Team Building Goals and Objectives: 10 Examples for Employees

The objective of team building for employees is a group that works better together: people who know and trust each other ask for help sooner, share information across departments and settle disagreements faster. Team building goals turn that purpose into something you can see after the event, such as sales and operations handing off accounts without friction, or new hires who know whom to ask.

This guide covers the difference between team building goals and objectives, ten common goals with the activity that serves each, the benefits companies report, and how to measure whether the event worked.

Team Building Goals vs. Objectives

A goal is the change you want in how the team works, stated in plain words: “our two regional sales teams share leads.” An objective is the measurable step that shows you got there: “by the end of the quarter, each region has passed at least five qualified leads to the other.” Set the goal first, pick an activity built for it, then write one or two objectives you can check 30 to 90 days later.

10 Team Building Goals and the Activity That Serves Each

These are the team building goals our planners hear most when companies call, with an activity designed around each one.

1. Break down silos between departments. In Competition to Collaboration®, teams compete until a twist shows them they can only win by sharing resources, and the debrief connects that back to the departments in the room.
2. Get everyone behind one plan. In Bridge to the Future, each team builds one section of a bridge without seeing the others, and the sections have to meet and hold the group’s weight. It suits a kickoff where a new strategy needs buy-in.
3. Help new hires and new teams get to know each other. Speed Networking rotates people through short conversations across roles and departments, so people leave knowing names, jobs and who to call.
4. Improve communication between personality types. The DiSC Workshop gives each person a profile of how they communicate and how to work with colleagues who do it differently.
5. Build a high-performing team. Igniting Team Performance® takes a group through progressively harder challenges with a facilitated discussion after each one about what made the team succeed or stall.
6. Give employees a shared purpose. A charity build like the Bike Build Donation® ends with the team handing bikes to local children, which ties the event to your company values. See all charity team building activities.
7. Practice solving problems under pressure. Crack the Case!® has teams gather clues and pool what they find to solve a final case before time runs out.
8. Lift morale with a shared laugh. A hosted game show such as Best Corporate Feud gets a whole room playing at once. Browse the game show activities for other formats.
9. Develop the next line of leaders. Essential Supervisory Skills helps new managers find an assertive supervisory style, set ongoing performance plans and give each direct report the right mix of instruction and support. More options are in our professional development catalog.
10. Connect a remote or hybrid team. Virtual Trivia Blast! runs on your video platform with a live host, so people who never share an office still compete side by side.

The Benefits of Corporate Team Building

Here are just a few of the many team building objectives you could achieve by hosting an event for your corporate group.

• Build team rapport
• Strengthen existing relationships and cohesiveness
• Develop a high-performance team
• Align project teams
• Learn corporate values
• Improve team communication effectiveness
• Have fun!

Even the strongest teams can benefit from these ideas. Team building’s purpose and objectives include helping corporate groups build effective relationships, find solutions to office conflicts, and set goals to drive the company to new levels of success. When you decide to host a team building activity, it shows your team that you care about their success.

During team building activities, your employees will grow and learn new skills they can bring back to the company. People will be more motivated when they can take pride in their performance. Once stronger trust is built amongst teammates, everyone will enjoy coming to work more each day.

When team members can trust each other and learn to communicate more effectively, they can easily share ideas and collaborate. Team building helps those who might not typically engage interact with one another. It teaches people to work together, thus increasing productivity. Finding ways to utilize each person’s skills and transferring that to a work project results in more efficient work and greater team satisfaction. Corporate team building has become more critical than ever in this growing, fast-paced, high-tech age of electronic social interaction.

Remember, having fun doesn’t have to strip away all the importance of work. A successful team building event allows employees to learn about each other and build mutual respect. At Best Corporate Events, we offer unique programs that combine fun with a higher level of problem-solving, innovation, and strategic planning. Furthermore, the objectives of our team building events are designed to enhance individual and team growth. Through experiences that are strongly connected to teamwork, trust, and communication, you can solidify your group’s cohesiveness while providing key insights and applicable skills.

What You’ll Need for Your Team Building Event

The effectiveness of team building differs from one organization to another. One commonality among all organizations, though, is that prior preparation contributes to greater success. Before your team building event, make sure the following is accomplished:

• All members of the team must understand the objectives of the team building activity.
• Conduct a needs assessment: The needs assessment identifies the group’s goals and desired team building objectives so that the program can be structured to address them.
• Clearly communicate what is expected from employees who are participating in the activity (time commitment, any specific tasks that you know of in advance, etc.)

Choosing a Team Building Activity

Best Corporate Events offers 30+ team building activities. You can couple team building with your company’s CSR strategy by building bikes for needy children or assembling care packages for a homeless shelter. You could also sharpen your team’s competitive edge by hosting an A Minute to Win It event or a realistic game-show challenge.

Want to get to know and explore your business’s hometown? Try one of our SmartHunts scavenger hunts and solve clues and challenges throughout the city. If food is the way to your team’s heart, try one of our culinary team building activities such as the Food Truck Face-Off or the Fiesta Fun recipe contest. If you’re not sure which activity to choose, send a quick survey to your employees and ask which activities they might enjoy.

Our sales managers are trained professionals at matching your group’s needs with the best program! Whichever activity you choose, you can rest assured that it will be fun and bring your team together.  We are the experts at recommending the program that’s the right fit for your group.

Why Work with a Corporate Team Building Expert?

Poorly executed team building activities are not only ineffective but can also do more harm than good. If team members feel the activities are boring or poorly put together, they’ll be less likely to participate in the future actively. If the thought of executing a team or company-wide team building event intimidates you, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Our facilitators average 12 to 25 years of experience leading corporate groups, and our team building expert guide covers how they plan an event around your goals. We come to you with everything you need and facilitate the entire experience. All you have to do is make sure your team is ready for a good time!

More Objectives of Team Building for Leaders

Another advantage of team building is that it can help create camaraderie within the group. This can be important for companies spread nationwide or worldwide, as well as for employees who work remotely from home. When an opportunity arises for the entire team to come together, the company can accomplish a lot. A team building activity can help teams collaborate with people they may never have had the opportunity to interact with.

Getting everyone out of the office environment is another great aspect of team building. Depending on the activity chosen, team building can be very versatile. Most of Best Corporate Event’s activities can be easily facilitated in a hotel ballroom, conference center, beach, park, or online. The possibilities are almost endless!

As you determine whether to invest in a team building program or activity for your company, keep the following objectives of team building in mind:

• Develop your next line of leaders and see what they can accomplish through effective delegation
• Learn to set clear objectives and measure performance
• Discover the importance of communicating ideas and experiences among the group to achieve goals
• Discover how to structure your planning time to produce maximum results
• Learn how to avoid the planning pitfalls that every leader faces
• Think outside of “the box”
• Discover how to break down communication barriers
• Develop an action plan that will make the company/organization productive and efficient
• Learn how to communicate the company’s goals in a way that all employees will understand and be motivated to accomplish them!

How to Measure Team Building Goals

Write down the objective before the event and decide how you will check it. A short pulse survey before and 30 days after shows whether people feel more connected; a business number tied to the goal (handoff time between departments, leads shared, time to productivity for new hires) shows whether work changed. Ask the facilitator to close with a debrief where each team names one thing it will do differently, then follow up on those commitments at the next team meeting.

Team Building Goals and Objectives: Common Questions

What is the main objective of team building for employees?

To help a group work better together. Employees who know and trust each other communicate more openly, share work across roles and stay with the company longer, and a team building activity gives them a low-stakes setting to build that trust.

What is the purpose of team building?

The purpose of team building is to improve how a team works: communication, collaboration, problem-solving and morale. The best events pair that purpose with one specific goal, so the activity and the debrief can be built around it.

What are good team building goals and objectives examples?

Goals: break down silos, align a team on a new plan, onboard new hires faster, improve communication between personality types, or develop new managers. Matching objectives: two departments hold a joint planning meeting within a month, new hires name five colleagues outside their team, or survey scores on “I know who to ask for help” rise by the next quarter.

How do I choose an activity for a team building goal?

Start from the goal, then check group size, time and setting. Tell our planners the goal when you request a quote and they will suggest the activities built for it.

You can take the next step toward team building in your company by contacting Best Corporate Events.