Running a company involves the perfect alignment of all its resources, whether they are human resources or other factors that produce value and a marketable product. The capital investment that goes into state-of-the-art equipment, high management in terms of strategies, market research and project planning will do very little unless you have the commitment and motivation of the team. Previously, this approach was called the “team spirit”, which is an alignment of the various competencies and characters with the future objectives of the organisation.

In a market economy, investors have more or less the same opportunities to access equipment and technologies, brands and even people skills, although the latter are getting harder to come by. Yet they cannot buy a ready-made team, where the individuals have not just the required competency, but also a character that fits in with the team, is in sync with the common objective of the group and is committed to the wider strategic objectives of the organisation. This battery of knowledge, skills, attitudes and performance management is something that has to be nurtured over time and the mover of such an approach has to commit for the long haul. It is here that the difference between companies is found and where this asset is turned into competition, revenue and success.

In this regard, managers are investing not only in training but also in building relationships, and in this respect, team-building games, exercises and activities seem to be popular. These exercises help to build teams, develop employees’ motivation and improve communication. This trend has become a feature for many HR departments, not just to increase workers’ engagement but also to enhance efficiency in project management and in the effort to reach targets and objectives. These proceedings can also be used as ice-breakers and energisers to warm up meetings, workshops, training and conferences.

“Team-building activities have to be chosen depending on the aim and purpose we want to achieve, as well as the team with whom we are working”, Actavis division manager Joshua Zammit pointed out. Actavis often develops these events with the objective of getting people to work together in a different environment. “We have noticed that such activities bring a positive atmosphere to the workplace because employees are more comfortable after the event”, he said.

Training facilitator at Bank of Valletta Tania Gauci also highlights the positive attitude that these games foster in the team. “The main aims of these activities are to integrate the staff by enhancing collaboration and communication,” she said.

Outdoorliving has been providing team-building events for various organisations for six years. The most popular activities are team-building games at the beach, building a boat or crime scene investigation, in which the teams have to investigate, analyse and solve a crime. “These are perfect activities to identify leaders and followers in teams because they are all games in which people communicate in a different environment so they are not stressed and they feel comfortable enough to come up with their own ideas,” says Outdoorliving director Danica Fava. They have also provided this service for international companies whose employees only have contact through the telephone, which makes these events the perfect situation for them to establish further and deeper relationships. Ms Fava said: “It is very important to be away from the workplace when they are taking part in the activity, because inside an office the participants might be interrupted by their colleagues, which could interfere with the process”.

People working as a team are a powerful force – more than skills, processes or policies. The ultimate aim of these practices is to help people feel better and achieve fulfilment so that they can face their daily work with the strength and confidence that the business world requires. The current competitive market demands the highest level of synchronisation between all the departments that constitute a complex company. However, the necessary spark that will make the difference is the employees’ team spirit – and this is the catalyst for top performance.

Angel Luis Martinez Cantera is a Spanish journalist at the Foundation for Human Resources