Loading...
Title: Teambuilding

Teambuilding

Instrument for Increasing Organizational Performance

by Daniel Roșu (Volume editor) Mihaela Diaconu (Volume editor)
©2025 Edited Collection 236 Pages
Law, Economics & Management

Summary

What is the academic specialty that deals with team building? This book represents the quintessence of an interdisciplinary project, in which specialists from economics, sports, psychology and acting decipher teambuilding, creating a flexible product adapted to the requirements of the socio-economic environment. The research presents its own studies based on specialized focus groups and analyzes the needs of organizations in Romania. The second part of the book analytically presents the types of teambuilding activities, in the chronological order of their implementation: warm-up and knowledge activities, trust-building, communication and collaboration, leadership and decision-making, problem-solving, feedback and reflection activities, relaxation and socializing, all these types of activities being described and experienced.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Half Title
  • Title
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • From Homo ludens to Teambuilding
  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1 Teambuilding Theory
  • 1.1. The history of the emergence of teambuilding
  • 1.2. Why teambuilding?
  • 1.3. The impact of teambuilding on performance and organizational culture
  • 1.3.1. Increasing team cohesion and trust
  • 1.3.2. Enhancing team spirit and sense of belonging
  • Stimulating creativity and innovation
  • Improving employee morale and satisfaction
  • 1.3.3. Developing skills and competencies
  • 1.3.4. Cultivating positive organizational culture
  • 1.4. The determining factors of teambuilding organization
  • 1.4.1. Structure of the beneficiary team
  • 1.4.2. The individual characteristics of the participants
  • 1.4.3. The deployment environment
  • 1.4.4. The competences demonstrated by the organization and the monitoring team
  • 1.5. Characteristics of teambuilding programs
  • 1.5.1. Teambuilding promotes cooperation and not competition
  • 1.5.2. Learning different skills and behaviors is done through experimentation
  • 1.5.3. Promotes personal development with the help of the team
  • 1.5.4. Teambuilding involves everyone’s involvement
  • 1.5.5. Teambuilding involves understanding experiences
  • 1.5.6. It includes identifying the potential of the team and individuals
  • 1.5.7. Teambuilding stimulates objective self-evaluation
  • 1.5.8. Facilitates the acquisition of communication and conflict management techniques
  • 1.5.9. It promotes principles of security, good mood, and voluntary participation
  • 1.6. The taxonomy of teambuilding
  • 1.6.1. Indoor activities
  • 1.6.2. Outdoor activities
  • 1.6.3. Terrestrial locomotion programs
  • 1.6.4. Types of activities with weapons
  • 1.6.5. Workshops in the field of mountaineering
  • 1.6.6. Nautical programs
  • 1.6.7. Flight programs
  • 1.6.8. Winter programs
  • 1.7. Succession of teambuilding activities
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 2 Organizational Performance, Knowledge Management, Innovation—Coordinates of Competitive Advantage
  • 2.1. Organizational Performance—Concept and the Need for Development
  • 2.2. Knowledge management and innovation, variables of strategic competitive advantage
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 3 Teambuilding Programs—Determinants, Characteristics, Effects, Integrated Approach: Organization, Team, Individual
  • 3.1. 360° analysis of the concept of teambuilding in order to identify—determinants, characteristics, and effects. Understanding the links between teambuilding and different organizational variables
  • 3.1.1. Sampling procedures
  • 3.1.2. Data collection
  • (I) Psychologists specializing in organizational psychology
  • (II) Managers, HR managers, and HR specialists
  • 3.1.3. Data analysis
  • 3.1.4. Results and discussions
  • 3.1.4.1. General perceptions of teambuilding programs
  • 3.1.4.2. Determinants of teambuilding programs
  • 3.1.4.3. Effects of teambuilding programs
  • 3.1.4.4. Measure/evaluate the impact of teambuilding programs
  • 3.2. Measurement of the importance of the determinants and effects of teambuilding programs and identification of their variability according to the size of the company and the level at which it operates—national versus international. Identify the characteristics of an ideal teambuilding programs
  • 3.2.1. Research methods
  • 3.2.2. Results and discussions
  • 3.2.2.1. What are the organizational factors that shape a teambuiding programs? What matters?
  • 3.2.2.2. What are the individual and team factors that shape teambuilding programs? What matters?
  • 3.2.2.3. Concretely, what are the features of a teambuilding program?
  • 3.2.2.4. What are the effects of teambuilding programs at the organizational level?
  • 3.2.2.5. When and how should the effects/results of teambuilding programs be evaluated?
  • 3.3. Conclusions
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 4 Warm-Up and Knowledge Activities
  • 4.1. The role and content of warm-up and familiarization exercises
  • 4.2. Examples of energizing games
  • Activity 1: Circle dance
  • Activity 2: Breathing exercises
  • Activity 3: Fast movement games
  • Activity 4: Balloon in the air
  • Activity 5: Touch the Box
  • Activity 6: “Follow the Leader”: Dance
  • Activity 7: Human Nodes
  • Activity 8. The snake catches its tail
  • 4.3. Examples of stretching exercises
  • Activity 1: Stretching the lower limbs
  • Activity 2: Hip and torso rotation
  • Activity 3: Stretching the shoulders and arms
  • Activity 4: Neck exercises
  • Activity 5: Back exercises
  • 4.4. Examples of icebreaker activities
  • Activity 1: Name-Adjective-Thing Game
  • Activity 2: A great pair
  • Activity 3: Coins with memories
  • Activity 4: Mood pictures
  • Activity 5: Mutual interviews
  • Activity 6: Two Lies, One Truth
  • Activity 7: Back-to-back drawings
  • Activity 8: The difference game
  • Activity 9: Map of passions
  • Activity 10: The common denominator
  • Activity 11: Knowledge in motion
  • Activity 12: Birthday row
  • Activity 13: Knowledge test
  • Activity 14: Code of conduct
  • Activity 15. Salt and pepper
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 5 Trust-Building activities
  • 5.1. Trust-building techniques
  • 5.2. Conditions for applying trust-building techniques
  • 5.3. Classification of confidence-building exercises
  • 5.4. Examples of trust games
  • Activity 1: Trust in the line
  • Activity 2: Forward the person
  • Activity 3: The willow in the wind
  • Activity 4. Falling into the void
  • Activity 5: The circle of poppies
  • Activity 6: Treasure recovery
  • Activity 7. Stretch the string
  • Activity 8. Spiderweb
  • Activity 9: The pyramid
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 6 Communication and Collaboration Activities
  • 6.1. Defining the concept of communication
  • 6.2. Verbal communication in teambuilding
  • 6.3. Non-verbal communication in teambuilding
  • 6.3.1. Facial expressions and body language
  • 6.3.2. Eye contact and gestures
  • 6.4. Paraverbal communication in teambuilding
  • 6.5. Types of communication and collaboration activities in teambuilding
  • 6.6. Examples of communication and collaboration activities
  • Activity 1. The telephone game or The broken telephone game
  • Activity 2. Scenario game
  • Activity 3: Minefield
  • Activity 4: The flying stick
  • Activity 5: The caterpillar with eyes on the tail
  • Activity 6: Team skiing
  • Activity 7: The collective letter
  • Activity 8: Build in the dark!
  • Activity 9. Session on sharing organizational values and objectives
  • Activity 10. The time machine
  • Activity 11: The story
  • Activity 12: Superheroes
  • Activity 13: Story cards
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 7 Leadership and Decision-Making Activities
  • 7.1. The importance of leadership and decision-making activities
  • 7.2. Types of leadership and decision-making identification activities
  • 7.3. Examples of leadership and decision-making activities
  • Activity 1. Leadership in crisis situations
  • Activity 2. Role-playing game “In Search of the Leader”
  • Activity 3. Leadership Skills Development Session
  • Activity 4. Simulation of complex projects or scenarios: “Saving Planet X”
  • Activity 5: “Task Puzzle Relay” delegation exercise
  • Activity 6. Feedback and self-assessment session for leaders called: “Reflection and Development in Leadership”
  • Activity 7: “How tall is Alfred?” Game
  • Activity 8. “The Traffic Jam” Game
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 8 Problem-Solving Activities
  • 8.1. The importance of problem-solving activities
  • 8.2. Types of problem-solving activities
  • 8.3. Examples of problem-solving activities
  • Activity 1. The first idea
  • Activity 2. The napkin list
  • Activity 3. Personal creation
  • Activity 4. The range of perspectives
  • Activity 5. What would X do?
  • Activity 6. Team tracking
  • Activity 7. The escape game
  • Activity 8. The perfect square
  • Activity 9. Time travel
  • Activity 10. The paper airplane
  • Activity 11. The tower building
  • Activity 12. The pancake
  • Activity 13. The remark
  • Activity 14. The shipwrecked
  • Activity 15. The team flag
  • Activity 16. The sale
  • Activity 17. The business puzzle
  • Activity 18. The globe
  • Activity 19. The treasure hunt
  • Activity 20. The falling egg
  • Activity 21. The right price
  • Activity 22. The code of conduct
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 9 Feedback and reflection activities
  • 9.1. The importance of feedback and reflection activities in the context of teambuilding
  • 9.2. Types of feedback and reflection activities
  • 9.3. Examples of feedback and reflection activities
  • Activity 1. 360-degree feedback session
  • Activity 2: Circle of appreciation
  • Activity 3: Reflecting on personal and team goals
  • Activity 4: The letter from the future
  • Activity 5: Small group reflection sessions
  • Activity 6: Personal Reflection Journal
  • Activity 7: Cause and effect analysis sessions
  • Activity 8: Group sessions for future planning
  • Activity 9: Learning sessions from previous experiences
  • Activity 10: Simulations of difficult situations and constructive feedback
  • Bibliography
  • Chapter 10 Relaxation and socialization activities
  • 10.1. The place of relaxation and socialization programs within the activities of organizations
  • 10.2. Personality and temperament—influencing factors in the development of social skills
  • 10.3. Types of relaxation and socializing activities
  • 10.4. Examples of relaxation and socializing activities
  • Activities like social events
  • 10.4.1. Activities like: funny games and contests
  • Activity 1: Human egg relay
  • Activity 2: Dance of the statues
  • Activity 3: Throwing socks
  • Activity 4: Defense balloon
  • Activity 5: Running with the sack
  • Activity 6: Guess the song
  • Activity 7: Funny sketches
  • Activity 8: Dance competition
  • Activity 9: Fun quiz
  • Activity 10: Race of unusual objects
  • Activity 11: Dance of the statues with the team
  • Activity 12: The “Volleyball with a blanket” game
  • Activity 13: The “Clock Game”
  • Activity 14: The “Magic Word” game
  • Activity 15: The “X and 0” game
  • Activity 16: The “Ninja” game
  • Activity 17. The “Crabs and Shrimps” game
  • Activity 18: The “Gestures” game
  • Activity 19: Game “Change direction!”
  • Activity 20: The game “Guess the character”
  • Activity 21: The “Lava lake crossing” game
  • Activity 22. The “Pyramids”
  • Activity 23. Wall of memories
  • Activity 24: Excursions and nature walks
  • Activity 25: Cultural or artistic manifestation
  • Activity 26: Yoga or meditation session
  • Activity 27: Cooking Workshops or Wine Tasting
  • Activity 28: Informal networking
  • Bibliography

We dedicate this book to all those who believe in the power of collaboration, who want to transform workplaces into environments of excellence, and who seek to build authentic connections. May this book inspire you and give you the tools to guide your own journey in the art of teambuilding.

With gratitude for each contribution to building strong and connected teams

Contents

  1. Preface

  2. Foreword

  3. Introduction

  4. Daniel Roșu 1. Teambuilding Theory

  5. Mihaela Diaconu, Daniela Pîrvu, and Amalia Duțu 2. Organizational Performance, Knowledge Management, Innovation—Coordinates of Competitive Advantage

  6. Amalia Duțu, Mihaela Diaconu, and Bogdan Georgescu 3. Teambuilding Programs—Determinants, Characteristics, Effects, Integrated Approach: Organization, Team, Individual

  7. Daniel Roșu, Sebastian Enache, Valentina Ștefănică, and Florin Cojanu 4. Warm-Up and Knowledge Activities

  8. Daniel Roșu, Valentina Ștefănică, Sebastian Enache, and Florin Cojanu 5. Trust-Building Activities

  9. Daniel Roșu, Bogdan Cioabă, Diana Lefter, Lavinia Geambei,
    and Maria-Teodora Geambei 6. Communication and Collaboration Activities

  10. Daniel Roșu, Valentina Ștefănică, Sebastian Enache, and Florin Cojanu 7. Leadership and Decision-Making Activities

  11. Bogdan Cioabă, Diana Lefter, Lavinia Geambei, and Maria-Teodora Geambei 8. Problem-Solving Activities

  12. Daniel Roșu, Andreea Laura Bădulescu, and Manuela Mihaela Ciucurel 9. Feedback And Reflection Activities

  13. Daniel Roșu, Andreea Laura Bădulescu, and Manuela Mihaela Ciucurel 10. Relaxation and Socialization Activities

Preface

From Homo ludens to Teambuilding

With a respectable age (the term appeared in the 1920–1930s when group dynamics and interpersonal relationships in the work environment began to be studied more and more), teambuilding—in the sense of organized activity with the stated purpose of improve collaboration and communication within a team—gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Therefore, half a century of terminological remodeling, taxonomic nuances and interdisciplinary connections.

Because it goes beyond the boundaries of a simple “discipline,” the teambuilding phenomenon is researched and approached mainly from the perspective of social and behavioral sciences: Organizational and industrial psychology studies human behavior in the organizational and work context, selecting as relevant motivation, communication, satisfaction at work, group dynamics, and team development. Social psychology explores how social interactions influence individual thoughts, feelings, and behavior to understand group dynamics and interpersonal relationships within teams. Organizational sociology examines the social structures and processes within organizations and how they influence employee behavior and performance, with a particular focus on the role of cultural influences within the organization.

We propose here two other areas of confluence. First, Cultural Anthropology is discipline concerned with the study of human culture, behavior, customs, values, and social interactions of different groups and communities. In teambuilding, cultural anthropology facilitates the understanding of the cultural context in which a team operates. This may involve understanding the norms, values, and modes of communication specific to the organizational culture or other cultural influences that may affect team dynamics. Then, the History of Mentalities, which probes collective mentalities, beliefs, perceptions, and representations, and how these have changed diachronically within a society. In the context of teambuilding, the history of mindsets provides a picture of how the collective ideas and values of a team/organization have developed over time and how they may affect collaboration and communication today. In other words, retrospective understanding of organizational culture can provide important clues to improving relationships and team performance today.

The work coordinated by Daniel Roșu and Mihaela Diaconu is based on an interdisciplinary project developed by teaching staff from the University of Pitesti: Design, testing, and validation of an innovative teambuilding product to increase organizational performance. Teambuilding, Tool for increasing organizational performance covers, in almost 200 pages, almost all the issues covered by the key concept. The material is structured in 10 information-dense chapters, happily combining the theoretical with the applied. The complementary points of view of those who contributed to the realization of this product are explained/justified on the one hand by the basic specialization of the authors, on the other hand, they are “brands” of the stylistic personality of each member of the team. From this perspective, the global text is also a result of some academic teambuilding activities.

The theoretical framework of the research is configured starting from the critical analysis of the specialized literature. The authors consider the following elements relevant to their approach: the effects of teambuilding activities on employees/organization; the factors that influence the design of teambuilding programs/products; teambuilding objectives and techniques; the application contexts of teambuilding; the purpose of these programs; the characteristics of teambuilding programs; types of teambuilding, etc.

Very useful for positioning in the context is the needs analysis carried out on a sample of about 100 organizations from the South-Muntenia Region. In addition, four focus groups were organized with important actors for these types of activities—human resources specialists, psychologists, top managers, and representatives of the executive of the companies involved. The analysis had two dimensions, one qualitative (it consisted in the identification of the determining factors, the characteristics, the effects of teambuilding programs, the links between teambuilding, and different individual or organizational variables), the other quantitative (it sought to measure the importance of the determining factors of teambuilding programs and correlating these factors with the effects, that is, identifying an ideal teambuilding program according to the type of company). Those characteristics that had the highest degree of occurrences were then selected, able to serve the development of conceptual models (“Antecedents and effects of teambuilding programs—an integrated approach: organizational and individual”).

The other components that complete the set of teambuilding activities consider sets of sub-activities such as warm-up (with the meaning of preparatory actions) and knowledge, trust building, communication and collaboration, leadership and decision-making, problem solving in a simulated environment, feedback and reflection, relaxation, and socializing. For each thematic area, a specialized bibliography is provided, useful both to the informed reader and to the non-specialist in the field.

Details

Pages
236
Publication Year
2025
ISBN (PDF)
9783631932162
ISBN (ePUB)
9783631932179
ISBN (Softcover)
9783631915837
DOI
10.3726/b22618
Language
English
Publication date
2025 (November)
Keywords
teambuilding organizations management needs analysis knowledge trust communication leadership problem solving reflection socialization
Published
Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, Oxford, 2025. 236 pp., 43 fig. b/w, 14 tables.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Daniel Roșu (Volume editor) Mihaela Diaconu (Volume editor)

Daniel Roșu is a specialist in physical education and sports. After a career in performance sports, he became a physical education teacher and a successful coach, and is currently a university lecturer. He actively promotes extracurricular activities, entrepreneurship, combat sports, winter sports, and guided adventure among students. Mihaela Diaconu is a specialist in the economic field, an entrepreneur in management consulting, and a professor with expertise in business management. She has managed projects financed by European structural funds and national funds and has extensive experience in university management.

Previous

Title: Teambuilding