Effective Team Building Activities During Quarantine and Beyond

As we navigate through the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, maintaining a cohesive and motivated team has become more important than ever. Virtual gatherings and activities can significantly enhance team unity and productivity. This article explores various team building activities that can be effective in a remote or quarantined environment.

Virtual Gatherings and Online Activities

One of the most effective ways to build team spirit during quarantine is through virtual gatherings such as Appreciation Meetings. These meetings offer a chance for colleagues to connect on a personal level, share their achievements, and express gratitude. Another popular activity, particularly among gamer employees, is playing online multiplayer games. This not only helps in bonding but also encourages problem-solving and communication skills.

Innovative Team Building Activities

Some innovative team building activities include classic exercises like negotiating the wrapping of an egg to prevent it from breaking when dropped from a ceiling. This activity encourages teamwork, trust, and creative thinking. It can be engaging and memorable, fostering a sense of camaraderie even among team members who don’t know each other well.

Mutual Respect and Trust

The goal of team building is to ensure that every team member feels comfortable interacting with each other, knows that their voice will be heard, and trusts that everyone is working towards the team's success. This is incredibly difficult to achieve, yet humans manage it every day. We are both cooperative and competitive by nature, and understanding these dynamics can help in fostering stronger teams.

The Role of Leadership

A good leader plays a crucial role in building a strong team. The first step is to show leadership by being both strong and vulnerable. This means sharing one's strengths, weaknesses, and inherent biases with the team. By being transparent, the leader can create an environment of trust and open communication.

Modeling Leadership and Fairness

A good leader knows their own strengths and weaknesses. By sharing these, they can better leverage the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses of the team. A brief, honest review of oneself is the best way to let team members know that the leader understands their value. The leader should also make it clear that they will be an enthusiastic coach, a fair assessor of talent, and an impartial arbiter of all competition.

Ensuring Balanced Participation

To ensure that every team member feels indispensable, the leader must manage the dynamics of the team. No one should dominate the conversation, and everyone should have an equal opportunity to contribute. This means that in a team of 'N' members, no one gets more than 2/N of the airtime. The leader should rein in the talkative and encourage and question the quiet ones.

Embracing Diversity in Personality

The leader should understand that different personalities are essential for the team's success. Humans evolved in small groups where bold individuals would run ahead and find the first fruits and meet the first predators, while shy individuals would survive ambushes. This range of characteristics and personalities allowed the group to adapt to any conditions. Similarly, in a team, the clever one may prosper in complex trading societies, while the strong one may survive war.

No one is expendable, but ultimately, it's about the good of the group. By fostering a sense of unity and respect for each member's unique contributions, leaders can build teams that not only work together effectively but also thrive in challenging times.