Although you can select and run team-building exercises for your company by yourself, experts say it's better to hire a consultant or outside facilitator to ensure the program has a long-term impact.

"It's hard to facilitate a process of which you are a part," says consultant Linda Christopherson, director of the Executive Leadership Institute at the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. "You are part of the team dynamics, and so it's hard to see your role and to make changes. An outside observer can be objective."

In choosing a team-building consultant, ask other business owners for referrals and then obtain references and conduct due diligence.

A face-to-face interview is a must, Christopherson says. "You want someone who asks and listens more than they talk, so they understand your team and its needs," she advises. "If they don't, they're not going to do a good job for you."

Ask prospective consultants what they have done for other clients, adds Jill Flynn, managing partner of Flynn Heath Leadership, a Charlotte leadership development firm. "Look for them to tailor their programs to you. Be suspicious of those who have it all packaged beforehand."

She suggests interviewing two or three potential consultants. But you also need to do some preparation as well. "Be clear about what change you are trying to create," Flynn says. "If you are not outcome-focused, you may have some fun, but there will be no outcome. You want to create a different dynamic to create different behaviors. Don't fall into an activity trap."

Christopherson agrees. "You do team building to achieve a certain objective, not just play games and have fun. Otherwise, you're not going to get what you need out of the process."

For example, is the exercise for a new group whose members need to get to know each other? Are the employees from different departments that are dependent on each other to accomplish their goals? Does the team need to meld together better to achieve greater results? Is the team dysfunctional in some ways?

"Team exercises can help members understand each other better, which leads to more effective communication that can enable them to be productive," says Ann Depta, president of Charlotte-based Meridian Consulting Group. "And it can help prevent them being pulled apart by competing agendas. There is always conflict in the workplace, but team exercises can help people understand why others act in certain ways."

It's beneficial for employees "to understand each other's skills, strengths and motivations so they can submerge their individual interests to the team's interests," Christopherson says. "With a high level of trust, you can have productive conflict and hold each other accountable."

However, Depta warns, "If there is one person who is ticking everybody off, it's not a good reason to do team building. You are abdicating your management responsibility if you don't deal with that person directly."

Whatever team-building exercise you choose, you need to follow up to make sure the activity has a lasting effect. "Team building is not just a one-time event," Depta says. "It's important to have follow-up after the sessions. Otherwise, it's easy to get caught up in the work at hand and forget what you have learned."

Says Christopherson: "You need to process the experience and reflect upon what happened, what you learned and what you are doing differently, as individuals and as a group. That's where the meat really is."

TOPTIPS
- Use a consultant to facilitate team-building exercises at your company.
- Understand the dynamics of your team and what you want to achieve.
- Conduct due diligence when choosing a consultant, including a face-to-face interview.
- Be sure to follow up on the team-building sessions to reinforce the lessons learned.

Bea Quirk is a Charlotte-based free-lance writer 
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/01/08/smallb4.html

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