Team Building Activity

Team Building Activity

The healthcare field is made up of many different types of individuals. Each individual within the organization may have a unique perspective as well as different experiences. This can often cause some conflict and effect how well the organization can operate. In most organizations teams are established to meet specific goals and expectations, however if the individuals placed on these teams don't make a connection and have a hard time working together they will not be able to accomplish what they set out to do. Teams are often made of a small group of employees with similar skills and values (Penn State University, 2007).

While the idea behind a team is for everyone to work together, share their individual skills, with no conflicts this may not always occur. When you get several different individuals working so closely together personalities and ideas may not always mesh, as they should. For many teams it is a learning process. In order to help this process many organizations often have meetings, training seminars, or workshops to help these teams develop skills that help teach them ways to work effectively together, and improve their communication skills. These teams often participate in team building activities that can range from simple tasks that may seem like a child's game to complex tasks designed for a specific need.

In the health care field team building activities can be effective to get a team on the right track. In the health care field workers often divide into groups depending on their job; for example those involved in patient care, and those who are staff members. Utilizing a team building activity is a way to open communication between all of these workers. While there are many different types of team building activities that are often utilized that may be fun, they may not always produce the desired results. For example a game of paintball may be quite enjoyable and allow employees to get out of the office, but it won't necessarily help to open communication between the members on a team (Free Management Library, 2006.). When the activities are used in the right way they can help solve problems, improve morale, foster cohesiveness, and increase motivation.

When choosing an activity for a health care organization you may want to find one that focuses on improving communication. It is important for all the employees to realize that in order for the team to succeed, that they must work together. If each individual worked independently they would not get very far (Healthcare Speakers Network, n.d.). A good team building activity based on trust and communication is called the trust walk. This activity consists breaking the group into pairs. One partner is blind folded and the other partner is the guide. In this activity the guide will lead the blindfolded team member through many obstacles that they must avoid. This is a great activity the blind folded person learns to trust his partner, while the guide must effectively communicate to his partner. This activity