A financial company re-organized and set up customer service teams. This involved staff taking on larger jobs, learning new processes and skills, developing a new set of relationships with each other.

In the early stages team building was a major feature of the training; this involved giving people a sense of direction, getting to know one another, recognizing skills and abilities as well as establishing a method of working

Once this had been achieved, the emphasis shifted to team working skills, i.e. sharing ideas, co-operating, being open and supporting one another.

The sales directors of a multinational company asked for help with team building for his staff. Representatives from each sales area met every two months. With individual targets to reach and incentives based on performance, he was concerned that they were not a team.

These people worked independently of and in competition with each other; what’s more they rarely met- teambuilding would not have been appropriate.

However, there was a need to demonstrate the skills of team working when they met to co-operate, share ideas and support one another.

Team building and team working are not the same; the former is often asked for when the latter is required.

Team building is used to create new teams or review the performance of exiting ones.

Team working encourages and helps teams succeed; but team working by itself newer makes a team. Team working is a process, not a goal.

Regards

Robin