Can a team-building activity really change how a team works?

What if the problem isn't a lack of team building, but what happens in the organisation on the other 364 days of the year?

I recently watched Gracias, equipo, a Netflix comedy, and couldn't help seeing it through the eyes of a facilitator.

The film is pretty outrageous, but behind the humour are situations that feel surprisingly familiar in many organisations: a manager who uses her position of power to manipulate people, departments competing against each other, conflicts, egos and insecurities…

And in the middle of it all, a team-building retreat to bring everyone together!

Of course, the film takes things to extremes. But it got me thinking about a few things.

IS THE PROBLEM THE PEOPLE, OR THE ENVIRONMENT THEY WORK IN?

We often talk about problems within teams as though they're entirely down to the individuals involved.

People don't collaborate. They don't communicate. Every department looks after its own interests…

But have we stopped to ask what's driving these behaviours?

We can't expect collaboration when the organisation encourages internal competition. Nor can we expect people to trust one another when their everyday working environment is shaped by fear or uncertainty.

Teams don't operate independently of the organisational culture around them. The way people work together is also influenced by how leadership is exercised, how decisions are made and which behaviours are tolerated.

So, before asking what's wrong with the people, perhaps we should look at what's happening around them.

FACILITATION IS ABOUT MORE THAN ORGANISING ACTIVITIES

There's another detail in the film that made me think.

The HR manager and the company's director organise the retreat and hire an actor to run the activities.

He does what he's been asked to do. But who takes responsibility for the consequences of what happens during those activities?

As a facilitator, I think that's a particularly important question.

At Manahmana, we don't simply organise activities. We create spaces where teams can have meaningful conversations, address their challenges and find new ways of working together.

That means thinking carefully about how activities are designed, which questions we ask and how we handle any tensions that arise.

Because a poorly designed activity can leave people feeling exposed or even make an existing conflict worse.

Our responsibility isn't just to the person who hires us. It's also to everyone taking part. And sometimes, that means challenging what we're being asked to do.

WHAT CAN A TEAM-BUILDING DAY ACTUALLY ACHIEVE?

A team-building activity can be fun, help people get to know one another better and create enjoyable shared experiences.

And there's real value in that.

But building a strong team takes more than a one-off experience.

A well-designed session can open up important conversations, help teams address difficulties and create shared agreements about how they want to work together.

The question is what happens afterwards.

Because if everyone returns to the same habits, the same conflicts and the same ways of relating to one another the following day, it's hard to see what has really changed.

Perhaps, before organising an activity to bring a team closer together, we should ask ourselves a different question:

What needs to change in the way we work so that collaboration becomes possible on the other 364 days of the year, too?

And if you haven't seen Gracias, equipo, I'd recommend it. It gave me plenty of laughs and just as much food for thought. And to think I'd sat down to watch a comedy to switch off from work!