Corporate team building activities may be a great way to foster better communication and cooperation within groups, but does it really have any tangible benefits? In this blog post, we will be discussing the pros and cons of team building programs and whether or not they are a good investment.

Pros of corporate team building 

• Improved communication and collaboration: One of the biggest benefits of engaging in corporate team building activities is that it will improve the communication between your team and among teams.  By working together on projects or activities and fostering a greater sense of unity, you can improve communication between the members of your organization. It can also help build stronger relationships between different teams and departments within the organization which can ultimately help to improve collaboration across the organization.

• Employee engagement: Another important benefit of team building is that it helps to increase employee engagement levels within the workplace. Research has shown that engaged employees are more productive and are far less likely to have absenteeism and performance issues in the workplace. By engaging your employees in team building activities you can help to boost their morale and increase their overall job satisfaction which will ultimately lead to an improvement in productivity for your organisation.

• Improve problem solving skills: Studies have shown that employees who engage in team building activities on a regular basis are better equipped to solve complex problems that may arise in the workspace. These employees have better critical thinking skills and are better able to think outside of the box when confronted with an issue and to come up with creative solutions to overcome these challenges.

Cons of corporate team building

• Time consuming: One of the major drawbacks of team building activities is that they can be very time consuming. In order to maximize the potential benefits of these activities you need to set aside some time on a regular basis for your employees to participate. This can be quite a challenge for some organisations especially if employee time is very limited. As a result many organisations choose not to invest in corporate team building activities because they do not have the time to dedicate to these programs.

• Expensive: Team building programs can also be quite costly depending on your budget. Depending on the type of activities that you decide to run it can easily cost thousands of dollars every year. These costs can end up being a big financial burden for some companies and as a result they may decide not to invest time and money into team building activities due to the high costs associated with them.

• Can lead to conflict: While team building can improve collaboration and communication within an organisation, they can also be a source of conflict and lead to tension in the workplace. This is because team building can sometimes expose differences between the different teams or members of the team which can lead to conflicts and arguments between team members.

Still, engaging in team building is what most companies do to strengthen bonds between new and old employees. A structured activity outside the confines of the office, is usually just the prelude needed for efficient communication and more harmonious relations with the team.