SHOULD SMALL BUSINESSES GO FOR TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES?

They can help you make your small business go big!

Wondering whether, as a small business owner, you should go for team building activities?

Unsure whether such activities will actually benefit your company?

Want to get an idea of why team building matters for your organization?

You’ve come to the right blog post!

As a top Chicago team outing venue, we have hosted numerous small and local businesses from all over the city for team building events.

This has given us some insight into the challenges small businesses face vis-à-vis maintaining team morale, whether team building matters for managers, building company culture, improving productivity and so on, and how team-building exercises can help.

The importance of team building for small companies

As you probably know, small and local businesses face some unique challenges like retaining employees, responding nimbly to changing market conditions, time management, and so on.

Team building helps small businesses by fostering a sense of belonging on their employees and helping them develop critical skills like innovative thinking, working under pressure, and communicating and collaborating with one another.

This gives employees the tools necessary to create innovative solutions and work together towards a common goal.

In other words, as a small business owner, you should look at team-building exercises not as an expense but as an investment in the growth of your company.

So, yes - small businesses should definitely opt for team building activities.

Let’s now take a look at some of the specific benefits you can expect, one by one.

Identifying potential leaders

As a small business owner, you may have to handle multiple aspects of the day-to-day functioning of your company. 

If you could delegate some of these, you’d be able to free up time to focus on longer-term growth plans.

Team building can be a great way to identify leaders within a small business. 

By putting employees into team-based activities, owners and managers can get a better sense of who works well with others, who takes charge in challenging situations, and who can actually see the team through an adverse environment.

This can be helpful in making decisions about who to promote or give additional responsibilities to.

Wondering whether team building entails cheesy trust falls or hyper-physical activities? Here are the top team building myths - busted!

Strengthening employee relationships

Businesses big and strong benefit if their employees have a strong bond and understanding of one another.

Team building activities provide employees with an opportunity to build relationships and trust with each other. 

When team members have a strong bond and understanding of one another, productive collaboration is more likely to occur. 

Research has even revealed that having friends at work can lead to greater job satisfaction and improved performance. 

Creating a meaningful experience for your small business that allows colleagues to connect further with each other can be incredibly beneficial. 

Participating in outings, games, or any other enjoyable activities is a great way to foster relationships and create a positive work environment.

Wondering whether to have the team event at your workplace or elsewhere? Here are the benefits of hosting your team building event offsite.

Building workplace culture

According to an article published in Forbes, a positive workplace culture is one of your small business’ strongest assets.

So, can team events help you achieve a positive company culture?

We’ve just seen how team-building activities can help foster positive relationships in the workplace. 

By creating an environment where employees feel comfortable and supported, team building can eliminate any negativity that may be present. 

It is everyone's responsibility to ensure a great working culture, and by incorporating effective team activities, you can nurture this culture for all staff members. 

Wondering how to organize an effective team outing? Here’s our easy 7-step guide to organizing an effective team activity.

Improving communication

Effective communication is critical to the success of any company. 

Team building activities are essential for fostering effective communication within a team.

Through these activities, employees who tend to be less vocal have an opportunity to express their ideas, which often leads to more creative problem-solving.

On the other hand, without clear and concise communication, team members may struggle to understand each other, which could result in duplication of efforts, people working at cross purposes, and reduced innovation, all of which lead to poor performance of the entire firm. 

Strong communication helps build relationships between team members, promoting collaboration and a better overall work environment. 

Looking to strengthen team spirit during the holidays? Here are the best team-building activities to try this holiday season.

Encouraging collaboration

Why work as a team if you’re not going to avail of its strongest benefit - the availability of a pool of ideas and abilities to bank upon?

Seamless collaboration among team members can improve productivity considerably.

A team that doesn't collaborate is like a group of people working in isolation toward the same goal. 

This type of dynamic can impede your team's ability to achieve its highest potential. 

Employees who work together on a task are more inclined to stay committed than those who operate alone.

Furthermore, they're likely to have higher levels of engagement and a greater success rate.

Team building activities improve team collaboration which also means a sense of collective accomplishment, deepening the sense of community among team members.

Promoting innovation and creativity

Any small company knows how crucial innovation is to be able to respond to market forces.

In any work environment, team building is important for promoting collaboration and fostering a sense of camaraderie. But in today's business world, where the pressure to innovate is greater than ever, team building with a unique approach can be a powerful tool for encouraging creativity.

By bringing employees together to share ideas and work on projects, team building can help break down the silos that can stifle innovation. If you're in Chicago, check out some top team-building activities to foster this collaborative spirit.

In addition, team building can help small businesses tap into the collective brainpower of their employees and harness the power of collective intelligence.

Are you a Chicago small business? Here are the top team events in and near the Loop.

Improving time management

As a small business owner, you know that time management is essential to your success. 

But did you know that team building can also play a big role in helping your employees and teams manage their time better?

By working together on team-building activities, your employees will learn how to communicate and collaborate more effectively. 

As a result, they'll be better equipped to handle tasks efficiently and work together to meet deadlines. 

In addition, team building can also help to improve morale and reduce stress levels, both of which can lead to more productive employees. 

So if you're looking for a way to boost your team's efficiency, consider investing in some team-building activities. You may just find that it's the key to better time management.

Developing the killer instinct

Organizing a team outing is an excellent way to take a break from work and rejuvenate. 

An exciting activity such as an escape room can help bring out the competitive spirit in you.

Being placed in such stimulating scenarios encourages heightened situational awareness and quick thinking, helping you develop better problem-solving skills and become more successful.

It's no surprise that businesses frequently host team building events to harness their employees' killer instincts and further their collective goals.

Team building at Fox in a Box

We’re the top escape room in Chicago, but that’s not the only thing we offer. If you're looking to reward your team or gift someone a unique experience, consider our voucher and gift cards.

We understand the importance of fostering effective team dynamics to produce great results in any organization. 

That’s why we’ve crafted an exciting and immersive team-building activity that will charm everyone who takes part and offer tangible outcomes. 

We have four escape room adventures with real-world scenarios for teams of up to 35 players. One person can watch the team in action and give constructive feedback. 

For companies looking for an intensive team bonding retreat, we’ll work with an organizational psychologist will make it happen.

Please refer to our team building page for more information.

Featured image by Tumisu from Pixabay.