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Ask HN: Have you ever taken part in a good 'team building' exercise?

3 points by snapdaddy ↗ HN
For example, I have been a part of a team that did Briggs Meyer personality testing, which was interesting and encouraged discussion across team members. However, I fear that many exercises or outings would be transparent and a waste of time.

We are a small team of developers who work well together and are a no-BS group. I'm looking to further improve on an already good thing - does anyone have any suggestions of things that have worked for them in the past?

2 comments

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a3n
Team building exercises don't build teams.

Working as a team builds teams.

brudgers
What works is going to be based on the individuals on the team, the business culture, and available resources. My advice is to pick something focused on a shared positive experience, be open with the team about the intent and honest about the possibility that it might fail and admit the fear that it might seem silly.

On the other hand, if the culture is a constant deathmarch of deadlines, then it is critical to push the deadlines back more days than are given to teambuilding. Otherwise, it's not so much a waste of time from a business perspective as it is from a personal one.

Good luck.