How can employers build a positive team culture?

Particularly in busy times, there can be too much focus on completing tasks, meeting deadlines

How can employers build a positive team culture?

Team building is all about understanding, appreciating, developing and maximising the people in your team, according to Dwain Richardson, managing director, Corporate Challenge Events.

Richardson told HRD that events focused on team building provide a time when the focus is purely on these outcomes with no workplace distractions.

He added that the benefits of team building events really depend on what the organisation wants to focus on. Some of the main impacts are team work, communication, leadership, confidence, trust, responsibility, morale and bonding.

Most of these events are designed to be a combination of fun with a focus on specific outcomes that ultimately provide a boost to workplace culture.

"Practicing a positive and fun team culture in your workplace requires time and commitment," said Richardson.

"We all have many and various tasks to perform in our job. Particularly in busy times, the focus can become too heavy on completing tasks, meeting deadlines, getting the job done, that we lose sight on enjoying work and operating effectively in teams.

"In other words, we get too bogged down in day to day operations even though we know the value of a positive team culture."

Richardson said it's similar to exercise in many ways.

"We all know the benefits of being fit and healthy, yet other tasks often take priority over exercising," he said.

"The reality is if we make the time and a commitment we will reap the rewards.

"Undertaking an activity as a team focused on fun and positive outcomes or some training on practicing a positive culture is a great place to start."

Rishcardson added that FISH! is a training philosophy highly regarded for transforming team cultures around the world since the late nineties.

From Richardson's experience, applying the principles of FISH! training has a profound impact in five ways:

1. FISH! shows that cultural change is the responsibility of everyone in an organisation, not just senior management. Each person is a vital cog for success and can impact others significantly.
2. The training provides four simple practices that will build trust, teamwork, accountability and appreciation. The practices can be applied by anyone at any moment in any situation.
3. It improves the culture within an organisation which will lead to better customer service which will lead to greater customer satisfaction, increased repeat business and more referrals.
4. Everyone has more appreciation for enjoying their job. Given we spend so much of our adult lives at work, it helps us understand how important and beneficial it can be to spend this time happy and motivated.
5. FISH! develops leaders who lead, influence and inspire. It shows leaders there is always a choice on how we behave every moment of every day.
 
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