Are you looking for ways to boost the morale, productivity and collaboration of your virtual or hybrid team? If so, you’re not alone. Many organizations are facing the challenges of managing teams that are dispersed across different locations, time zones and work environments. But don’t worry, there are plenty of team building activities that can help you bridge the gap and create a strong and cohesive team culture.
In this blog post, we’ll share with you the 10Cs of effective teams, 20 team building activities for remote and hybrid teams, and the benefits of corporate team building activities. Whether you have a fully remote team or a hybrid one, you’ll find some useful ideas and tips to make your team more engaged, connected and successful.
The 10Cs of Effective Teams
What makes a great team? According to the research by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, authors of The Wisdom of Teams, there are 10 essential characteristics that define a high-performing team.
- Common purpose: A clear and shared vision of what the team wants to achieve and why.
- Clear roles: A thorough understanding of each team member’s responsibilities, strengths and contributions.
- Coordinated efforts: Coordinated and synchronized way of working together to achieve the common purpose.
- Communication: Frequent, open and honest exchange of information, feedback and ideas among team members.
- Collaboration: Willingness and ability to cooperate, support and learn from each other.
- Commitment: A strong sense of loyalty, dedication and ownership towards the team and its goals.
- Conflict resolution: A constructive and respectful way of handling disagreements, differences and challenges within the team.
- Creativity: Fostering a culture of innovation, experimentation and risk-taking that encourages new ideas and solutions.
- Continuous improvement: A mindset of learning, growth and adaptation that seeks to improve the team’s performance and processes.
- Celebration: Recognition and appreciation of the team’s achievements, successes and milestones.
These 10Cs provide a useful framework for assessing your team’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as for designing and implementing team building activities that can enhance these aspects.
12 Team Building Activities for Remote and Hybrid Teams
Team building activities are not just fun and games. They are also powerful tools that can help your team develop the 10Cs of effective teams. Here are 12 examples of team building activities that you can try with your remote or hybrid team:
1. Virtual Coffee Break
A simple but effective way to start or end your day with some casual conversation and social bonding. You can use a video conferencing tool like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Skype to chat with your teammates about anything other than work.
You can also use a randomizer tool like Wheel Decide to choose a topic or a question for each coffee break.
2. Icebreaker Questions
A classic way to break the ice and get to know your teammates better. You can use a tool like Icebreaker Questions to generate some fun and interesting questions that you can ask each other during your meetings or calls. You can also create your own questions based on your team’s interests, hobbies or preferences.
3. Show and Tell
A fun way to share something personal or professional with your teammates. You can ask each team member to show or tell something about themselves, such as their favorite book, movie, place, hobby, pet, etc. You can also use this activity to showcase your work projects, achievements or challenges.
4. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
A creative and exciting way to challenge your teammates and test their skills. You can use a tool like GooseChase to create a virtual scavenger hunt with different tasks, clues and missions that your team members have to complete within a given time limit. You can also customize the tasks based on your team’s goals, values or themes.
5. Online Trivia Quiz
A fun and competitive way to test your teammates' knowledge and learn something new. You can use a tool like Kahoot or Quizizz to create an online trivia quiz with different categories, questions and answers that your team members have to answer as fast as possible. You can also use this activity to review your work topics, policies or procedures.
6. Two Truths and a Lie
A humorous and intriguing way to discover some surprising facts about your teammates. You can ask each team member to share two true statements and one false statement about themselves, such as their background, experience or achievements. The rest of the team has to guess which one is the lie.
7. Personality Test
An insightful and informative way to understand your teammates' personalities, preferences and styles. You can use a tool like The Big Five Personality Test or DISC to take a personality test online and share your results with your teammates.
You can also use this activity to discuss how your personality types affect your work behavior, communication and collaboration.
8. Pictionary
Pictionary is a classic game that can unleash your team’s artistic talents and imagination. The game is simple: one team member has to draw something on a virtual whiteboard while the rest of the team has to guess what it is.
You can either use online tools like Skribbl.io, Drawize or Drawasaurus to play Pictionary or use the screen-sharing feature on Zoom or Google Meet.
9. Would You Rather
Would you rather is a fun and thought-provoking game that can spark some interesting conversations and debates among your team members.
The game is simple: you present two hypothetical scenarios and ask your team members which one they would rather choose. For example, would you rather travel back in time or forward in time? Would you rather have super strength or super speed? You can either come up with your own scenarios or use online generators like Conversation Starters World or Icebreaker Ideas.
10. Building a Storyline
You can either play this game in person or virtually. The objective of the game is to build a complete story with everyone’s participation. Each participant takes a turn to add an incomplete sentence. For instance, it can be something like,
“Zusie was on her way to work as usual, when she suddenly saw a.."
Then the next person continues from there and adds another incomplete sentence and so on. The key in this game is to pay attention and listen to each other to continue the story. You can use a story board template to build the story.
11. Team Puzzle
This activity is great for making everyone understand how each team member’s efforts contribute to the bigger picture.
Print an image into 6-8 pieces (depending on the number of people in the team) and give each team member a piece of the image. Ask them not to show it to anyone. Give everyone a sheet of paper and ask them to draw the respective part of the picture. Once everyone has completed drawing, get all the pieces together and complete the puzzle.
12. Code of Conduct
This is a good team building exercise to initiate before starting a workshop or training program. Begin by writing down the words “pleasant” and ‘meaningful” on a whiteboard. Then ask participants to list out what they think would make the workshop/training pleasant and meaningful on sticky notes. Collate everyone’s ideas on a mindmap. Make sure everyone understands all the ideas presented. Once everyone agrees on the collected ideas, you can set it as the code of conduct for the workshop.
Benefits of Team Building Activities for Virtual and Hybrid Teams
Team building activities are not only fun, but also essential for virtual and hybrid teams. They can help improve communication, collaboration, trust, engagement and productivity among team members who may not see each other face-to-face often. Here are five benefits of team building activities for virtual and hybrid teams:
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Fostering a sense of belonging and community. Team building activities can help team members feel more connected and valued, especially if they are working remotely or in different locations. They can also create a shared identity and culture for the team, which can boost morale and motivation.
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Enhancing communication and feedback skills. Such activities can help team members practice and improve their communication and feedback skills, which are vital for any team. They can also help team members overcome communication barriers, such as language, time zones, or technology issues.
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Promoting collaboration and creativity. Team building activities can help team members work together more effectively and efficiently, as well as generate new ideas and solutions. They can also help team members learn from each other’s strengths and perspectives, and leverage their diversity and expertise.
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Increasing trust and accountability. Team building activities can help team members build trust and rapport with each other, which can improve their performance and satisfaction. They can also help team members establish clear roles and expectations, and hold each other accountable for their tasks and goals.
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Reducing stress and burnout. Team building activities can help team members relax and have fun, which can reduce stress and burnout. They can also help team members cope with challenges and difficulties, and support each other’s well-being and mental health.
Wrapping Up
Team building activities are not only fun, but also beneficial for improving communication, collaboration, and creativity among employees. They can help foster a positive work culture, increase employee engagement, and reduce turnover. Whether you choose to organize a scavenger hunt, a trivia night, or a cooking class, you can be sure that your team will enjoy the experience and learn something new. Team building activities are a great way to show your appreciation for your staff, boost their morale, and strengthen their bonds. So what are you waiting for? Plan your next team building activity today and watch your team grow together!
