Posts Tagged ‘group dynamics’
Which Era is Your Corporate Culture From?
Thursday, July 7th, 2011
My wife and I just saw the new Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Not to spoil it for those who haven’t already seen, but basically the premise is a guy goes to Paris, and finds himself inexplicably transported at the stroke of midnight to different eras of Parisian past, meeting historical characters along the way. The not-so-disguised theme of the film is that every generation yearns for bygone “golden eras” of the past, regardless of how impressive, interesting or compelling the present is. Relaxophobic that I am, I soon found my mind drifting about the theatre, eventually landing on the subject of workplace and office dynamics.
Building upon a previous post about matching corporate culture with employee entertainment, when it comes to team building activities, which era best matches your company’s culture? If you’re like me, the very first thing you think of when you hear the words “team building” is trust falls, ropes courses and obstacle challenges: time-tested fun! If your company is conservative and traditional, perhaps these Ronald Reagan-esque “good old days” activities of the 50s describe your corporate “era” best.
How about scavenger hunts? As a former scavenger hunt writer and producer, I think that these are terrific activities for companies which are young and competitive – just like the 80s corporate raiders of the movie “Wall Street.” Food events have also jumped into the team building mix, with companies throwing competitive cooking parties at custom-designed loft spaces. An introduction to food and cooking- makes me think of Julia Child, Emeril, Martha Stewart…definitely the TV eras of the 70s-00s.
When I think of my own live trivia activities, I tend to think that the era is both the present and near-distant past, since so many of the questions are about current events, yet also feature a certain “nostalgia” aspect relative to the attendee’s age. The companies who enjoy these events live at least part of the time in the past, but not too distant into the past that people don’t have a firsthand experiential recollection.
There are more, for sure – can you think of any? Share your thoughts, ideas and era recommendations below. Let’s make Woody Allen proud!
5 Companies Trivia Team Building Activities Won’t Work For
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Team building trivia events are my passion. I love everything about them, from customizing trivia questions for specific groups to hosting events, to seeing the enjoyment people get out of them and the smiles they beam afterwards. However, as strongly as I feel about this unique form of corporate employee entertainment, I know that live trivia just plain isn’t for everybody.
I’ve been doing this for a long time, and have seen my share of successful events and happy clients; however, you simply cannot please everybody all of the time, and my craft is no different. Below is a list of the 5 types of companies for which, despite the best of intentions, live trivia just isn’t going to be an effective team building activity:
1) The Ultra-Serious Company – I’ve done events for quite a wide variety of companies, and can assure you that serious people can have just as much of a blast playing and competing in a high-energy live trivia party as anybody else. However, there are just some companies which, for whatever reason, simply do not project, encourage or thrive in relaxed & competitive environments. I can’t generalize based on industry, only on a case-by-case basis, but the fact remains: if managers & employees are too stern & solemn to have fun in group setting outside of work, live trivia isn’t for them.
2) The Incredibly Small Company – I dread receiving inquiries from tiny companies, because I hate turning clients away. However, if a company is made up of, like, 4 people, I can’t in good faith guarantee we can deliver a high-energy, impactful event, since you need to have a decent number of people competing against each other to do so (FYI this is a VERY gray area; in general, I don’t recommend trivia unless you can have at least 2 “sizable teams” playing against each other, who can create the type of boisterous environment which will make an event successful).
3) The Failing Company – There’s an old saying I love, which is “putting lipstick on a pig.” Sometimes, even the best of intentions aren’t going to help a losing situation, and with companies which are obviously in trouble, a trivia party simply won’t do much to boost morale and foster teamwork long-term.
4) The “Bad Fit” Company – This past year, I had a humbling experience whereby a prestigious company expressed enthusiastic interest in creating a series of trivia events for their employees; after coming to observe a public event, however, they backed out of the deal. Despite having a great time, loving our format and being impressed overall, they felt that, for their employees, trivia just wouldn’t be a “good fit.” And you know what? I didn’t argue for a second, since I will never know their company’s “feel” as well as they do. If they sense it’s not a good fit, it’s probably not.
5) The Company Which Treats Its Employees Poorly – I’ve luckily not seen many of these, but am including them here anyway. There are some companies out there which place their employees way at the bottom of the priority scale, and it shows: authoritarian managers, unrealistic expectations, hostile workplaces, high turnover. Occasionally, someone from management will decide to throw employees a bone by giving them a trivia party, which is tons of fun and helps create some laughs – for 2 hours. Back at the office, however, all of the lessons, memories and positive messages go right out the window as the staff goes right back to feeling overworked, abused and undervalued.
If it were up to me, I’d obviously love to create trivia team building events for every company in New York City, American and planet Earth. However, it is far more important to me that we are only creating events for the most appropriate companies, in order to ensure that attendees have the best experience possible.
Do you think trivia would or would not work for your company? Please let us know why in the space below!
Bribing Employees is a Good Thing
Friday, July 1st, 2011
HR managers, take note: employees are unhappy. They are unhappy with their workloads and unchallenging tasks, dissatisfied with their compensation packages, uncomfortable with co-workers and angry at The Man. In fairness, work is serious business, and isn’t supposed to be fun (although I’ve argued against this in a previous post). However, there is good news: bribing employees makes them enjoy their jobs more.
Fellow psychology majors may remember the behaviorist theory of “classical conditioning,” which basically boils down to carrot and stick motivation: reward wanted behaviors, punish unwanted ones. In the workplace, I would argue that you can take this a step further: directly reward wanted behaviors, but also encourage positive attitudes by indirectly rewarding favorable work environments. This can easily be done through bribes.
Now, my use of “bribes” here is not meant to be taken literally – you can’t outright pay people to like their jobs more. You can, however, promote a happier work environment by “paying” employees to work better with one another, collaborate more, communicate better and foster an overall more collegiate work environment. This may of course be done with money: employees are regularly provided with bonuses and other financial incentives. However, in order to really promote positive interactions which will ultimately benefit morale and productivity, the “bribes” should extend beyond dollars, and focus on improving performance.
How else can employees be rewarded for behavior which leads to a happier workplace? Give them what they want: professional development, recognition, and opportunities to bond with their colleagues. As both an employee and a business owner, I know firsthand how important it is to let staff know that they are valued, and to keep them motivated by providing positive feedback, opportunities for growth, acknowledgement of good work, and the chance to just relax and have fun with their fellow workers. Doing so provides the necessary incentives to keep workers happy, engaged, and full of enthusiasm necessary to do their jobs well.
Are there downsides to this approach? Of course – I think we have all just had a very good lesson with the recent economic downturn about how excessive reward can delude staff at all levels into thinking that they are invincible, and that they can carry on with business as usual without recourse. However, keeping employees stimulated with regular “bribes” of good will, encouragement and opportunities to bond as a team will certainly help create an atmosphere which encourages teamwork, pride and positive attitude towards work in general.
What are your thoughts on “bribing” employees to keep morale high? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
The 7 Biggest Killers of Morale in the Workplace
Monday, June 20th, 2011
Offices can be pretty awful environments, packed with anxiety, politics, pettiness and negative energy. If you’re like me, you’ve worked jobs which have made you want to slit your wrists. Based on my experience both working in negative office environments and creating positive team building activities in NYC and elsewhere, below are the 7 biggest culprits I’ve identified which suck the morale out of employees in the workplace.
Tell me if any of these sound familiar:
1) The Oppressive Boss – Authoritarian, egomaniacal and/or insecure, the person in charge of the team, department or company sets the tone for the “feel” of the office, and leads by example. When the day-to-day grind of work is defined by the boss’s unreasonable deadlines, unpredictable tirades and unrealistic expectations, morale plummets- often right alongside with performance.
2) The Stick Outweighs the Carrot – As we’ve seen recently, during times of economic crisis the threat of losing one’s job quickly vanquishes any frustration over not being properly rewarded for good work. Unfortunately, this still results in workers who feel overworked and underappreciated.
3) Cutthroat Competition – Especially in highly competitive, zero-sum professions like law and banking where one’s win is another’s loss, the day-to-day struggle for victory can be especially draining, as well as demoralizing. Teamwork, communication and trust all suffer as a result, which ultimately impacts group performance and overall results.
4) Employee Isolation – I once worked a job at a large firm where everybody- EVERYBODY, including junior staff – had their very own private offices, complete with a closing door which we all took advantage of. Sounds pretty awesome, right? The problem was, it was still a team-centered work environment; you could hear a pin drop, because nobody talked to each other! All communication was done via email, even those sitting 4 feet from each other. Cushy, yes- however, everyone was sad because you could literally go an entire day without seeing or speaking to another human being. Not cool.
5) Unchallenging Tasks – Most people who enter the workforce with a college degree and tons of motivation are shocked by the sheer mendacity of entry level jobs. Regrettably, for many this sort of unchallenging work doesn’t improve for a very long time, if at all – leaving smart people feeling completely devoid of any intellectual stimulation or reward in their work.
6) Lack of Office Pride – Are all staff members really behind the mission of the organization? Do they believe in the product, service or cause? This can be challenging; most people work because they need a job, not because they feel strongly about the end result or consumer impact. How many Bounty employees do you think actually bound into work every day, feeling ecstatic about paper towels?
7) Employees Feeling Unvalued – Does everyone in your team, department or company know exactly how their contributions ultimately benefit the organization as a whole? In many larger companies, it’s easy for employees – especially lower-level staff – to feel that they are simply a cog in a wheel, that their hard work isn’t really benefiting anything or anyone, if it’s even being noticed at all. Few things kill the spirit of intelligent professionals faster than the impression that their work is futile.
Take a look at your own office, and see if any of the above is sucking the motivation and work potential out of your employees. While there is no “magic bullet” for curing company morale issues, what steps might be taken once an office morale killer has been indentified? Please share your thoughts/suggestions below!
Customizing Corporate Team Building Activities: Silly or Significant?
Friday, June 10th, 2011
I was recently on the phone with a prospective client, who was interested in building a team building trivia party for her office. While explaining my company’s range of services, she asked an astute question: what is the value of customizing a team building event? I’m glad she asked that, because I feel passionate about the answer – enough to want to share the answer with as many people as possible, hence today’s blog post.
It’s a valid point: say I’m a business owner, department manager or HR professional who wants to offer my company’s employees a fun activity, to reward them for hard work and a job well done – hopefully boosting morale and promoting teamwork to boot. What does customization have to do with that? Bowling’s not customized, but they’d have fun doing it anyway – why should I care if the activity is tailor-made for my staff or not?
I would argue – forcefully so – that customizing employee events as much as possible will produce better results in the long run. Below are some of the benefits of customizing team building activities, and why it’s worth the effort:
They’ll Be More Memorable – When events are customized for specific groups, incorporating familiar language, situations and “inside” information that only they are privy to, participants will be more inclined to think back positively to that experience, a key element of a successful event.
They’ll Be More Impactful – Activities which are carefully modified to perfectly fit the group will resonate far more strongly than a “one size fits all” approach to team building, increasing the likelihood of the core messages sinking in and being applied back at the office.
They’ll Be More Fun – It’s easy to dismiss standard team building exercises as boring, because for a large part, they are (trust falls, anyone?). However, it’s hard to not have a good time and be “present” when the entertainment event is specifically targeted to your work, your team, your colleagues and to you, personally.
The Results Will Last Longer – Favorable team building skills such as communication, collaboration, negotiation and decision making are more likely to be reinforced back at the office when the skill set has been introduced in a familiar practice setting.
I could go on, but to me it’s clear: in order to get the best results from an event, customization is key. That’s not to say that employees CAN’T practice important skills at a more cookie cutter-type event, but in order to have an event which is memorable, impactful, fun and produces lasting results, make the effort to specialize as many aspects of it as you can. You’ll be glad you did in the end, and so will your team.
What are your thoughts on customization and team building? Is making events tailor-made a complete and utter waste of time when creating fun group experiences? Share your opinion below!
TrivWorks founder David Jacobson blogs daily on a wide range of topics relevant to corporate event entertainment, team building and live trivia. 
