expectations: the leader of that team has to have clear idea about expectations for the team’s performance and what expect from the team to do. What they should to do to lead this team and care about finance satiation and time. Each team member has to understand why this team appears? What they should to do to achieve specific goal. And what is every member task.
* Context: each member should understand why they participate in this team. They have to know the team purpose, strategy, goals, principles, vision and values. In addition team work should achieve them.
* Commitment: Do team members want to participate on the team. Do team member fell the team mission is important. Do they fell they give useful and important service to the company and their future? In addition do they expect they will receive thanks and gratitude from the company?
* Team Norms or Relationship Guidelines: team norms are the rules or guidelines which organize the action between team members or any one dell with them outside the team. These rules usually sit in the first team meeting. In addition, these rules can be change or add later if there is any needing.
* Using of team norms such as guiding team member behavior and the use of team member interactions.
Question No. 3
What should companies do about employees who lack athletic talent but are still pressured to participate in physical activities with their colleagues? How might poor performance by those with low athletic ability affect their status within the organization?
There are many benefits of physical activities participation especially if it was with teammates. With so many participating in physical activities, either in companies or agency-sponsored programs, it is important to examine the possible benefits of this involvement. The benefits and detriments of physical activities participation have been a topic of debate within the research and policy literature; however, numerous benefits have been identified. For instance, Seefeldt, Ewing, and Walk (1992) have identified the following possible benefits associated with competition:
* Learning physical skills. Athletes learn both fundamental motor skills (e.g., running, jumping and hopping) and sport-specific skills (e.g., how to putt a golf ball or shoot a jump shot in basketball) that allow them to stay active.
* Appreciation of fitness. Two of the motives for participation identified by children is “to get exercise” and “stay in shape” (Ewing & Seefeldt; 1989); participating in sports offers this benefit.
* Sense of belonging. Another strong motive of participation is social interaction. Sports can provide peer interaction through both teammates and healthy competition (see Weiss & Stuntz, 2004 for a review of the literature).
* Acquiring sport skills for leisure. Learning the fundamental motor skills through sport can aid in skill development, but can also be transferred to other sports and leisure activities, promoting increased participation and involvement.
In a review of current trends and literature in youth sport, Malina and Cumming (2003) outlined other possible benefits of participation:
* Growth and maturation effects
* Regular physical activity leading to increased fitness
* Self-concept or self-worth effects
* Social competence
* Moral development
So, physical activities are very useful for employees even if they did not have athletic talent. In addition, physical activities with colleagues Strengthen community and enhance cooperation among them. It also let them know each other closely. The companies should keep encourage their employees to participate these activities even with lack athletic talent.
Poor performance by those with low athletic ability does not affect their status within the organization that much because of their strong relationship. They will help each other to go over it and encourage them to do their best and have high performance. So, low performance is not that big deal. It will make employees help each other and work together to succeed at job. If all employees have high performance in physical activities, every one is going to care about him/her self. And that will create competition among them rather than work together.
Question No. 4
How might you increase teamwork when team members are not often in direct contact with one another? Can you think of any "electronic" team-building exercise?
Generally, more frequent communication is productive, but this should be relative to what is sufficient or necessary for the task. Direct communication happens when people talk to one another rather than relaying information through someone else (e.g., the leader). Open communication means that people feel very comfortable sharing information with one another.
Virtual team recommendations:
* Communication is one of the real challenges for virtual teams, and one of the ways virtual teams are most different from face to face teams. Virtual team leaders (and members) must make a conscious effort to keep communication flowing, particularly if teams are geographically dispersed.
* With a little creativity, even informal communication is possible in virtual teams – at IBM, employees have informal communication in a virtual space even when they are not in the same geographic location.
* The guideline about direct communication might need to be tweaked in virtual teams. Though virtual team members should communicate directly, they might need to keep others informed about the communication. Too often, this ends up taking the form of annoying cc’s in email; we discourage that and recommend the use of a discussion board or a blogging tool to not only communicate directly with others but to also keep others informed.
* Virtual teams must also think about how to optimize the amount of time spent on the task with the amount of time spent capturing and documenting information, and that balance point is very different than in a face to face group.
This is an example for electronic team-building exercise. It is US Patent 5762503 – System for use as a team building exercise.
1. A system for management training a team having a plurality of members,
2. A system having a plurality of monitors and associated sensors disposed within a space,
3. Each of the monitors and associated sensors defining a monitor region wherein a respective sensor is triggered in response to the presence of at least one team member in the monitor region 4. Further defining a plurality of safe areas remote from all of the monitor regions in which no sensor is triggered, each of the monitors and associated sensors including a transmitter that generates a signal in response to triggering of the respective sensor,
5. The signals being representative of status information, the system comprising: an obstacle course that is negotiated by the members of the team, the course being formed from an arrangement of the predefined monitor regions and configured within the space so that the safe areas wherein no sensor is triggered extend contiguously along the obstacle course remote from all of the monitor regions
6. Allowing the members of the team to negotiate the course without triggering the sensors by remaining within the contiguous safe areas; a control engine coupled to each transmitter so as to receive the signals from the plurality of monitors and associated sensors in real time, the control engine including means for tabulating the status information;
7. A scoreboard, operatively connected to the control engine, for displaying the results of the tabulation in real time to the team negotiating the obstacle course; and at least one warning device, operatively connected to the control engine, for providing at least one of auditory and visual feedback information to the team negotiating the obstacle course, wherein the control engine only activates the at least one warning device while at least one team member is within a monitor region so as to assist the team in locating and thereby remaining within the safe areas while negotiating the obstacle course.
1. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one warning device comprises an indicator light disposed along the obstacle course, the light being activated by the control engine only while at least one team member is within a monitor region.
2. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one warning device further comprises an audio system disposed in proximity to the obstacle course for reproducing a plurality of sounds and each of two or more monitors is associated with a different sound, whereby the control engine only activates the audio system while at least one team member is within a respective monitor region by directing the audio system to reproduce the sound with which the respective monitor is associated.
3. The system of claim 3 wherein the scoreboard comprises a counter and the control engine adjusts the counter in response to the triggering of a sensor corresponding to the presence of a team member in a respective monitor region.
4. The system of claim 4 further comprising at least one challenge station disposed along the obstacle course, the at least one challenge station configured to present a task that may be performed by at least one team member and to generate challenge station signals in response to an input by the at least one team member, the control engine coupled to the at least one challenge station and including means for tabulating the challenge station signals.
6. The system of claim 5 further comprising at least one electro-mechanical hazard operatively disposed along the obstacle course, the at least one electro-mechanical hazard operatively coupled to the control engine and configured to modify the course conditions as commanded by the control engine.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the control engine includes a main processor for use in tabulating the status information in accordance with a predetermined scoring equation and a memory associated with the main processor for use in storing the tabulation results.
Conclusion
We have seen the many advantages of team building in developing the organization’s productivity. It only takes initiative on the part of the organization’s management to keep the group moving on to the right direction. Proper training and well defined objectives are the key elements in keeping the team going. Sometimes the path toward perfect performance might be tedious and not so easy but it is always a matter of constant and consistent encouragement that individuals in a team find encouragement.
Working as a team needs expertise. Each person in the team should supplement and compliment each other. Due to individual differences one or two members of the team may be slower than the rest, but the spirit of camaraderie among them will serve as the strength of the entire group. Team members are not competitors rather they are allied forces with each other. The goal might seem impossible to achieve however, the purpose of the team is to make the impossible, possible.
Teamwork communication is an essential trait among members of the team. Communication builds stronger ties and the bonds are knitted tightly. Barriers of communication oftentimes cause misinterpretation that is why; each team member should realize the value of keeping an open mind and a listening heart. Obstacles are never hard for a team who work with one mind and body. Success is inevitable and can be achieved successively once a team has embraced the spirit of teamwork.
Team building activities such as mountain climbing, cooking contest, and fire walks are ineffective exercises to develop team work because what is at stake in these activities is survival and not camaraderie. Team building should not induce pain or physical suffering simply because they can strengthen the commitment of each member of the team. Torture is never accepted as a moral act even among animals. Giving rigorous and difficult exercises for team building only discourage participants to commit themselves to the firm.
It is good to remember that people join the workforce to earn a living and not to subject themselves to pain and hardships.
* Bart Icles, A Great Way To Increase Productivity Is Through Team Building,
http://www.artipot.com/articles/308600/a-great-way-to-increase-productivity… , March 19, 2009
* Clive Morgan, Why Team Building Activities are So Important?, April 2,2009
* Riyad, Why team work is important on an organization,
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_team_work_is_important_on_an_organisation, June3, 2008
* Susan M. Heathfield, Twelve Tips for Team Building: How to Build Successful Work Teams,
http://humanresources.about.com/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team.htm
* Susan M. Heathfield, How to Build Powerfully Successful Work Teams,
http://humanresources.about.com/od/involvementteams/a/team_one_stop.htm
* Teambuildingbuzz.com ,Why is Team Building Important for my Company Staff?,
http://www.teambuildingbuzz.com/why-is-team-building-important-for-my-company-staff.htm , December 21, 2008
Team Building For Public Sector Organisations
Team Building For Public Sector Organisations
Dramatic reductions in public sector budgets have increased the need for all public servant teams, whatever the organisation, to deliver ever more effectively. Team building is a key intervention that can help this happen, yet the decrease in funds available makes it harder to find options that are viable.
Our public sector clients appreciate the fact that all of our options mix participant enjoyment with a solid, training-oriented base. Our options are suitable for any group size from 3 to 3,000 and can be run anywhere in the UK.
And they appreciate even more that they start from as little as just £1.25 per person!
Corporate Team Building
Corporate Team Building
Corporate teams look for a mixture of participant enjoyment, relevance, uniqueness and learning potential when it comes to choosing their team building activities. It is no longer enough to just give teams a good time. Even if reward and motivation are key characteristics of what you want your team building session to achieve, you will also want something that can make a difference to the team back in the workplace and not just on an away day.
A Choice of Activities
All of our options have been designed for corporate teams. Without exception, each and every one of them has an in-depth and structured debriefing process that, for the clients that want it, maximise the learning outcomes and send teams away ready to be more effective from the next day on. Clients that choose the more belly laughter generating activities, such as Memory Lane and Romanbar, might prefer a shorter debrief or even none at all and that is often the case. Those that prefer our learning-focused Liberation or Iceberg options always appreciate the way that our debriefing process extracts maximum value from the time spent.
A Choice of Venues
Our activities are all mobile, which means that we can and do run them anywhere. We’ve taken the trouble to create a map of our favourite venues in the UK and you are welcome to check it out. Wherever you are, wherever you want to hold your corporate team building day, you can be sure that, if anyone can run an activity there for you, we can.
Find Out More
Use our request form to get more information. Find out more about why we could be just the corporate team building partner you are looking for. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
Team Building The US
Team Building in the United States
Available across all of North America, our most popular US based programs are:
Why We Click with Some and Clank with Others
Purpose: To provide team members with practical information about their personal styles to more effectively interact with other team members and customers
Audience: All levels of the organization
Group size: 4 to 300+
Session Length: 1/2 to 1 day
Location: Anywhere your team is meeting
Overview: This session allows team members to understand individual styles and group dynamics. Each person will complete a personal profile utilizing the DISC behavioral model. Participants will receive individual reports that detail their styles and other useful information on how to create productive relationships. The team will also receive a group report that describes its overall strengths and potential blind spots.
Intergalactic Adventure
Purpose: To engage teams in a high-energy activity that requires team communication, problem solving, and strategic planning
Audience: All levels of the organization
Group size: 20 to 300+
Session Length: 3 – 4 hours (can be extended with add-on training such as DiSC)
Location: Anywhere your team is meeting
Overview: You are a member of the Intergalactic Peace Force and the year is 2144. Put on your team caps and survey the scene. "Compete" against other teams as you enjoy a stunning slide show of the Universe and futuristic music playing in the background. Aliens are plotting against the Earth. What are they up to? How can we disrupt their diabolical plans? Will your team achieve the mission and save us all?
Chocolate Therapy
Purpose: To help team members bond and learn about team dynamics through a light and entertaining activity
Audience: All levels of the organization
Group size: 10 – 70
Session Length: 3 hours (can be extended with additional activities)
Location: Anywhere your team is meeting
Overview: Unleash your taste buds as you invent a new chocolate “Cure” sure to transform the modern world! This fun-filled and delicious program will energize your team as they unite to discover new healing possibilities in chocolate while utilizing key business processes. Make no mistake; this is not simply a chocolate tasting! This is a multi-layered challenge where teams will be faced with a variety of business and marketing-based tasks – all of them heading toward the ultimate goal – a meltingly marvelous product that will revolutionize the way we view chocolate!
CSI NegativeZero: The Case of Victor Steele
Purpose: Build teamwork and critical thinking skills while using the tools and methods of a real CSI agent
Audience: All levels of the organization
Group size: 8+
Session Length: 3 hours
Location: Anywhere your team is meeting
Overview: You’ll feel like real CSI agents after you successfully complete CSI Boot Camp. Imagine a series of activities in which you get to use the same fingerprint and blood test kits used by real CSI agents. (Don’t worry, we use synthetic blood.) Test your knowledge about DNA…and can you identify the matching DNA profiles. Do you think that you can accurate describe a criminal’s appearance to a sketch artist? We’ll see!
GeoQuest – The High-Tech Treasure Hunt
Purpose: To engage teams in a high-energy outdoor activity that requires team communication, problem solving, and strategic planning
Audience: All levelsof the organization
Group size: 6 – 200
Session Length: 3 hours
Location: Choose from one our preset treasure hunt courses or ask about a custom-designed course in your location
Overview: Typical treasure hunts provide clues and set your team loose to find answers…and so does GeoQuest. Typical treasure hunts provide puzzles and require creative thinking…and so does GeoQuest. Typical treasure hunts are just that…typical. But GeoQuest is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.
Want a quote?
Request information on our US based activities.
Outdoor Team Building
Outdoor Team Building
Outdoor options that everyone will appreciate.
It's a fact that while some people salivate at the prospect of an outdoor team building event, others shudder at the thought. Traditional outdoor team building just doesn't suit most teams and can even do more harm that good. Cliques can form and team harmony can be damaged. Lucky our outdoor options are different then!
Something for Everyone
Most of the activities in our wide-ranging portfolio are well suited to the great outdoors. We pride ourselves on how inclusive these options are. We call them "all-inclusive" for this reason. Whatever the range of age, gender, interests, skillsets, mobility, ability, height, weight or colour of eyes of your team members, we've something that will engage them, give them a great time, send them away with a smile on their face and leave the organisation with a better team the next day and beyond. Now that really is team building! For those who want something physical, it'll be there. For those who prefer the cerebral, that's there too. Creative? Yes! Hands-on? Yes! And nobody is ever forced to do something they don't want to do, yet everyone contributes and gains in equal amounts.
What if it Rains?
We have some good news for you. Every one of our outdoor options can, at the drop of a hat if necessary, be switched indoors without losing anything in the way of fun or learning. Now that really is a great deal!
Tell Us Why
Get in touch now and tell us why you are looking for an outdoor option and we'll impress you with just how many offerings we have that are suitable for your requirement.
Indoor Team Building
Indoor Team Building
Every single one of our activities can be run 100% indoors.
Some stay that way whatever the weather, focusing participant attention on the learning outcomes and the maximum team development possible. Others are able to take advantage of nice weather and suitable grounds when available, yet at a moment’s notice be moved indoors if the weather isn’t in the mood to be kind.
Team Building Indoors for Learning
Our indoor-only activities not only engage all participants, they also offer the maximum in terms of team learning. We find that teams that are office-based see more parallels with their work when the team building activity is also based indoors. While taking them completely away from a normal work setting, the require the same types of team skills and approaches as at work. Our structured and powerful debriefing process extracts the maximum in terms of team development and every team goes away ready to implement improvements back at work. Team building at its very best!
Team Building Indoors for Fun
You might want an indoor activity because some people in the team have said that they would hate to do something outdoors. You might want one because you are planning the event to be held at a time of year that good weather is unlikely. You might be interested in indoor options just in case the weather doesn’t play ball – even in the height of summer! Or you might want it indoors because your chosen venue simply doesn’t have the facilities to go outdoors. Whatever the reason, our options can all be run indoors without dropping one iota of fun. Are we flexible? Oh yes!
Tell Us Why
Get in touch now and tell us why you are looking for an indoor option and we’ll impress you with the range of options we can offer you.
