Team building resources can help inspire and motivate employees to give their all to a company. Decades of research indicates that when colleagues feel a sense of camaraderie, they are likely to work well together and care more about their jobs. There are many corporate team building publications and professional publications on the subject to help managers create a collaborative environment in the workplace.

Some team building reports indicate that leaders who use team building techniques are more likely to create workplaces with better retention of staff, higher productivity, and increased job satisfaction. Team building books help managers to implement trust building activities and exercises to increase morale and spark team spirit in a variety of workplaces and environments.

Team building articles and team building white papers, also widely available, offer many tips and techniques for motivating employees in a positive manner. Whatever resources you choose to use, there are many positive results to be gained from following the advice of team building papers.

1. Team building works to build a dynamic rapport among professional colleagues.

2. Team building exercises create trust, improve problem solving, and bring challenges and problems out into the open.

3. Widely available team building resources make it easy for managers to foster team spirit and increased motivation that have proven to be most effective in the workplace.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out team building resources

There are many sites available to help managers implement team building programs that best suit their needs.

I recommend: Teambuilding, Inc. offers a plethora of team building resources, including a catalog with items for purchase such as training exercises, programs, videos and books.

Strictly Success offers programs, workshops, and many other resources to help managers create high performance teams.

Fun Team Building.com provides concise tips for creating outstanding teams, the reasons for doing so, and pitfalls to avoid when team building. The site also offers team building and trust building activities and programs.

Team Building is a free, research-rich site; the resources offered here include articles, games, books, and a large volume of team building articles.

Vistage International is an organization that offers coaching and other programs to help small businesses build their teams and move their business to the next level.

Read team building articles

Teamwork building publications are widely available and useful for beginning a team building program in your workplace.

I recommend: The newsletter Team Building USA offers several free articles on team building each month, with helpful tips on such topics as communication strategies, decision making, and how team building benefits businesses of all sizes.

This article by Work911.com on the Six Deadly Sins of Team Building, helps managers to tighten the focus and mission of team building activities.

This article by Sabre Corporate Development helps managers differentiate between the many team building programs available.

This New York Times article details a fun team building exercise.

Read team building books

Many up-to-the-minute books are in publication with ideas and strategies for implementing team building activities.

I recommend: The Chart Your Course International book on Ice Breakers & Team Building Exercises. This speaker, consultant, and trainer provides an easy-to-read, fun guide to break the ice and energize team gatherings while building relationships among employees.

The book Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers is for managers who don't have weekends or days to dedicate to team building activities. This book offers quick, fifteen minute exercises to help create higher levels of collaboration in a limited amount of time.

Why Teams Can Fail and What to Do About It. This book provides a realistic look at why many team building exercises fail and how to create meaningful team building experiences that will not be short-lived. It includes a troubleshooting guide and guidance on how to create smooth relationships and set, positive, attainable goals.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Team building should be multi-dimensional; for team building exercises to be successful there must be clear goals and a model or mission (often created as a group), to focus the team development and ensure that it is meaningful.
• •  Take risks and don't be afraid to try new things while team building; shared new experiences can create trust and build relationships.
• •  Team building should focus on long term solutions rather than short term strategies or quick fixes.
• •  Anticipate some resistance among employees - but prepare yourself with fun, action-oriented, and relevant activities and your own enthusiasm, and you should get everyone motivated.
• •  Read articles on team building, team building books, and other teamwork building publications to create the best possible environment in your workplace.