One of the building blocks in establishing a successful and cohesive team is trust. Whether it is encouraging an environment of innovation and creativity or developing honest and effective communication, there needs to be a foundation of trust for any team to work well together. How can you help develop trust within a team and set them up for success? Let's review some step-by-step team building activities for work that are quick to implement and are sure to engage your team.
1. Easy-to-Use Team Building Workshop
Transform your team with our Birkman at Work toolkits, the perfect way to lead a dynamic workshop without all the prep work. Filled with interactive activities and individual reflection, your team can explore a variety of topics such as:
Usual Behavior, better known as productive behavior & Needs (social expectations)
Stress Behaviors (unproductive behaviors)
Interests (What motivates us)
These workshops do not require Signature Certification and are self-interpreted, which means that you can get started right away!
2. Birkman Buzz Cards
What is something you wish you were more interested in? What book has had the biggest influence on your life?
Encourage meaningful conversation to build relationships with the Birkman Buzz Cards - Interests Edition. These cards come full of thought-provoking questions to help team members and leaders know more about themselves and others in a simple and direct way.
3. The Birkman Map Activity
One of the best ways to build trust is to simply encourage employees to get to know one another. When people understand the unique personality types of their team members, it breaks down misunderstandings and strengthens relationships.
An easy activity uses the Birkman Map, which allows people to visually recognize and understand the diversity of personality within their team. It also helps team members see how they relate to their peers, enabling them to become more aware of themselves and others.
One CEO of a client company saw so much value in understanding where employees fit on the Birkman Map, he asked his HR team to hang Birkman Maps on the office wall with sticky notes marking where each employee is on the map.
To begin your activity, start by reviewing the Birkman Map with your team. This report is available both in our Basics Suite and Signature Suite report packages.
In your meeting space, set up a life-sized version of the Birkman Map, using the Birkman Floor Map or Birkman Cones. Have team members stand in the location of each of their symbols as you talk about Interests, Usual Behavior, and Needs on an individual level. This helps people visualize how they relate to their peers on the Birkman Map. As you transition from Interests to Usual Behavior to Needs, have everyone note how the orientations change. For each symbol rotation, ask the discussion questions listed below:
Discussion Questions
Interests
- What are the top Interests of each team member? Why do they enjoy these activities?
- Which projects or assignments most motivate each team member? Least motivates?
- How are Interests represented on the team? Do team members have very similar Interests or a wide variety of Interests?
- How will each person's Interests impact the team?
Usual Behavior
- What is the Usual Behavior for each team member? How is each individual most productive?
- What are the unique strengths each member brings to the team? How can the team utilize these strengths?
- Are there any potential blind spots or gaps on the team’s Group Map that they should be aware of? Do they have a wide variety of strengths, or do most members share the same strengths?
Needs and Stress Behavior
- Have each member share their Needs with the team.
- Are the Needs being met by the team? By the organization or company? How can the team help meet the Needs of each team member?
- Have everyone share their Stress Behaviors. How do you act when you become unproductive?
Overcome Personality Assessment Hesitation
Hesitations towards using a personality assessment may range from the scientific validity of the report to being wary about being honest when answering questions. Here are some tips to overcome common challenges with using personality assessments in your team building session.
