Our Minneapolis team has recreated their own Office Olympics competition, in an effort to put a fun twist to team building activities. A series of events has been planned a few weeks in advance, utilizing a high dose of creativity and office supplies at hand. Events put to test a variety of skills and ranged from rubber band archery and chair races to a speed finger skating competition.
The final event consisted of an online typing test projected on the conference room screens. Two colleagues from opposite teams attempted to type as many correctly spelled words as possible in one minute, while their teammates cheered them on.
”These kinds of events provide an opportunity to spend time with colleagues that I normally do not work with. Having fun together is the best way I know of to build a community,” said Jennifer Edwards, project manager.
Cultivating Collaboration
The emphasis of the activities was not competition, but rather collaboration between different teams, which was ultimately the key to success for the winning Team Red. The uncommon nature of some of the tasks compelled our colleagues to resort to creative solutions to gain competitive advantage.
“One aspect of Office Olympics that I really enjoyed was our team work. It was reflective of how good teams work – one person is not good at everything, but together each of us brought something that made our team successful,” says Sohail Faisal, lead technical consultant.
Engaging in Creative Dialogue
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the Office Olympics is the opportunity to build trust and better understanding between colleagues that do not work closely on a daily basis. Engaging in a creative dialogue while seeking solution to the task at hand, offers an insight into different communication styles and uncovers leadership abilities.
“As a recent new hire, it was a great way to get a glimpse at the Perficient culture, meet new people and make connections outside of my team,” says Chloe Naumowicz, associate business consultant.
Organized team building activities have been proven to boost office morale and provide winners with bragging rights for months to come!
To learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient, continue reading our Life at Perficient blog series.
