KEY POINTS:
Ever been forced by your boss to line up with your colleagues for an incredibly naff photo? Striking some unusual pose to demonstrate your enthusiasm for working together, and what great chemistry you all have?
If so, it's unlikely to have been as bad as the humiliation suffered by the staff at French law firm Ayache Salama, who were made to dress up as clowns (caption: "a happy team"). And in another photo, they are all standing tied together with a giant red ribbon (caption: "a united team"). If you click on the photos for a close up, you can see just how much fun these people are(n't) having.
The site even has pictures of the staff as babies, and lets you guess who's who. Clearly they think some of their clients don't have enough to do.
Another common source of team awkwardness or embarrassment is the annual "team building" day. Activities include the routine (such as paint balling), the annoying (role plays), the intense and sometimes dangerous (white water rafting / obstacle courses), and the frankly bizarre (throwing yourself against a velcro wall, dressed in a full body suit that makes you stick to said wall). These sorts of days have been around for a long time now, and in my experience, most people go back to work agreeing that they've been a success.
As this article in the Wall Street Journal suggests, however, they're not always as fun, or successful, as people like to think. One sales rep talks about a paintball expedition undertaken to help team members work together more. They were divided into two teams that followed the same pecking order that had polluted the office in the first place.
Sometimes these events can be meaningful metaphors for teamwork, the article suggests. But too often, the most memorable job metaphors are "blindfolds, swamped boats and groin injuries".
The trouble is that it's easy to do team-building poorly and easier to think it went really well. People generally have a good time, but whether that translates to improved performance, or better teamwork, is another issue.
If you do have to endure a team-building event that's a little cringe-worthy, thank your lucky stars that (hopefully) it's not being made to dress up as clowns for a photo for your employer's website.
Greg Cain
