bake - February 2015 - 40

different values, the more experiences people have,

disadvantages of each style, team members will

the better the quality of the decision." Team builders

understand one another better and cultivate patience

can overcome this paradox, and they should because

with each other, she adds.

it's worth it.
Exercise and Debrief
What to Do

While owners and managers can spend large amounts

Building a solid and long lasting team might seem

of money to bring third party team builders into their

difficult and time consuming, but it's worth the effort.

shop to facilitate activities, a wealth of resources

The easiest way to create some understanding and

exist on the internet at no cost. Use these resources

empathy is to have team members walk in each

to your advantage through group discussions about

other's shoes for a while. Whether you do it solely for

personality and communication differences to give

team building or for times that someone calls in sick

team members a better understanding of the indi-

or has a day off, this exercise allows employees to get

viduals that make up the team. But you don't have to

a better feel for what the others do.

stop there.

"So many times, the reason we don't have a lot of

"You actually use different activities or simulations

respect for people is that we don't necessarily see

to try and help people work on things like problem

how difficult their job is, or how taxing, or we don't

solving skills, communication and trust," Tinnish says.

understand their challenges," Tinnish says. "That kind

"My only piece of advice is that you don't just do the

of very experiential awareness can really help people

activity and say, 'okay, we're done.'" The group needs

understand other team members."

to talk about what happened during the activity or
simulation and discover the parallels to the work envi-

Use the internet to ﬁnd a number of "strength ﬁnder"

ronment, she adds.

type tools that will help you identify members'
strengths and weaknesses. Do this in a team building

Continue to Progress

environment so each member can see what the

Building a strong team isn't a task that you can

others' strengths and weaknesses are. "That's

complete and forget about. People, businesses and

another way to facilitate more awareness," Tinnish

work environments change. New problems spring up

says. Someone who makes quick decisions might

all the time. Leaders need to monitor teams, revisit

get frustrated with another more deliberate decision

the dynamic and tweak them regularly. "Regardless of

maker. Neither is right or wrong, they're just different.

how you do it, it's a constant and evolving process,"

Emphasize an understanding of the advantages and

Tinnish says.

"So many times, the reason we don't have a lot
of respect for people is that we don't necessarily
see how difficult their job is, or how taxing or
we don't understand their challenges. That kind
of very experiential awareness can really help
people understand other team members."
Sue Tinnish, PhD and Dean of The School of Hospitality and Management at Kendall College in Chicago, Illinois

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bake - February 2015

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