It is critical that the use of teambuilding and problem-solving activities is part of an adaptive process. As an instructor you must be aware that the abilities and focus of a team will to a certain extent dictate the activities undertaken; by that I mean that you would not take a team that is just forming and put them through an intensive 5-day scenario-based exercise, this would all but guarantee failure. Although this is an extreme example the principle is the same for all tasks. It would make sense, in other words, for an instructor to plan tasks that are suitable for stretching the current skill and co-operation levels of a team without putting them under too much stress. However, this does depend on the desired outcome, for instance the armed forces may employ the opposite technique in order to be left only with the best for the ensuing team.
As well as these factors which are largely linked to your objectives for the team, there are other factors that will require you to be adaptive. If your group is high ability or there is one member of the team who has figured out the task or seen it before then the whole group can bypass the problem solving and planning elements and go straight to the solution! This is when you must be ready to adapt the tasks, add bits, change rules or roles to make it more difficult. This is one of the benefits of the variations provided for each task in the next section of this book.
There are three simple solutions to make it more difficult for the group without needing to change the task, however.
- Make the more vocal members of the group take on silent roles
- Make active members of the group who want to get stuck in take on roles giving verbal instructions
- Give leadership roles to the quieter members of the group
As well as having a huge beneficial impact on these members personal development by placing them outside their comfort zone, you also increase the challenge of the task by cutting out key skillsets from the process of achieving the objective.
It is also important to make sure that all your tasks are adapted to your purposes, not just your desired outcomes for the group but the general processes you intend to apply. You need to have the end in sight when you begin to plan activities. Some considerations when doing this are;
Adapt tasks to specific environments. You will need to give careful consideration to the area you are planning to use, is it appropriate to the task you have chosen?
Set challenges with specific items. Do you have to transport materials any distance to get to your desired site? If so, or if you are moving between sites, it is worth considering tasks that use the same or similar materials to reduce your overall burden which will slow down the process and the activities as well as creating logistical issues.
Setting challenges with specific communication requirements. If your aim is to limit communication within a task or if the task requires communication over a large distance, then it important to consider external factors such as the wind, fog, traffic volume or other background noise. You would not wish to set up an entire day’s worth of activities on communication only to discover that next to your chosen site is a building site and no-one can hear properly!
Changing tasks or setting new objectives part way through a task or day. This is a common occurrence when you realise that the tasks are not appropriate, or despite your best efforts one of the factors listed above interferes with the process of completing tasks. What do you do? One option is to pack up and go but this is demoralising for you and the team. Far better, then to change the objectives but keep the activity. For instance, if you arrive at a site and there are building works preventing good communication, build this into your task; team members must communicate non-verbally to complete the task!
All these factors are external and important to consider, however, there are internal factors that may also require you to be adaptive. Although you may have a clear objective for a group, the ability, group dynamics or motivation of the team could mean this has to change. If you are adaptive and have a good understanding of the process you can go with this, you can let the focus on tasks and the feedback in reviews lead and guide you in your next task. By doing this you may well find that the factors inhibiting your original plan, the group dynamics, motivation, and ability soon cease to be a major obstacle. As the group start to take ownership of the tasks and become autonomous, their motivation and morale improve, and you can get back on track. Even if this is not the case, however, you will have a far more successful day and achieve far more through being adaptive than if you were to push on regardless.
Being adaptive requires a real team focus. You have to have the mentality that you want to get the most you can out of a team, get them to perform at the best level they are able. If you go in trying to meet your own objectives adaptation is not possible. This process requires you to be led by the team as well as leading the team. As long as you have a clear idea of the end goal, that of forming a productive and industrious team with a wide skillset who can function well in many varied contexts and tasks then being adaptive is no problem; it is a logical process to reach your end goal.
Note: If you are interested in learning more about team building my book will give you a much deeper insight and lots of practical examples and activities as well.
Shevek Pring 