Where Does 'The Process' Come From?

Most people don't give much thought to the how's and why's of where things come from - which is completely the opposite of what a critical thinker should be - so I thought I'd give everyone a chance to look into the inner workings of how this teambuilding idea got started...

First, I run a teambuilding and adventure instruction company - GO-AdventureSports - which offers ropes challenge courses, portable team challenges, soapbox derby races, community service construction projects, and adventure instruction programs (rock climbing, caving, mountain biking, wilderness skills). These types of experiential education programs have shown time and time again that people learn best when engaged in fun, challenging activities - as opposed to lecture-style programming. In order to achieve maximum effect, we typically precede activities with a "frame-up" and follow activities with a "debrief" discussion period. This free-form discussion enables team members to draw correlations from the activity, back to "real life."

The shared adventure aspect of traditional teambuilding programs is a great way of engaging people, and makes an excellent first step in building a high performing team. Traditional teambuilding programs are like opening a door, allowing those who have the desire and the commitment, to walk into a completely new place. All too often, however, the ropes course or portable teambuilding program is the only opportunity people have for engaging one another in this 'learning environment.' Once the program is over, people go back to their normal lives, sometimes talking about the fun they had, but rarely utilizing the teamwork tools they learned during the event. The ropes course becomes a colorful memory, rather than a jump-off point into a brilliant future.

Armed with this knowledge of human tendencies, I began researching a good deal of the literature on the subject of leadership, team dynamics, personal development and success - mostly from the perspective of people in the business community. Trying to sift through the myriad of different books and audiobooks available, I came up with a list that I felt was most useful for building a successful team:

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
Work Like daVinci
The Power of an Hour
The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook
The Ten Faces of Innovation
Leadership and Self-Deception
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Eat That Frog!
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People

Granted, this is a long list, and much of the information found within any one book is similar to that found in many others. However, each of these books had some kernel of truth that I felt teams needed to master in order to become a 'learning organization,' capable of innovating to meet the future head-on.

Now, as I begin fine-tuning 'The Process,' I am building a mind-map (brainstorming tool that allows you to get everything down on paper, and then draw correlations between your ideas) of "kernels of truth" and combining them with powerful traditional teambuilding exercises. This combination of experiential and theoretical education will yield the best results.

I'll keep you posted!

Update on The NEXTeams Process

I recently finished a course in Professional Facilitation Techniques (flip charts, dealing with dysfunction, group dynamics, etc...) and I am very excited to use these new techniques in the delivery of 'The NEXTeams Process'. I think that the combination of traditional teambuilding exercises - de-inhibitizing games, problem-solving activities, and trust-building exercises - and "table-top" facilitation techniques - flip-charting, brainstorming, listing, mind-mapping, etc... - will create an atmosphere of enhanced creativity and group cooperation. What better place to bring a team that needs to get something accomplished?!? Stay tuned as I get ready to roll out a new and improved teambuilding event... Coming soon!

The NEXTeams Five-Step Process...

• Step One — challenge participants to get to the root of their 'organizational identity' and learn new ways to enhance that self-conception. The goal is to get everyone on the same page about purpose - the Real Mission of the organization.
• Step Two — invite participants to explore their role within the organization - not only their job title and responsibilities, but the potential benefits that they can offer to the organization as a whole – the Personal Identities within the organization
• Step Three — give participants a task to accomplish - exemplified through traditional 'teambuilding challenges.' The goal is to show through tangible experience the interdependence of the group – the TEAM within the organization.
• Step Four — focus on transferring the lessons learned in the initial program, back to the 'real world' of their day-to-day organizational function. Simple steps the leadership can take to encourage cross-communication, innovation, an environment of openness in the team – the TEAM Environment within the organization.

• Step Five — Following the initial four-step process, NEXTeams will be available for follow-up consultations and recurring “FLUX Re-Energizers.” – a chance to get together in the learning environment and check-in about things that are working and things that need more attention.

NEXTeams - The NEXT Step in Team Development.

NEXTeams Team Development

While technology continues to make the world more interconnected, internal workings of organizations both large and small seem more and more disconnected. This disconnect can be caused by a number of factors - ironically the technology that propels us forward being one of them... The disconnect can have one or multiple causes, from a simple misunderstanding between two employees to a misinterpretation of the overall mission of the organization. Whatever the reasons, and whatever the problems, organizations often benefit from the help of mediation and facilitation. NEXTeams is a company whose mission is to get to the root of an organization's internal and external challenges, identify these barriers to success, working within teams to map out a strategy for overcoming the adversity, and helping the organization implement the plan. Combining goals/needs assessment and personality testing, with expert facilitation and experiential education tools, NEXTeams is the Next Step in Team Development.

Key Components of the NEXTeams Process:

• Initial consultation with your NEXTeams Facilitator will define the perceived challenges and proposed goals of your organizational development strategy.
• Meeting participants (your team and our facilitators) will map out a short-term goals list for completion prior to the 'event.'
• During the scheduled 'event' our facilitation team will utilize personality testing and interest assessment tools to provide insight and clarity into differences and similarities between team member personalities.
• Facilitators will provide experiential training tools that relate directly to the key components of - building trust, effective communication, leadership styles, etc...
• Teams will discuss the training tools and their relationship to the organization's challenges and strategies concepts.
• Following the 'event,' facilitators will periodically check-in with key team leaders, provide consultation, and if necessary return for a second or third event - the key to success is focus and repetition.

Two Rivers Public Charter School - 8/14/08

GO-AdventureSports hosted a teambuilding event for Two Rivers Public Charter School again this year, at Seneca Creek State Park, in Gaithersburg, MD.  This year's goals were to focus on trust between members of the team, and to learn how to ask for help when individuals were in need.  Each activity challenged team members in different ways, and during each event, different leaders and problem solvers emerged.  During debriefs, the teachers discussed how individual experience, educational background, and personality helped to shape the overall character of the team.  As the day progressed, the activities were sequenced in a way that helped build trust and confidence between the members of the team, and by the end of the day, the entire group was ready for the intense 'mouse trap' trust exercise.  A great way to end the day and start the school year!

Howard University - 8/12/08

A beautiful sunny day at Rock Creek Park was the setting for this Adventure Challenge.  A group of 120 Howard University Resident Advisors were preparing to go back to school this Fall, and their wise leadership had decided, once again, to build teamwork into their Orientation program.  As soon as they got off the bus, the group was ready for fun.  The foam noodle pass was a big hit, getting the group warmed up and energized.  The RA's were split into their dorm groups to embark on their team challenges.  Teams had to get their members over the 'electric fence,' an activity that required a great deal of planning, in addition to precise movement.  While some teams had to traverse over 'the acid river,' using only a few small stepping stones, others were challenged by the 'bigfoot relay' in which they had to problem-solve moving from one side of the river to the other using a pair of 'one-way boots.'  The activities required several attempts before achieving success, but once the system was identified, the teams worked together like a well oiled machine.  Another impressive performance from our friends at Howard University!

Adventist Health Care 4/1/08

The Adventist Health Care managers played an April Fool's Day joke on their employees today.  The staff were told to report for 'boot camp' at Seneca Lodge in Germantown, MD, and with some hesitation (and fear) group members started filing in for their hard-core workout session.  Little did they know that their team leaders had in fact put together a day of fun, food and team building.  The health care employees were already a tight-knit group - you could see how much they enjoyed working and playing together.  When confronted with the team challenges, they put their thinking caps on and accomplished the tasks laid out before them.  Following each activity, the groups engaged in meaningful and insightful debriefs, discussing teamwork, team membership, and ways to bring the lessons learned back to the workplace.

Shenandoah Telephone Company

GO-AdventureSports traveled to St Michael's, MD for an Adventure Challenge event for 160 employees of the Shenandoah Telephone Company today.  Part of the company's weekend retreat was to have its employees work on 'team building.'  The participants were split into 12 groups and had to successfully negotiate the obstacle fields while blindfolded, retrieve items with using non-verbal communication and solve a 'traffic jam' puzzle using all members of their team.  Competition was fierce, and the rooms were filled with energy - especially when the groups revealed their team cheers.  The night ended with a cup stacking competition, in which all group members worked to build the tallest tower of cups and put their team on top of the competition.  Good fun, and good teamwork!