16 Team-Building Activities
Mention the word “team-building” at work and chances are people will roll their eyes and come up with excuses why they can’t make it that particular day. That’s because anyone who’s worked in a corporate environment knows that team-building exercises are often synonymous with forced, awkward fun. Yes, they have a bad rep.
And yet, research shows that team-buildings are actually a smart investment for leaders and employees alike, as they:
- Solve communication issues: poor communication between employees is estimated to cost billions of dollars per year. Team buildings help employees to connect with each other and by extension allow better communication.
- Increase engagement: companies with engaged employees achieve 2.5 times more than those with disengaged staff. A team-building can achieve employee engagement faster than many other activities.
- Conflict reduction: a direct consequence of all the above. Stronger teams are better at mitigating tensions and solving problems by themselves, which can help with employee retention in the long term.
But here’s the thing: not all team-building activities are created equal. If you want something that truly makes an impact, you’ll have to think beyond the old company picnic. So without further ado, here are some of our favourite team-building exercises, starting with those you can do right in your office (or coworking space) and more adventurous tips for those looking to step out of their desks. But stay till the end, because if those are not still adventurous enough to get you out of your picnic plans, we’ve also added in our top picks for Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and Copenhagen.
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1. Team Building Activities for The Office
Office Trivia Quiz
Essentially, it’s about seeing who knows the most about your office space. You create a bunch of index cards or online quiz if remote, each containing a question about your environment. It can be as simple as “what is the coffee machine brand?” or require some serious recalling as “how many drawers are there in total?. It’s guaranteed to get people talking, debating, and ideally, sharing a good laugh about something neutral, yet engaging.
This type of activity can also be done for particular employees on their birthdays, a company milestones or even seasonal occurrences.
Group size: no limit
Duration: around 30 mins should be good
Best for: breaking up a long day, introducing new employees to the office
Materials: pens, index cards or online quizzes like Kahoot
Making Headlines
This one actually has a very strategic goal although it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Essentially it’s about imagining what each department (or the company as a whole) could make headlines for in the future. It’s a great way to engage employees and including them as part of the company’s impact
This activity is very flexible, you can either do it in groups or let individuals come up with their newspaper headlines. You can get people to cut the words from actual newspapers for a more DIY affair.
Group size: 5 – 15
Duration: 30 mins
Best for: getting employees to think creatively about future impact
Materials: pens, paper, newspapers, scissors
Company Timeline
Timelines are a great visualization tool, and they can also turn into a cool collaborative exercise. Here’s how it works: you draw a long horizontal line on a whiteboard or pinboard, and let people mark important dates for them and their relation with the company.
It can include the day they were hired, their first success at the company, or what they’d like to see happen in the future. A time perspective will highlight different generations and spark conversation about people’s relationship with the startup.
Group size: 2 – 10
Duration: 60 mins
Best for: sharing personal stories, building employee engagement
Materials: pinboard, whiteboard, pins, markers or pens
Team untangling
You’ll need a few spools of wool for this one. It works great as a team activity, but you can also turn it into a game with a winner if you want to bring out everyone’s competitive side. First, divide your teams, and give them a spool of wool each. They have to tie some knots and tangle them in complex fashions.
Then, it’s swapping time! Each team ends up with another one’s ball of knots, and the untangler has to work blindfolded, following their teammate’s instructions. A great way to test team communication.
Group size: 6 – 20
Duration: 45 mins
Best for: improving team communication
Materials: blindfolds, spools of wool
2. More Adventurous / Complex / Outdoors Activities
Escape Rooms
One of the latest crazes in the world of corporate events, escape rooms force you to gather clues, combine ideas, and work solutions out as a team. You’ll find a lot of them have dedicated team building rooms, which are specifically designed to improve team communication and collaboration.
Group size: 5-15
Duration: 60 mins minimum, plus travel
Best for: collaborating on problem-solving
Scavenger Hunts
This one might take some serious planning, but it’s a great way to take a day out while boosting company morale at the same time. You’ll need to create a list of things to do in steps, and they all have to be measurable and/or lead you to the next clue. For instance, taking a selfie with a complete stranger, or guessing clues that lead you to a certain monument.
There are a few companies offering corporate scavenger hunts, worth a quick search if you want to let the pros do the organizing.
Group size: 3-10
Duration: half-day or whole day
Best for: boosting morale, improving employee relationships, discovering the city
Kubb
The game of Kubb will be familiar to most Swedish readers, but it’s gaining popularity worldwide for a number of reasons: it’s easy to learn, insanely fun, and perfect to play on a sunny day in the park.
You’ll need to source pieces to play this game of “Viking chess”, but it’s increasingly easy to order them online. All you need is some space, two willing teams, and a bit of a competitive spirit, plus maybe 30 mins to explain the rules to everyone.
Group size: two teams of 4 – 8 people
Duration: 2 – 4 hours
Best for: fun employee day out, relaxing, ice breakers
Cook-off
Turn the company dinner into a fun challenge by dividing your staff into two teams. Give them a list of ingredients, and see who can create the best culinary creation. You can choose someone to be the judge, or even create a series of blindfolded tests to determine the winning team.
The beauty of this activity is that everyone wants to do well (nobody wants to eat rubbish food) and it’s a great way to get people talking about their preferences through an engaging, competitive cooking game. Note that it might require a dedicated space because you’ll need a good amount of kitchen utensils.
Group size: 3-10
Duration: half-day or whole day
Best for: bonding, team communication, promoting diversity through people’s taste.
3. Bonus Round: Team Building Activities in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki
Sailing
If the weather is good, why not try to turn your team into bonafide sailors? You can rent a boat with GoBoat and navigate the waters of the super trendy harbour. You’ll have to take turns manning the boat, which creates a real social experience.
Outdoor dining
Speaking of social experiences, is there a better way to get to know each other than around great food? Make the most of the fantastic Copenhagen street food by strolling around places like Reffen for a super casual company dinner.
VR gaming
You might think VR is all about solo players, but it can actually be a real social occasion – especially with group experiences like the ones you find at Mission IX. There’s a 25 minute multiplayer session or a 50 mins group experience that goes through the whole gaming library.
100 Point Challenge
And if you want something a bit different, there’s the fantastic 100 Point Challenge, designed to let you navigate, explore and discover the city while solving clues and completing challenges. There’s a specific company team building challenge that gives you 2 hours of adrenaline-fuelled creative thinking, problem solving and collaboration.
Ski Simulator
No Norwegian startup team will be new to skiing, and the great news is that you can all do it together without travelling all the way to the Vinterpark. A mere 40 train ride will take you to the nearest Ski Simulator where you can collectively experience the thrills of the sport for a few hours before heading back to the office.
Sauna boat
Renting a sauna boat is also a fantastic group activity you can do right next to the city centre. There’s no focus on competition or collaboration here, so it’s really about relaxing, sharing stories, and getting to know each other.
Karaoke
Who could mention Helsinki group activities without talking about karaoke? Considered one of the best in town, Wallis Karaoke Bar is a great place to relish this Finnish obsession or to share it with newcomers to the city.
VIP saunas
There is also no shortage of saunas in Helsinki, but you won’t find another one like the one in the Skywheel. There’s even VIP champagne special to sweat, sip and socialize in style – just make sure you don’t go on a Monday morning!
