Powerful Teamwork Activity Ideas

Finding a teamwork activity that gets results just became a lot easier. Increase expectations for members of your team using our Team Building At Work guide. This free eBook if available for immediate download, and provides great ideas, activities and exercises for your entire team. 

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Team building must be an ongoing priority for leaders and using the right activities can assist you in setting and enforcing team expectations with team members. Setting goals with clear expectation for job performance is not something a leader does TO an employee. Rather, it's something you do FOR the employee.

Establishing clear boundaries and managing to those expectations on a daily basis in a firm yet supportive manner, provides structure and contributes to a healthy work environment for the entire team.

A fact many leaders fail to realize is the more difficult discussions a leader has with team members, the less number of difficult discussions will be necessary.

If you are quick to address non-performance or behavioral issues with your employees; and you maintain consistent accountability – your employees will have no doubt that you mean what you say and that you will not hesitate to hold them responsible for their actions.

Since nobody wishes to be called into the bosses office for a reprimand, they are more careful to meet the expectations of their job when they know the boss will hold them accountable.

Enforcing expectations is not a scare tactic. Leaders should always communicate a balanced message of being firm in their expectations, while remaining supportive to the employee. Business is business, and the fact is that it’s called “work” because you expect people to, well - WORK!

Try These Teamwork Activity Ideas

Expect the Best

Purpose: To illustrate and clarify for your team what your expectations are. To show team members exactly what it is that you are looking for as they work with each other and as they serve their customers.

Explanation: The leader is responsible for continually inspecting and measuring job performance. This effective teamwork activity will assist you in completing the task in a fun and creative way.

At your next team meeting, have your team make a list of the top 5 or 10 primary activities of their job. Ask team members to pair up for this exercise.

Over the next week, it will be your expectation that each team member will complete a picture collage of their partner, with proof in pictures of the employee meeting the expectations of his or her job.

At the next staff meeting, each employee will make their presentation to you and the team, highlighting their partner employee as they are “caught in the act” of delivering quality customer service, supporting other team members and working creativity to improve production and improve efficiencies.

Have each presenter talk about what impact those activities have on the customer experience and how it contributes to the success of the team. In addition, the presenter should share anything about their co-worker that they learned during the process.  This might include special interests or hobbies, or any key skills the employee possesses that are critical to the tasks presented. 

This teamwork activity is a great way for team members to get to know each other better, and will add energy to the workplace as they prepare their presentations.  This exercise can be particularly helpful for a new team, since team members won't know each other very well.

This activity allows all team members to participate, hence giving the leader an opportunity to recognize each employee as presentations are made to the group. It also cements in the mind of each employee that you expect them to focus on the primary activities they are paid to perform.

No More Secret Identity

Purpose: To clarify expectations of the team and to assist team members in understanding the value they bring to their customers and to the organization.

Explanation: As a group, work with your team to make a list of the most important values and/or benefits they bring to their customers. 

Focusing on the customer, have the team clearly identify What Value We Provide To The Customer? For example:

• What's the service or product that we offer and what sets us apart from our competitors?
• What's our commitment to quality and customer service?
• Do we have a strong sense of ownership to make things right, whenever we make an error or come up short?
• Are we committed to, and exhibiting, quality relationship-building through regular contact?

Next, still focusing on the Customer, ask your team to discuss and clarify their expectations of How We Take Care Of The Customer? For example:

• Warm smiles, stand to greet, firm handshake, and eye contact
• Listen intently to what the customer came in for, and make that your priority
• Using the customer’s name during each interaction. Probe for additional needs to ensure you meet as many needs as possible
• Always thank the customer for their business and let them know you value their relationship
• Ask customers what you can do better to serve them – gaining competitive feedback

This teamwork activity provides an opportunity for leaders to facilitate a quality discussion on "why we're here", "what we do", and "why we do it".  After the team has a chance to articulate their responses, then ask them how they think the team is doing in carrying out our primary responsibilities.

Be sure to praise team members on what they are doing very well and provide constructive feedback in areas that can be improved.

Lastly, create an action plan to address any areas of concern and schedule a date to meet again to review their progress.

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