The difference between Team Building and Team Development

One off event.

Long term process.

Focused on fun.

Often used as a reward.

Focused on long term improvement of team performance; both task and ‘process’.

Seen as a ‘fad’ (an 80’s or 90’s thing); or fun / a reward: depending on the culture of the organisation and how event is communicated.

Depends entirely on organisational culture and how effectively the team development process has been communicated to the attendees.

People attend and are willing to participate

Team members are committed to the process of improving team performance. Demonstrated by:

• willingness to be open and honest (increasingly and appropriately);
• able to challenge;
• open to being challenged;
• open to personal change.

Often not demanding – can be a physical demand if ‘outward bound’ type course. In extremes, demand can be excessive or humiliating.

Demands a lot from the participants
(as above).

Is likely to be uncomfortable for participants.

No particular demand on formal group leader.

Demands a lot from the formal group leader, in particular willingness to let go of control.

Can help group improve task performance.

Task performance used to help group understand deeper team processes to enable sustainable and ongoing improvement in task performance and monitoring of group processes.

Tends to avoid group ‘process’ issues. If issues of group dynamics emerge, often there is no process to deal with these emergent issues effectively.

Focus able to address the issues of group dynamics constructively – helping the group to understand what is happening and why, at any stage of group development.

Requires level of training/facilitation which can support group doing exercises and applying learning.

Requires level of training/facilitation which can:

• support group doing exercises and applying learning;
• be flexible in approach, using a range of tools and models to help team understand what is happening;
• use diverse range of models and techniques to support group as it tackles process issues;
• when appropriate, challenge and confront issues that are preventing the team develop to it’s full potential.

Learning from event focused on improving team ‘task’ improvement.

Often hard to translate/apply learning back at base.

Equips the team to further improve over time. Learning occurs at many levels. Key is learning is an ongoing process and the group is equipped to carry out ongoing learning and improvement.

People often get a real ‘buzz’ out of the day and are energised by it.

Some skills and learning may be translated back at work by those who can apply it.

No clear outcome. Dependant totally on ability of participants to apply the learning, and the culture of the organisation to support that learning and allow for needed changes.

Follow up support from facilitator as appropriate built into team development process to help both leaders and team implement desired improvement. Not a ‘one off’ or ‘big bang’ approach where people are left to get on with it. Other outcomes include:

• Clear actionable plan which directly applies back at work
• Improved decision making
• Increased awareness of group dynamics, and how personal process affects this.
• Increased motivation and commitment– people involved appropriately
• Increased openness
• More robust challenges to ideas
• Increased creativity
• Higher levels of support
• Improved productivity
• Diverse leadership – focused on skills and tasks, not formal position.
• Improved quality of relationships
• Improved ‘team’ feeling

In the long run, the team is able to do it. The facilitator’s goal is to do themselves out of a job increasing team responsibility during the development process.