The team building MYTH!

It is that time of year again! Team building time. I'm seeing lots of videos and pictures of team building exercises, retreats, and fun ice breakers.

Obviously there is nothing wrong with doing those things (although you may want to rethink how much time you are spending in these areas). But the idea that they will build teamwork, trust and cooperation is completely misguided.

Never in the history of team building has a "trust fall" actually made anyone trust someone MORE.

In my experience coaches spend 90% of their team building time in the forming stage. They do a bunch of ice breakers or team activities, often with out any debriefing, and fall prey to the myth that they have now "formed" their team.

So how do we build a team...

I subscribe to Tuckman's stages of group development when it comes to team building. I'm sure most of you are familiar with them. They are forming, storming, norming, performing and mourning.

What's important to note is that each stage is important and each stage requires energy, time and resources.

Forming

This is the easiest stage and requires the least amount of time and effort. That is especially true in the college environment where many of the players have been playing together for 2-3 years. Yet many coaches spend almost all of their time and resources in this stage when it comes to team building.

If all you did is train and eat team meals together your team would get to know each other and form perfectly fine. In fact sometimes the forced interaction is detrimental to team development.

Storming

This is much more difficult stage. This is when competition happens. Often the storming stage pushes forming right out of the way and takes over. Is your team ready for this? How do you prepare? An important part of this stage is: (1) defining competition in a healthy way for your players and your team, (2) making sure they have a good relationship with their sport and (3) giving them permission to be successful. This is especially true for the younger players.

Personally I like our team to stay in this stage as long as possible.

Norming

My least favorite stage because competition is replaced with complacency. Players become discouraged with their roles on the team OR they now know they are a starter and don't feel like they have to work as hard. The keys to this stage are: (1) recognizing when it happens to the team and players individually, (2) clearly defining roles, and (3) motivating them through this stage.

I prefer this stage to be as short as possible.

Performing

This is the best stage if you hit it at the right time. The last 3-4 years we have been fortunate enough to do that. I credit that to the time and resources spent "team building" in the other stages. In this stage I try to stay out of the way as much as possible. You want your players free in this stage. The worst thing you can do is over coach the team at this point.

I always hope this stage lasts forever!

Mourning

It is important to have closure. This stage establishes that and should not be glossed over. Individuals need closure differently. Some are graduating, some had great years, some are coming off injuries etc... No matter the situation it is important for the future of the program and the future of your players to properly provide such closure so everyone can move on and be successful.

So enjoy your icebreakers and team retreats. They are fun! But make sure you spend as much or even more time in the other stages of team development!

Good luck!