For many managers, "team building" means two days spent doing role-playing exercises in a bleak conference hotel far from head office. But perhaps a more effective way to build teams is simply by playing real team sports, such as soccer, cricket or softball.
David Clark, a project manager at Atisreal UK, a property consultancy, is one of the organisers of the company's two soccerteams. He says the main point is fun and fitness but it also has other perks: "It gives the guys a chance to meet and relax with their peers from other departments. It builds cross-company relationships." He adds that the match reports make for interesting reading on the intranet.
Employees at Nationwide, the UK building society, are similarly enthusiastic. "We encourage all employees to lead a healthy lifestyle," says John Wrighthouse, human resources director. To this end the building society funds a wide selection of sporting activities for employees, including the Nationwide athletics club.
A more rarefied range of activities is on offer from City Championships, a business that organises annual contests between companies in London's financial centre. Bankers and lawyers can test their corporate mettle in polo, sailing, skiing, golf and shooting.
Team sports in general can deliver the kind of bonding experience companies struggle to generate in other ways. Stephen Overell, an associate director of the Work Foundation, a UK think-tank, says: "It humanises people you might normally only speak to on the phone. And, unlike 'away days', it's a natural process. It doesn't have that horrible forced feeling."
Louise Aston, director of Business Action on Health at Business in the Community, the corporate responsibility charity, takes a similar view, pointing out that as well as bringing disparate divisions together, sport cuts through hierarchies: "Not only does it promote health, it can knock leadership on the head. The person who's best at soccer could well be a bloke who works in the warehouse."
Another reason companies are keen to promote team sports is that they are relatively cheap.
Peter Mills, chief health officer at Vielife, a well-being consultancy, says: "The contributions a company might make towards running a sports team - paying its league fees, for instance - are pretty small compared to other expenditure in the field of well-being."
However, he warns, there is a potential downside. Sports are, by their nature, competitive and not everyone is good at them: "There are people who can be a bit self-conscious and you need to ensure you don't marginalise them. So you might use introductory days that only beginners go to."
Dr Mills adds that while fitness and sport are positive goals, companies need to discourage a macho jock culture.
RWE Npower, the energy supplier, was keen to avoid a culture of exclusion last year when it launched its company games - intended to be a annual event - open to employees from all over the country. The emphasis was on sports such as soccer and netball but by way of recognition that not everyone likes sweaty exercise, there was also chess.
Alison Cole, RWE Npower communications director, reports that more than 800 people attended, competing in 16 events. The games brought people together from the company's sites all over the UK. "So you could have a call centre playing a power station," she says. In fact, the only fly in the ointment is that the games were treated as a taxable benefit.
For those who prefer more concrete measurements of the impact of team sports, Standard Chartered bank commissioned two surveys - one from Sheffield Hallam University and the other from Tickbox.net, a research group.
Brendan Hopkins, the bank's European chief executive, says that those who participated in sports teams were more likely to work for high-performing companies.
"We also found that workers who participate in sports score highly on engagement and job satisfaction, have lower levels of stress, and there seems to be a positive effect on retention too."
对很多经理人来说，“团队建设”意味着在远离总部的死气沉沉的会议酒店，花两天时间搞角色扮演训练。但是，建设团队的一个更有效方式，可能就是开展团队体育运动，如足球、板球或垒球。
地产咨询公司Atisreal UK的项目经理戴维•克拉克(David Clark)是该公司两只足球队的组织者之一。他表示，运动的主要目的是寻求乐趣与强身健体，但它还有其它的好处：“这让他们有机会认识其它部门的同事，一起放松。这会促进公司内部感情。”他补充说，赛报也会成为内网上的有趣读物。
对此，全英房屋抵押贷款协会(Nationwide)的雇员也同样热心。该协会人力资源总监约翰•赖特豪斯(John Wrighthouse)表示：“我们鼓励所有的雇员都过上健康的生活方式。”为达到这一目的，该协会提供资金，让雇员去参加多种多样的体育活动，其中包括设立Nationwide体育俱乐部。
伦敦金融中心企业年度竞赛的组织者City Championships公司提供了一系列经过进一步精选的活动。银行家和律师们可以在马球、帆船、滑雪、高尔夫及射击比赛中测试自己的团队精神。
团队运动通常可以带来企业用其它方式难以获得的凝聚体验。英国智囊机构Work Foundation的联席理事斯蒂芬•奥弗雷尔(Stephen Overell)表示：“这会让那些你一般也许只会通过电话与之交谈的人变得有血有肉。而且和‘团队建设日'不同，这是一个自然的过程，没有那种让人不舒服的强迫感。”
企业责任慈善组织Business Action on Health at Business in the Community的主任路易丝•阿斯顿(Louise Aston)也有类似的观点。她指出，体育活动不仅能将不同的部门凝聚在一起，还可以打破层级关系：“它不仅可以促进健康，还能打击一下领导。足球踢得最好的人很可能是一个在库房工作的家伙。”
公司提倡团队运动的另一个原因是，这样做的成本较低。
健康咨询公司Vielife的首席健康官彼得•米尔斯(Peter Mills)表示：“与福利领域的其它支出相比，公司管理一支运动队可能需要支付的费用（例如，支付加盟费）相当少。
不过，他警告称，这里存在一个潜在的负面因素。就其本质而言，体育运动具有竞争性，并非每个人都擅长：“会有人感到难为情，企业必须确保这些人不会被边缘化。所以，你可能需要设立一些只有入门者参加的介绍日。”
米尔斯博士补充道，虽然健身和运动都是很好的目标，但企业需要防止形成大男子主义的运动文化。
能源供应商RWE Npower在去年推出公司运动会时，就非常希望避免形成排外文化。该公司打算把这些运动变成一项年度赛事，全国各地的员工都可以参加。这次运动会的重点是足球和蓝网球(netball)，但该公司意识到，不是每个人都喜欢流汗运动，所以还设置了象棋比赛。
RWE Npower的公关总监艾莉森•科尔(Alison Cole)透露，有800多人参加了16个项目的比赛。这次运动会让该公司在全国各地的员工走到了一起。她表示：“你可能看到电话中心队与发电厂队的对决。”其实，唯一使人不快地方就是，这次运动会被认定为一项应纳税的福利项目。
有些人喜欢以实际数据衡量团队运动的影响。为此，渣打银行(Standard Chartered)分别委托谢菲尔德哈勒姆大学(Sheffield Hallam University)与调研公司Tickbox.net进行了相关调查。
渣打银行欧洲区首席执行官布兰顿•霍普金斯(Brendan Hopkins)表示，那些运动队的成员更可能为绩优企业效力。
“我们还发现，参加体育运动的员工在参与度和工作满意度方面得分较高，压力较小，而且，运动似乎有益于防止员工流失。”
