Simple instructions for wasting corporate time and money in the guise of improving internal relations:

(Note: all of the following were actually witnessed in real life corporate off-site team building initiatives)

• Use a prefab event that doesn’t address your needs.

• Have no idea why you are teambuilding. Do it because it’s the thing to do.

• Surprise your staff. Act as if it’s a gift for them and just for fun.

• Have no sensitivity to workloads. They’ll just have to figure out how to be offsite for a day or more and still meet all their deadlines.

• Provide no structure for getting people to mix with people in other departments.

• Pit department against department.

• Do not follow up. Do not measure effectiveness. Do not take suggestions.

• Do not show up or participate yourself.

Show of hands, please: how many of you have seen any of these or other gaffes in team building exercises in the course of your career?

So, as someone with an interest in breaking down the (often spike-embedded) walls between people and departments, how do you effectively create a true sense of team? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Know the specific challenges being dealt with on the ground in your organization . Work with a skilled corporate events team to customize your event to address these.

2. Have a clear—and realistic—intention for the team building and communicate it clearly.

3. Build in opportunities for reflection and learning. Help participants see the value of the event, and support them in designing ways that will support them in bringing the benefits back into their work.

4. Plan in advance (not just for the event but for its impact on your business).

5. Express sensitivity for the inconvenience and clearly express the intended benefits and opportunities for participants.

6. Establish structures in advance for accommodating deadlines/workload.

7. Follow-up. Find out how the exercise worked (or didn’t). Take suggestions and learn for future events.

8. Consider team coaching ON-SITE, that addresses actual situations and gives people the opportunity to come up with real solutions.