TEAM BUILDING AND TEAM BONDING
Have you ever heard the expression “Wherever you go, there you are”? You bring your personality, your values, emotions, biases and thought process with you everywhere. To the astute observer, your traits and internalized paradigms are observable in the way you work, think, problem solve, make decisions, etc. In other words, your personality is on display in all that you do.
All teams or groups have a process and group dynamic and they are also on display in all that the team does. Many of the behaviors we do are automatic, unconscious, habitual, normal and therefore we are not focused on the process or group dynamic, but instead on the task at hand. Receiving feedback on our individual traits or team process is enormously helpful in the process of improvement.
WHAT IS OUTDOOR OR EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION?
Outdoor Education
Learning about self and others through participation in a series of challenges and experiences such as wildness adventures, outward Bound programs, ropes courses and teambuilding activities.
Experiential Education
A process where the teacher provides experiences to go along with the content.
Experiential Learning
A subfield of experiential education learning by doing
There are many advantages of outdoor experiential education.
- You are out of the normal work environment, culture, and work processes
- Problem solving does not depend on the hierarchy
- The problem solving, decision making and challenges are new and unusual
- The level of difficulty can be from light to very challenging
- The course can be modified so all can participate regardless of health or physical condition
- You grow and learn from each experience
- You have fun while learning and doing
- You are creating memories that last a lifetime
- The team bonds through the shared experiences
- Members get to know one another in a different capacity
- You use different talents and skills than normally
Amish Barn Building: Example of what a team can really do when they know how to work together
Team Building
Team building activities are most appropriate when a natural group or team whose success depends on how well the entire team performs.
When there is an interdependence on each other. Improving a team performance can focus on any number of aspects including (but not limited to) their current level of performance (processes), their relationships, establishing a common goal, leadership, team mission or values, and restraints.
Team Bonding
A group is an assemblage of persons usually 3 or more who may have some common elements but who’s work is not necessarily interdependent and would benefit from getting closer with one another, learning about one another in bonding activities. Team bonding activities accelerates the building of trusting positive relationships, increases patience with one another, improves communications, and helps to develop respect for one another.
Wilderness Trips
Wilderness trips of 3-16 days are arranged with our wilderness partners and depends on the activities you would like to experience and the area of the country you would like to be in.
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- Fishing
- Kayaking / canoeing
- Rock climbing
- Mountain climbing
- Rafting
- Skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Horseback riding
- Canyon exploration
- Ranching
Ropes Programs and Challenge Course
We use several certified Ropes courses around Chicagoland and Southern Wi. We also have the ability to transport our mobile program to your location.
High Ropes focuses more on personal challenge, pushing your limits and confronting your fears while your teammates provides support and encouragement.
Low Ropes focuses more on teambuilding, problem solving, communications, and leadership as the group encounters various initiatives
Orienteering focuses more on team work, getting the entire group safely and expediently from point A to Point B, and being environmentally aware. It involves seeking out and finding clues that will take you to the next initiative.
TEAMBUILDING PROGRAMS
A high-performance team is tough to beat whether you are talking about a sports team, a military team or a business team. Most teams do not operate at peak performance because there are many restraining forces at work. The lack of a common goal is one major reason teams do not perform at a high level. In sports the goal is simple “win”. In business the goal is far more complicated and often not the same. The finance department may have a goal of profitability; manufacturing, quality; customer service, speed; shipping. broad distribution HR, employee satisfaction, etc.
We can assess your team’s performance and offer pathways for team improvement. We will look at current level of performance, conduct interviews, look for restraining forces, leadership, employee motivation and other factors. We can design improvement initiatives for your consideration.
We conduct many different types of teambuilding activities including in house sessions and high and low ropes courses.
