Team Activities Reduce Conflict and Build Morale

Doug Staneart  |  December 4, 2010
last updated

Team Activities Reduce Conflict and Build MoraleTeam activities centered around personality styles can be a great way to reduce conflict and build morale. If your team is struggling with communication or trust issues, very often it boils down to personalities – a misunderstanding of personalities.  You can identify team characteristics and open lines of communication by understanding the personality temperaments of coworkers.

Stretch your comfort zone to build trust.

Psychologists tell us there are four main personality temperaments.  Whether you favor Myers-Briggs, DiSC or Personality Traits, they all group personalities in common ways.  If you want to gain buy-in with your co-workers, you may need to pull from the attributes that are a stretch for you.  For example, have you ever observed these two distinct personality styles on a Monday morning:  one comes in very energetic, bubbling over with details about their weekend and questions about yours.  The other is ready for the day’s agenda, very task-focused, and wants to get down to business.  A simple explanation and understanding of these two different types will reduce conflict and build trust.

Interactive team building sessions boost learning.

Many people learn by doing, not by hearing. You can build teamwork and improve communication while having fun with team activities. Each of us has characteristics that make us different from others, and each of us has strengths that help us succeed. People often ask us to “build trust” within their team.  That’s like asking your personal trainer to build muscle for you.  We can provide you with the tools and resources necessary to create the right environment.  Fortunately or unfortunately, you have to do the sit-ups yourself.  Interactive team activities can help team members identify their dominant personality traits and strengths in a memorable way so that communication with and the ability to gain cooperation from others is easier.

Build a team atmosphere by giving back.

Team activities are designed to build more of a team atmosphere, help individuals learn how and why people act “that way” and how to deal more effectively with each other.  The end result includes improved trust and respect among co-workers and managers, which ultimately results in increased effectiveness.  And when you combine that with philanthropic team activities, your team is sure to feel more connected.   The Rescue Bear is a great example of how you can tie all these things together.  Team members learn about personality styles through a series of fun team activities; and in the end, they’ve built teddy bears that are donated to local fire departments or emergency personnel.

So if you want to reduce conflict and improve morale, stretch your comfort zone to build trust, use interactive sessions to boost learning, and build a team atmosphere by giving back.  Create value among your team members with an understanding of personality styles.  When people feel valued in an organization, they are more likely to contribute ideas and energy.  They will go the extra mile.

author Doug Staneart
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Doug Staneart is president of The Leader's Institute ®. He is based in the Dallas, Texas Region. He is a specialist in corporate team building activities and custom presentation skills seminars.
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