Effectiveness of Teambuilding Activities Questioned

Off-site business retreats featuring outdoor teambuilding activities such as "building tents blindfolded" and whitewater rafting continue to be popular. "But the value of off-site retreats and physically challenging exercises is a source of considerable debate, particularly in a weak economy that puts extra scrutiny on every discretionary program that can't show solid ROI," notes a journalist writing in Workforce Management. He says some companies are dropping these retreats, but there are no hard numbers on whether spending on them is changing.

All of the teambuilding consultants or clients interviewed for the article liked these activities. But none could offer a dollar figure or other metric proving a bottom-line benefit. A Wells Fargo HR executive is indirectly quoted as saying "the day's ultimate success will depend on how much is remembered about building teamwork and communication."

One source in the article provides how to apply this information in saying, "it's more important to figure out what's hampering (the team)—dealing with real workplace issues—than to say I climbed a wall with someone…"

Source: Shuit, D. (03), "Sound the Retreat," Workforce Management 82(9):39.