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Subject:RE: Your Inner Brad Pitt: Team Building Nonsense From:"McClare, Scott" <smcclare -at- neptec -dot- com> To:"'TECHWR-L'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 24 Nov 1999 10:19:08 -0500
The best "team building" exercise I have encountered was at my first job.
Simply put, the corporate culture was such that people wanted to get along,
get to know each other, or do things together after hours. No decorated
sticks, no obstacle courses, no drums. Sure, there was a corporate retreat,
but it was only organized insofar as we had to show up for meals at the
right time, and they picked teams for the softball game.
Deathmatch DOOM took over the network after hours on Fridays, sometimes till
9 pm. We went to movies together - even getting official sanction once to
close up shop in the middle of the afternoon to catch the opening day of the
latest Star Trek film. We all worked fairly well together because virtually
everyone in the company *wanted* to.
By contrast, where I've encountered organized "teambuilding" exercises, they
were spoken of with a wan smile and rolled eyes, as though they were
partaken in to appease trendy executives, after which it was business as
usual.
Take care,
Scott
--
Scott A. McClare - Technical Writer
Neptec Design Group Ltd., Kanata, Ontario, Canada
(613) 599-7603 x504
smcclare -at- neptec -dot- com
