There’s a reason the phrase ‘team building’ generates shudders in so many people. We’ve all been to one of those ‘team bonding days’ where we participate in an embarrassing personal icebreaker, build fun structures out of spaghetti and Lego, and do a personality test that likens us to some kind of animal. We have a great time, but then we all go home secretly wondering what was the point?
Teamwork is crucial for most of us, so it’s usually clear to everyone when a team is struggling, or needs some support to perform at their best. Some situations that might be familiar to you:
- You have several new team members and you’d like everyone to get to know each other better.
- You’re hearing rumblings of dissatisfaction or negativity and you’re not quite sure what’s causing it.
- There have been issues with workflow or communication that need to be sorted out.
- You have a team that works mostly remotely and you want them to connect in person and assess how everything’s going.
- You want everyone to get together and do something positive away from the daily routine, to celebrate the team and their achievements.
The good news is that with the right approach and the right facilitator, you can hold a team session that is productive, addresses the real issues, and has lasting benefits, to get your team working together and pulling in the same direction.
Read on to understand what a team reconnection session is, how it can help your team, and how to plan a fantastic session that your staff will still be talking about long after it’s over – in a good way!
This is what NOT to do at your team session. Image credit: Janet MacFarlane / Medium
What is ‘team reconnection’ and how is it different to ‘team building’?
I’ve always preferred the phrase ‘team reconnection’ rather than ‘team building’, as it really is about ‘connecting’ in multiple ways within your team:
- Connecting individuals – team members get to know each other’s individual working styles, and how to work together productively even when their styles differ.
- Connecting work teams – different work areas share what they need from others to do their job well, and understand what other teams need from them.
- Connecting the dots – those ‘aha’ moments that can only come from team members getting together in person to listen, learn, and talk things through.
Whatever you choose to call it, you’ll want a session with a clear purpose and lasting results, where everyone feels that they got something out of the day and it was time well-spent.
How can a team reconnection session make my team more effective?
Teams work best when there’s clear communication, mutual trust, defined roles with clear goals, and a commitment to collaboration.
Teams are also more likely to succeed when they celebrate their wins, embrace diversity of working styles, encourage individual accountability, and resolve conflict constructively.
A team reconnection session can support all of the above by giving your team a dedicated space to:
- Develop agreed team values and behaviours. Clarify what the team expects from each other and what they will commit to, so that everyone enjoys coming to work.
- Understand individual working styles and how different styles can work together successfully.
- Gauge team culture and morale – is everyone on the same page?
- Resolve workflow and communication issues that are affecting the team’s ability to do their best work together.
- Celebrate achievements, identify challenges and consider lessons learned, to promote a continuous improvement culture.
- Share advice and expertise between team members, retaining that important but hard-to-capture corporate knowledge that resides in people’s heads.
- Help staff to see how their individual roles align to the organisation’s values.
How to get started with a team reconnection session.
To get maximum benefit out of your team reconnection session, think about the following:
- Purpose: Not just ‘team building’. Think about WHY you want to hold this session, what you want people to get out of it, and how you want them to feel at the end. This will help to get your staff on board and assist your facilitator to design the best process for you on the day.
- Facilitator. While it’s tempting to have a manager or team member facilitate the session, it can be difficult for them to remain impartial. An external facilitator can help ensure that everyone is comfortable to speak openly about issues.
- Follow up. Be prepared to implement any follow up actions that come out of the session. You are likely to find that the conversations lead to suggestions for improvement from staff and action items. Ignoring these can lead to a lack of trust from staff and make it harder to get buy-in if you decide to hold another one of these sessions in future.
If you’re considering a team reconnection session, that’s a strong signal that you’re prioritising people. It’s a thoughtful move – and one that lays the groundwork for everything else in your workplace to flow more smoothly.
Wondering if a team reconnection session is right for your team? Book a free 30 min chat with Renée.
Check out a real-life team reconnection case study, and read more about Renée’s experience in running successful team sessions.
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