On the surface it may seem like these homogenous teams have it easy. And to some extent they do. There are clear advantages to having a homogeneous team. Members will more easily understand each other’s verbal and nonverbal communications and have more shared experiences in common. The similarities can help, to some extent, avoid misunderstandings, prejudices, potentially resulting in lower turnover and perhaps speed up decision making and completion of tasks.

While homogeneous work groups may be ideal for tasks requiring quick choices or that would suffer from turnover, the downside is that the absence of opposing viewpoints can result in poor decision making and a lack of innovation.

When higher quality decisions and creative ideas are a team’s goals, a diverse group is more suited for the task. Because reaching consensus may be a longer process for diverse teams, they require good leadership to avoid getting bogged down by the volume of ideas and options.

Both types of teams can benefit from good management and good training. Homogeneous teams need to be encouraged not to become too cliquey, ignoring outsiders in their group or failing to relate to diverse clients or colleagues. Heterogeneous team leaders must nurture healthy, productive communication and celebration of the differences that may, alternatively, be sources of conflict.

Don’t Settle

Every contestent has a good voice, often having been singing and performing for a life time. They may even be successfully using their talents in a performing group or education. They have probably praised for the success they have had. But what sets them apart is they dream of something bigger. They have confidence that they are capable of more and they grab opportunities to pursue those dreams.

Your team may be producing the expected results or profits but have the ability to do more. Taking your team from good to great means avoiding the stagnation that comes with “good enough.” Team building can push your team out of their comfort zone in into a new level of performance.

Expose weaknesses

Backk home, the performers are probably better singers than most people they encounter, so they may not hear much critique. On the show, they have to perform for experienced judges, who are quick to point out their flaws. It takes confidence and poise to acknowledge those weaknesses and let that feedback help push them out of their comfort zone.

In team building, you may be faced with personal weaknesses from fear of heights to fear of expressing your honest opinion in a team discussion. When you face your fear in the presence of your team, everyone benefits. First, they get excited to see someone succeed. They develop a deeper respect for that person who has pushed them self. Then, they are encouraged to step out and face their own fear, and a bond is formed once the team has completed the task.

Enlist a Coach

The winners of these shows are people who can perform with confidence but also have the humility to take critique and apply it to what they do. Even the most talented contestants realize they can still use a coach.

As professional team building facilitators, we can serve as your team’s coach. We’ll design a custom program addressing various elements of team success. Whether bringing together a new team or giving fresh life to a seasoned group, we’ll listen to your needs and create a combination of workshops, trainings and fun events for your team. Call us today for a consultation.

You can share the same excellent adventure with your friends and family with our adventure package.  Your group will have so much fun they won’t even notice you’re getting a little exercise. And a lot of fresh air.

This package combines rappelling, rockclimbing and ziplining into one unique, adrenaline-filled excursion.  Start out with a challenging climb up the rock wall which summits at the log bridge.  Demonstrate your balance and bravery as you make your way across the log to the rappel station. Then sit back in your harness for the rappel down. Let yourself relax and enjoy the view – your competent staff belayer is there to keep you secure the entire time.  Of course the outing wouldn’t be complete without a zipline ride. With a lack of old growth forests here in the Sonoran Desert, we can’t promise you’ll get the same experience as a Costa Rican canopy tour. But our zipline is still fast, fun and family friendly.

The outing is a perfect adventure for out of town guests. Our private site is nestled into the base of a mountain park with views of downtown Phoenix, showcasing the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. It’s also the perfect backdrop for the huge grins typically seen as riders whiz down the zipline. Your guests will thank you for giving them such a perfect photo opportunity!

A guest post excerpted from an article by Mary Scannell, founder, Biz Team Tools, best-selling author, trainer and speaker

According to the Washington Business Journal, the typical manager spends 25 to 40 percent of his or her time dealing with workplace conflicts. Conflict is inevitable in any team. But the outcome does not have to be negative. Conflict can provide opportunities. Conflict challenges us to think harder, be more creative, develop greater understanding and search for alternative avenues that often turn out to be more efficient, effective and productive. But conflict left unresolved can break a team down and be costly to an organization.

While conflict may be uncomfortable, engaging in conflict doesn’t have to be negative or counterproductive. In fact, it can be positive. Conflict can be helpful in making necessary changes within a work environment.

If managers want to help their teams turn conflicts into positive outcomes, they must take the time to coach their employees to effectively work with and through the differences that come with diversity. Differences of opinion, personality, style and points of view can provide impetus for creativity and innovation.

Team-building activities can create a safe environment for team members to experience real conflict — complete with emotions, assumptions and communication challenges. Because games often mimic the characteristics of real-life situations, especially when it comes to competition and cooperation, they can reveal the normal way conflict is dealt with on the team. Teams can begin to understand these reactions and then discover more effective strategies for dealing with similar situations. This experience allows the team members to practice their reactions and subsequent responses to conflict. Consequently, in times of conflict in the workplace, team members will have the tools and experience that bring about the desired results. Once the team has experienced the benefits of dealing with conflict — saving time, increased trust, stronger relationships, enhanced creativity and more open communication — they are usually more likely to embrace conflict, rather than ignore it.

Conflict is healthy for a team as long as it is handled in an effective manner. By embracing conflict thoughtfully, team members are likely to become more accepting of co-workers’ beliefs, perspectives and experiences. Conflict resolution is an ongoing process for every team, and it’s important that leaders understand the skills necessary to build a team that is confident in its ability to experience conflict and transform it into something healthy and productive.

There is no shortage of opinions on how to improve the education system. Sadly, the constant barrage of demands – from national and state government, the community and finally the District, may only serve to negate what started with good intentions. Teachers scramble to keep up with directives while losing a sense of ownership and autonomy in their profession.  When job security is in question, the already competitive environment that often exists amongst teachers, is heighted. Instead of establishing a healthy level of challenge and motivation for self-improvement, it can instead lead to gossip, backstabbing and other negative behaviors.

A study of Arizona schools that have shown high achievement despite having challenging student demographics, identified several elements contributing to these schools’ success. One of these six elements of success was collaboration.

“These schools accomplish something that most organizations struggle with: they create effective work teams comprised of people with a wide spectrum of talents who not only tackle projects together, but also engage in real teamwork” reports the study. “Top management is deeply and personally involved in school reform. But responsibility for school improvement is distributed among teachers and staff – who are given real ownership and then ‘buy in’ to the idea of candidly identifying problems and actively solving them.”

How encouraging to know that transformation can arise from such activity; to see how that naturally competitive spirit within schools can be channeled into such positive outcomes. Even better, it focuses on ways to improve without the taxing pressure to develop perfect lesson plans that lead to outstanding standardized test scores.

“Pushing people out of their comfort level doesn’t make them very happy until they start experiencing success,” said a principal from one of the schools studied. “Now they trust me more because they know I make changes based on student needs.”

A one day or half day ropes course program is the perfect way to illustrate the profound affect that can come from getting out of one’s comfort zone. It produces an “ah ha” moment that is not lost when returning to the classroom or the office.

“A collaborative team manifests in other ways, such as increased trust in leadership,” said another principal. “There will be times when consensus isn’t possible. When teachers trust that a principal is listening, engaged and has their best interest in mind, they will be more apt to buy-in, when the principal has to make some tough decisions.”

Working together to solve challenges in an Amazing Race-style adventure lets the trust building process start, in a setting that takes participants out of the workplace into a place where everyone starts as equal contributors.

ODA facilitators know the challenges today’s teachers face having worked with many educational groups and even spending time in front of the classroom ourselves. We look forward to help you start this school year out right by planning a custom teambuilding event for your group.

The article poses the question, “as the summer doldrums threaten to settle in this summer, ask yourself: could teambuilding boost your company’s bottom line?”

Absolutely, responds ODA manager Josh Parafinik.

ODA program participants are faced with a variety of challenges utilizing the skill sets of the whole team, from mind teasers to physical feats, which get progressively harder. At the end of each activity, facilitators encourage groups to contemplate how the experience relates to the office.

“We typically ask them to write down attainable, fresh-start solutions when they leave. Nothing big, but how can this team treat each other better, have better workplace relationships, and deal with the stresses of everyday life better,” Parafinik says.

Thanks, Josh. Well done!

One Day Adventure has carefully crafted an Amazing Corporate Race that channels the fun, energy and competition of the real Amazing Race. Whether as a team building event, just for an enjoyable day out, or a little bit of both, you’ll be happy to know that our event doesn’t include scary taxi rides in India or China and it doesn’t require redeye trans-Atlantic flights. It’s all done in the same zip code, at a scenic outdoor, desert site tucked into the base of South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.

Like the original, our race challenges teams on a variety of level both mentally and physically, giving each team member a chance to shine. Teams will have to solve word puzzles and navigational challenges. Road blocks and Detours may require them to tackle some surprise tasks, perhaps involving their artistic side.  Of course, there are adventures such as a rappel or zipline.

An Amazing Adventure Race Challenge

Take a look around and you won’t find another teambuilding race activity in Phoenix or Scottsdale, Arizona that involves such a variety of activities including high ropes course. Call today at 480-788-5093 to receive a personalized quote for your group.

An Amazing Adventure Race Challenge

Action Seminars from One Day Adventures bring that winning combination to a company. Interactive team building activities combined with engaging classroom training material will increase energy levels, spark creativity and productivity; ensuring important learning is absorbed.

 We’ve seen too many companies sabotage their own trainings by trying to cut corners. Too often, group members will be called upon to give presentations and lead activities. Which seems like a win-win; the employees get speaking experience and the company saves money. Right?

 A recent event we participated in illustrates the flaws in this logic. In addition to our presentations, several group members were asked to lead. One woman, a very talented medical professional, was asked to facilitate a game. Unfortunately, because she is soft-spoken and has no experience, her instructions were confusing and difficult to understand. Only half of the group participates in her activity. The result is a bored and frustrated group and an embarrassed presenter. Nobody won in that situation.

The next group member to present is actually a subject matter expert on the material. His talk is very eloquent. He uses a lot of big words and includes plenty of facts but no visual aids or audience interaction. Halfway into his 30 minute lecture, half of the audience members are either doodling or dozing.

Rarely is a game so fun or a subject so interesting that it can be engaging without effective delivery. Ineffective training isn’t a good use of any team’s time or money. If a subject is important enough to demand a group’s time, it should be important enough to ensure they actually learn the material they are supposed.

In other words, spare Fred from Accounting the challenge of practicing his public speaking by giving his colleagues a class on managing change. Even if Fred has great things to say, it’s going to be nearly impossible for the group to see him as an expert on change and not just an accountant, a distraction which will greatly hinder their absorption of the material.

Why not send Fred to Toastmasters and bring in a trainer with a fresh energy and ability to engage and teach. Action seminars provide the ultimate training and teambuilding sessions. They are completely flexible and great for groups of all sizes, ages and ability levels. For more information visit our website or contact sales@onedayadventures.

However, learning is a part of life and businesses commonly find the need to rally the troops for training seminars; from new hire orientation to new product education. The challenge is how to make the material heard and understood, ensuring that the time is not wasted. It’s not the audience’s fault for not concentrating or the speaker’s fault for not entertaining— research shows that most of us can only absorb presentations for about 15 minutes.  So why not give the audience a few well-timed breaks?  Break-out teambuilding sessions can be a perfect way to get an audience moving and mingling— talking about the material and getting some blood flowing to the brain.

A professional facilitator can integrate a speaker’s workshop or training material into icebreakers and group games, providing an engaging, interactive experience. Teambuilding activities can compliment the speaker by incorporating the themes or language that is being covered. For example, we recently did a session for a large corporate group who had been reading and discussing the subject of trust. We were able to guide them through some great, active, trust-building games that brought the material to life.

A previous post details some fun activities that would complement any sales training or new product orientation.

So if you need to freshen up your next PowerPoint, think beyond the YouTube video clip. Instead, get the audience excited about your material by making it real and active. For some ideas, contact us at sales@onedayadventures.com or at 480-788-5093.

There are a variety of ways employers can help keep their work force healthy and happy during the holidays.  Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Communicate available resources.  Does your health plan provide counseling services? Is financial or legal counseling available?  Difficult issues can be compounded with the financial and emotional stresses that come with the season. Now is the time for companies to promote any services available for help.

Offer flexibility. The demands of shopping and party preparation can be overwhelming. If your company has considered adding or expanding tele-commuting or flexible work schedules, now is a great time to implement those plans when these benefits will be most appreciated.

Provide social support. This can be a lonely time of year for those away from or who have lost a loved one. Encourage employees to get involved in volunteer and social activities to provide opportunities for community and companionship.

Encourage healthy habits. Encourage employees to utilize their allotted break time for healthy activities like taking a walk. Find ways to substitute healthier cuisine at office social events and educate employees on health and nutrition topics.

 Invest in a strong team. A fun, interactive activity such as paintball or a Sedona jeep tour & zipline can give employees an outlet to distress and get to know each other. What better gift can you give an employee than a stronger, more supportive work team that they can count on to be by their side. Now that’s cause for celebration!