Indoor Team Building at Pathumwan Princess Hotel in Bangkok
Introduction
On 22nd May 2015, Beunite organized a team building activity for Recycle Point Pte Ltd., the world's leader in recycling and refurbishing of used IT products (Singapore) at Pathumwan Princess Hotel, one of Bangkok's most outstanding venues for corporate training work-shops and events. Recycle Point, requested that team training program was based around the company’s Vision, mission and Core Values with an element of fun and laughter to enhance these with their employees.
Recycle Point’s vision statement
By having a mutually profitable and long term business relationship with our partners, reinforced with integrity and reliability, we will be the dominant distributor of used and refurbished electronic goods in Asia.
Recycle Point’s mission statement
To enhances the quality of living by providing affordable pre-owned equipment, electronics and other products to emerging markets around the world.
Recycle Point’s core values
Commitments to our company
We strive to keep all our agreements and promises made to our staffs, customers, partners, shareholders and stakeholders.
We will always be reliable and trustworthy.
We will be responsible corporate citizens.
Commitments to our partners
We commit to building and maintaining a mutually profitable and long-term business relationship with our partners.
Good service that gives customer satisfaction as our goal
Prompt payment to all our suppliers
Commitments to our people
We respect all staff
We endeavor to provide personal growth and development for our staff by providing and encouraging continued relevant training and education.
We provide fair compensation, benefits and work environment for all our staff.
The vision, mission and core values were incorporated into the activity training program
Team Building training program
Beunite put together the following training schedule of 8 activities.
12:30 – 13:00 – Ice Breaking activity – Human Knots
13:00 – 13:30 – Magic Pyramid
13:30 – 14:05 – Minefield
14:05 – 14:15 – Break time
14:15 – 15:05 –Blindfold fill up obstacle
15:05 – 16:05 – Human Hamster wheel
16:05 – 16:35 – Sumo wrestling
16:35 – 16:55 – Main coffee break
16:55 – 17:35 – Sumo Wrestling
17:35 – 18:05 – Ring Stack
18:05 – 19:05 – T- Shirt painting
19:05 – 19:15 – Break time
19:15 – 19:45 – Inventory Transfer
19.45 – 20:00 – Event De-brief, awards presentation & completion of survey forms
The group of 28 participants were split into four teams, team Agar Agar, Team Kit Kat and Team Loli Pop.
The program began with an ice breaking team building activity:
Human Knots team building activity
Characteristics: A human disentanglement puzzle.
Mental and Slightly Physical
Type: Ice Breaker team building activity
Human Knots is an ideal ice breaking, getting to know each other activity to start any event, with laughter and smiles! Teams first formed groups of circles, then they put in their left hand into circle and held the hand of the person opposite them, next they closed their eyes and then put in their right hands with the instruction to grab another hand when the felt a grasp. Finally, they opened their eyes to find they were all tied up in knots!
The aim was to try to unravel each other from the knotted circle and form one group circle or smaller circles which were not knotted, by climbing over and under each other and making their way outside of the knot. This activity created plenty of laughter, made everyone communicate by trying to solve the problem and helped to bond the group together and break the ice in each team.
Human knots is a fun and powerful ice breaker team building activity. Delegates must untangle the know without letting go their hands.
Magic Pyramid
Enhances creativity and team strategy
The objective was to build the tallest free-standing structure with eighty pieces of future board. Teams had to decide how to build the pyramid using a variety of design techniques and work out how best to put the pieces together without them collapsing which requires plenty of dexterity when placing on to the structure. This was a light mental rather than physical activity to begin the event with and participants had to work together and share ideas whilst trying to find the best way to make the structure.
The outcome
Magic Pyramid was a really tight race between Kit Kat and Agar Agar. Agar Agar was leading until a few minutes before the end, when some of Agar Agar's structure collapsed.
Scoring
1st Kit Kat
2nd Agar Agar
3rd Jelly Bean
4th Lolli Pop
Debriefing
In the debriefing, teams reflected upon their strategy and the reasons they built sub-teams to try out different shapes and figures. All teams reached consensus that it was necessary to build more than one tower simultaneously so that they didn't have to start over from scratch when one building collapsed.
Minefield team building activity
A non-verbal communication team building activity
Teams were set the task of finding the pathway across the field of mines and reaching safety on the other side. The challenge was to find a way to communicate the pathway as a team, without speaking during the activity as well as remembering where the mines are hidden.
Outcome
There were a variety of techniques that the teams employed in this problem solving non-verbal communication activity which were observed by our facilitators and some worked better than others for a variety of reasons and highlighted the importance of working together as one unit and being on the same page, whilst performing the required task.
Scoring
1st Kit Kat
2nd Jelly Bean
3rd Agar Agar
4th Lolli Pop
Debriefing
In the debriefing teams had an opportunity to discuss their strategy. Team Kit Kat won the activity due to their unique strategy of communicating effectively and supporting the team. One of the junior participants came up with a great idea, to go through the maze backwards in order to communicate effectively with their team. Yet she was discouraged from doing so and did not go ahead with her idea. Teams were asked to reflect about this.
Blindfolded obstacle course
A physical challenging team communication activity
Teams had to split there group into blindfolded runners and guides who would provide directions and instructions whilst the blindfolded participants traveled through a course of obstacles, whilst carrying a container with balls, and then when they reached the end of the course they had to throw the balls with direction into a target bucket at the end. The runners negotiated the course in two directions set up with balance beams, a zig-zag, a hula hoop and a stepping stones section, and the task was made more difficult when then had to carry tennis balls back through the course. Rather than being a quick scamper through the course the blindfolded runners had to adhere to the instructions of their guides so it was important for them to deliver clear and concise information which the blindfolded runner could interpret, with attention to detail being crucial in this activity.
Scoring
1st Lolli Pop
2nd Agar Agar
3rd Kit Kat
4th Jelly Bean
Human Hamster wheel
A physically challenging activity enhancing group co-ordination
The Human Hamster wheel is a large plastic sheet, which resembles the metal round wheel that hamsters use for exercise. Teams were set task of being team Hamsters and their aim was to move along a course from one end to the other in the fastest possible time and finding the best technique possible to move at the fastest possible speed.
Scoring
1st Loli Pop
2nd Agar Agar
3rd Jelly Bean
4th Kit Kat
Team building Sumo Wrestling
The most enjoyable activity of the Recycle point team training program was the Sumo Wrestling challenge. Not only was this an individual versus individual challenged, it pitted team versus team and this illustrated the importance of overall participation and performance of the team as opposed to individual success.
The activity was split into two parts, Round 1, team versus team and Round 2 winners final and losers final to decide the points. In round one Agar Agar were drawn against Kit Kat and Jelly Bean faced Lollipop.
The sum mat was up in the middle of the room and each team's member entered the ring in a random pre-determined order before putting on the inflatable suits and preparing for combat.
The individual battles provided plenty of enjoyment and laughter for the participants watching on, as the speculated on the winner and cheered for their personal favorite.
This activity was more about adjusting to the suits rather than physical strength and that better use of technique lead people to have a sense of accomplishment by being able to achieve a result that they may otherwise have thought was impossible. Overall this was a hilariously funny activity, with people cheering all of the time and laughing at the sight of their colleagues in the exaggerated sumo suits!
Scoring
1st Kit Kat
2nd Lolli Pop
3rd Agar Agar
4th Jelly Bean
Who has not dreamed off pushing their boss off the mat? Sumo wrestling is one of the most lighthearted, amusing and entertaining corporate activity.
Ring Stack team building activity
A slightly physical problem solving and habit communication team building activity
Team members had to put their trust in each other as they leaned forward as far as possible before placing the ring over one of the target cones.
In the first round the teams were able to see the targets and the focus was more on the person leaning trusting the people holding them and trying to achieve the best score.
In the final round, they had the added problem solving task of placing the ring blindfolded. This added the additional element of communication and increased the level of trust that the person leaning had to put into those holding onto their body, whilst they leant as far as possible to place the ring
Scoring
1st Lolli Pop
2nd Kit kat
3rd Agar Agar
4th Jelly Bean
Ring Stack
In ring stack, teams put lots of effort into supporting each other. Some tactics were discussed, such as taking risks or going for the cones that are likely to hit. However, the team that was the most optimistic, enthusiastic with a winner-attitude was finally winning the game.
Ring stack is a non-visual communication activity requiring trust, commitment and dexterity.
T-shirt painting
A highly creative team activity to emphasize on core purpose. What other reason do you come to work beside making money?
At the end of the painting phase, each participant was presenting their concept of for what purpose they would go to work other than making money. At the end of the creative phase, teams presented their T-shirts in front of all delegates.
Inventory Transfer
A problem solving activity to enhance role allocation
In this final challenge, teams were set the task of moving a pyramid of boxes over three pivotal points, by moving only one piece at a time and recreating the structure at the far end. This activity required the teams to try to work out the combination of moves required in advance, allocate roles to move the pieces and come up with a strategy to try to remember the combination of moves, that would lead to success and the see the structure reformed at the far end of the three pivotal points.
Scoring
1st Jelly Bean & Kit Kat
2nd Agar Agar & Lolli Pop
Comments
In Inventory transfer, team Jelly Bean and Kit Kat were effective of making a plan and sticking to the plan, while at the same time allow flexibility to rectify a wrong move.
Final Result
At the end of the event, the scoreboard was reviewed and this showed that overall, the winning team who had performed the best overall was team Kit Kat.
Positions
1st Kit Kat
2nd Lolli Pop
3rd Agar Agar
4th Jelly Bean
Team Kit Kat were invited to the front of the meeting room and were presented with their winning team gifts and celebrated winning the Recycle point Bangkok Team training challenge.
Team Training evaluation and evaluation form statistics
Enjoyment and feel-good
"Did I enjoy the activity and do I know feel good about it?"
a lot: 55%
some: 40%
a little: 5%
none: 0%
Out of 21 questionnaires, 55% of participants felt very good about the event, while 40% enjoyed the event and only 5% enjoyed the event just a bit.
New knowledge and ideas
"Did I learn and / or experience something new and helpful about myself and others?"
a lot: 45%
some: 50%
a little: 5%
none: 0%
Out of 21 questionnaires, 45% of participants felt they learned or experienced a lot of things about themselves and others, while 50% learned some things about themselves and only 5% felt the learned a few things about themselves.
Effect on me and the team
"Will the activity enable helpful change to the way I and / or the teams think and behave afterwards?"
a lot: 55%
some: 40%
a little: 0%
none: 5%
55% of the participants felt the activity enabled or helped them to change to the way they and the other team members think and behave after the event a lot.
40% of the participants felt the activity enabled or helped them to change to the way they and the other team members think and behave a little after the event.
5% of the participants felt the activity did not enable or help them to change to the way they and the other team members think and behave after the event .
Effect on results
"Do you think the any changes resulting from the activity will improve the effectiveness of me and / or the teams?"
a lot: 55%
some: 40%
a little: 5%
none: 0%
55% of the participants felt effectiveness of themselves and the team will improve a lot as a result of the activities.
40% of the participants felt effectiveness of themselves and the team will improve as a result of the activities.
5% of the participants felt effectiveness of themselves and the team will improve a little as a result of the activities.
Feed-back from Yvonne:
“Memorable, learnt how to communicate better and increased team work. Hands on activities helped to cement the concepts better.”
Hi Rolf, thanks for an enjoyable team building event. The staff enjoyed it tremendously though it was tiring for some of the games. You did a good job. Thanks.”
“Yes, some of the games were physically challenging but they enjoyed no less. You were very patient and knew when and how to step in at different intervals.”
“You did not just follow by the book as some the other trainers did which makes the whole event very rigid. We appreciate that.”
Feed-back from William
“Games were fun and enjoyable. Know my colleagues better & know their shortcomings & help them team bonding, very powerful and feel-good.”
"Thanks for arranging with hotel on drinks and towels when we were doing outdoor activities, very thoughtful.”
Feed-back from Yang Shulin
“Very enjoyed today's team building, thank you.”
Team Kit Kat is the winner of this action packed team building event. On the 2nd place comes team Lolli Pop before team Agar Agar (3rd place) and team Jelly Bean (4th place).
