As corporations seek to improve workforce productivity, managers are realizing the need to shift organizational cultures from “me” to we.” However, teamwork cannot be mandated – it needs to be developed. Experience-based training is the most effective way to develop the skills and desire to create a “team” environment.

Traditional classroom-style team building focuses on the cognitive understandings of “what makes an effective team.” This knowledge is not enough – it needs to be applied. Experience-based training helps bridge the gap between knowing and doing.

Through experiential training, participants examine the “whys” and “hows” of the groups’ dynamics:

• Why do you act the way you do in a particular setting?
• Why do you behave differently from one person to the next?
• How do you feel about the way others treat you?
• How do others feel about your behaviors?

Experiential team building training provides a medium for the “ahas” that are a powerful step in changing behaviors. Learning-by-doing reaches participants physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Individuals actually experience teamwork, trust, and open communication. This holistic approach to development results in long-lasting individual, group and organizational development.

Experience-based training benefits teams at any stage of development, whether the group is a newly-formed project team or a high-functioning self-directed work group. Experiential activities are used to move groups along the “teamwork continuum.”

Organizations benefit from the “team” atmosphere through increased employee commitment, improved quality, and increased productivity.