Team-building techies

Do you think of corporate retreats and team-building exercises as fun or folly? Back in the big budget days of 2000, many IT departments navigated ropes courses, simulated survivor exercises or competed in scavenger hunts.  The goal was for workers to bond and hone their leadership skills.

Activities such as paintball and rafting were popular choices, though it’s been a long time since I’ve heard about companies engaging in the type of team-building activities described in this Network World article at https://www.nwfusion.com/careers/2000/1113man.html. One reason is that such expenses were among the first things to go.

However, the publication Workforce Management recently reported on some companies that still set aside money for off-site meetings and team-building activities (See https://www.workforce.com/section/11/feature/23/51/37/index.html). The question, though, is whether or not these activities really pay off by fostering better teamwork and collaboration.

So I’m curious. Do you still organize team-building events for your IT staff, and what is the benefit? I’d like to hear you ideas for conducting this type of group exercises on a shoestring budget. Let me know at aschurr@nww.com. I’ll publish the best responses in a future newsletter.