Adaptability, competition and new technology are driving this year’s business trends. To cope with these challenges, businesses are engaging in the creation of more adaptable and tightly knit teams that can tackle the ever-changing marketplace.
These are 2018’s team-building business trends:
- Indoor team building: the trend of keeping team building activities indoors is on the rise. In fact, the market has seen something of a revolution recently.
In 2012, only 25% of businesses opted for indoor team building activities opposed to 75% preferring outdoor team building activities, compared to an even 50 in 2017. The trend of opting for indoor team building activities is predicted to keep rising thanks to an increasing realization that indoor team building can remain fun while adding convenience and cost-effectiveness to the process.
Such activities as “minute to win,” “team pursuit,” and “charity bike buildathon” have gained in popularity as cost-effective activities that do not require anyone to leave the office location.
- Reality tv: this trend, which started in 2012, seems to be destined to endure, taking its cue from reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race.The shows have inspired such activities as “Corporate Castaway.” By capitalizing on the popularity of these shows, these activities offer the opportunity for fans to participate in the action, though on a lesser scale.
The popularity of the shows also helps the participants to accept and understand the rules, because the premise and the activity will already be familiar to them.
- Collaborative experience: competitive and individualistic team-building activities are taking the backseat to collaborative–only team building activities, which have quadrupled in 2017.This 400% increase in sales from 2016 to 2017 shows the importance that employers give collaborative effort between employees.This trend is expected to increase in 2018.
- Greater choice: another trend for 2018 is that more and more frequently, teams are allowed to choose the activity that they want to do. Many more teams have a say in the team-building process.
This helps to foster a better team dynamic. When teams decide on their preferred activity, it ensures that the team is more involved or engaged with the task.
Team-building trends are mirroring other developing trends in HR. Employees are enjoying more choice and flexibility, which is great for business, because these individuals will become more engaged and more productive.