Why you need to organize your next team building activity outdoor

Why you need to organize your next team building activity outdoor

If you have been organizing team building activities for a while you would have noticed that there is a stark difference in team engagements pre and post pandemic.

As organizations are now virtual or hybrid some team members do not even get to see each other ever. Therefore, team bonding today isn’t as cohesive as it used to be.

The camaraderie and solidarity in personal relationships between team members is much higher than in virtual relationships.

Some organizations also have been doing team building only virtually since a couple of years. A lot of DIY activities and team building platforms have emerged.

The personalization, facilitation, and buzz are considerably less in virtual team building. If you are considering some fun group activities for your team next time, here are a few reasons why you need to organize them outdoors:

Excitement and Fun:

Let’s admit it. Outdoor activities are more fun and exciting than indoor activities. They give more scope for physical movement and out of box activities.

They remind everyone of cherished memories of our childhood. And outdoor activities do not restrict your employees in building memorable bonds with one another.

You can make it more exciting by allowing your employees to bring in family and pets. This gives the opportunity for everyone to interact beyond work. In indoor activities employees still might feel restricted to interact within a few boundaries.

Communication and Collaboration

At first glance it may feel like indoor activities are better for improving communication between your team members.

However, outdoor activities can far outperform indoor activities while trying to build a culture on communication and collaboration. Imagine your team members trying to play a small board game vs. trying to build a camping tent outdoor.

The latter obviously involves more team spirit and requires a high level of communication between everyone.

Therefore, team members are more likely to come together in outdoor activities. Also, during outdoor activities communication is more personal. 

Competitive spirit

Outdoor activities give an adrenaline rush to the participants and build their competitive spirit.

It can be argued that competitive culture isn’t healthy for an organization. However, when employees lack competitive spirit they cannot contribute to the growth of an organization with great vigor and enthusiasm. Keeping the spark ignited in your team members is important for a highly productive organization.

Building leadership skills

Outdoor activities command stronger leadership skills than their indoor counterparts.

There is a greater chance in outdoor activities for some team members to be unengaged or carry on with personal agendas. Completing a task in outdoor environments command leadership skills.

Healthy and relaxing

When there is more physical movement, your teams tend to become healthier.

It is a misconception that relaxation and mental health of employees are more likely to improve with a yoga or meditation class.

Sometimes all your employees might need is a stress buster activity. Allowing your teams to stretch in fresh air and breathe without having to worry about work can have a great impact on their mental wellbeing.

It also boosts employee morale when they are confident that their wellbeing is of utmost importance to their employer.

Improves attention span and creativity

Research has found that spending time outdoors in nature can improve attention span and creativity. This is because being in nature improves cognitive abilities and brain’s ability process information.

It invokes feelings of happiness and calmness. As the brain is more relaxed, it is easier to enter a creative state.

Feeling incentivized

Employees tend to consider outdoor activities as an incentive rather than indoor activities. They require more efforts in planning and execution.

Organizing outdoor activities is perceived as an organization’s commitment to employee wellbeing. Employees too are therefore more likely to be engaged with the organization.

Improves personal relationships

Many surveys have found that personal relationships between team members are quintessential to long lasting team bonds.

Outdoor activities empower team members to break their shell and come forward to build these relationships with one another.

Moreover, if the activities involve interactions with families or pets, they are more likely to create a positive impact.

People also tend to accept each other’s differences when they see the vulnerable side of each other. This is more possible in outdoor activities than indoor. Therefore, personal relationships are more likely to improve with outdoor activities.

Instills resilience

Outdoor activities instill a sense of discipline and resilience in team members. Some activities also need a great level of physical strength and positive mindset to complete.

Resilience as a team and individuals is necessary to enjoy these activities. Also, sometimes outdoor activities cause physical injuries.

All the team members need to come together to take of the injured ones. So, overall, these activities allow for bringing a sense of togetherness and strength in times of crisis.

Confidence & Culture building

Lastly, with all these benefits imbibed into these activities they are bound to boost employee morale.

These activities make employees more confident about themselves and their teams. When they know that their team will stand up for them, they are more confident about taking on tougher tasks.

And this in turn improves the overall culture of the organization. Teams are more likely to support each other and prioritize the needs of the organization over their own needs.

Overall outdoor team building activities deliver more ROI and value than indoor activities. However, with just like any other team building exercise make sure to ask your team what they enjoy.

They may have certain preferences. Or your organization might be operating in a highly stressful segment and all your employees might need is relaxation and an escape from day-to-day happenings. In such case, make sure you opt for vacations or camping type of activities.

Read more business articles from our guest authors at SugerMint.