Ernst & Young Consultants Hone Their Teamwork Skills with
BoatworksTM
Top
flight healthcare trending and analysis consultants took to the
seas at our facility in Annapolis, Maryland, to learn sailing,
teamwork, and organization coordination. The day was full of
sailing adventure on the Chesapeake Bay as teams negotiated the
zig-zag course individually, then as an organization with
several boats. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Napster Rocks with the
Mini EcoChallenge in San Diego
The feedback from the Napster team was all positive, as they
spent a day with
Robyn Benincasa and were challenged from start to finish in
our
Mini EcoChallenge. The team wanted something that would
challenge them and bring them together at a new level. By all
accounts, they succeeded. According to Napster's Sherri Cahill,
"My team had a FANTASTIC time with Robyn and her team. I cannot
"glow" about the event enough!" Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Primal Quest Adventure Race -
Adventure Racer and Teambuilding, Inc. Partner Robyn Benincasa and her
team finished a close third in the difficult Primal Quest Adventure Race
held recently. The team tackled Utah's toughest 600
kilometers as they added yet another successful race to their credits. You can
read a more personal update at
TEAM BLOG.
Robyn does dynamic keynote addresses and conducts our
Mini EcoChallenge.
Kraft Sales Team Does
Mission Impossible in Nashville
The 140 sales people meeting in Nashville didn't know they were
about to confront a multitude of characters, one of which was an
international jewel thief. But quickly they received "passports"
and were grouped into new teams to tackle the challenge of
finding the thief. A great team problem-solving activity, these
sales people learned a bit about the potential of working
together. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Serono Builds the Team with "If I Ran the Zoo"
Administrative Assistant Kelly Orlando summed it up well. "It is unanimous...we ALL had a wonderful, fulfilling time with
you. We are still laughing." Of course she was talking about our new session "If I Ran the Zoo" designed and facilitated
by Nance Cheifetz. This unique session brings teams to a new level of cooperation, leaving them with a truly "feel good" experience. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Our Newest
Teambuilding Treasure Hunt at the Louvre in France
Expansion is in order as our newest hunt moves into
Paris at the famous Louvre Museum. The historic museum is the
opening scene in the popular book, The DaVinci Code, and
makes for a fascinating romp through this important world
treasure. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Extreme Team Building -
Seagate Technology's Approach to Building Great Teams
Yes, it surprised us too. A week-long, $9000-a-head team building challenge for 200 Seagate staffers...in
New Zealand! Click on the title link to check out Business Week magazine's first-hand
reporting of Seagate's commitment to building its team.
(Note: Link temporarily disabled while we seek
permission to use the article. Otherwise, go to
BusinessWeek.com)
Construction
Partnering
for City of Lincoln, Nebraska's Sewer Installations
Teambuilding, Inc.'s Peter Grazier conducted two back-to-back partnering sessions for two projects that
comprise the City of Lincoln's sewer upgrades. In addition to the
project team of engineers, architects, and contractors, the City
included various other stakeholder groups affected by the projects. For
example, environmental groups concerned with the trunk line running
through the City's Wilderness Park were invited, and provided insights
that contributed to the goal-setting process. The goals established for
both sessions were focused on providing win-win scenarios for everyone
concerned.
Innovation - Collaboration
"Stanford University has already
proven that students coming from the medical school, the
business school, design, engineering, and psychology, working
together for 6-9 months on projects are able to move things
forward beyond what any of them could have done within their own
faculty."
(Source: Business Week, Oct. 17,
2005, Ideas: Outside Shot)
Leading Innovation
Morgan Stanley: No Stars
"Tech banking has matured over the
past decade from a niche dominated by charismatic salesmen into
a global game played by highly orchestrated teams."
(Source: Business Week,
January 17, 2005, "Finance: Investment Banking")
Summer Resorts: Corporate America Looks to Build the Team
Meetings East magazine recently talked with our Peter Grazier
about team building activities and meeting venues. The article
discusses the shift to team development activities with a
training focus, and ways that resorts, hotels, and even museums
are getting involved. Click HERE for more...
Do Forced Ranking Systems Affect Team Building?
A recent Business Week magazine article says that more
and more companies are moving away from such systems as they
tend to thwart teamwork and innovation. Check it out at our
Team Blog.
Allergan BDMP Builds the Team and Tackles an "Impossible
Mission"
Good communication and coordination is important in Allergan's Biostatistics Data
Management and Programming, so
their group of 100 spent a day in our
Building High Performance Teams session. Using such tools as
our
Polygon Puzzle and
What's My Communication Style? profile, the group learned
more about each other and the skills they bring to collaborative
problem solving tasks. They also reviewed complicated technical
procedures using the
TGI Quiz Show Game software that provided an energetic and
stimulating team challenge. After the training, the entire group
exercised their new skills in our
ur
Mission Impossible Caper!!,
solving clues and successfully identifying the notorious jewel
thief. An enlightening and energizing day for all. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Henkels & McCoy Operations and Safety Leaders Hunt Down Las
Vegas
As part of our
Building High Performance Teams session, 23 members
of the Henkels & McCoy organization were challenged to solve
clues, plan their strategy, and find locations amid thousands of
visitors to the Las Vegas strip. Our
Team Building Treasure Hunt in Las Vegas challenges
teams to stay focused in a sea of distractions. The four Henkels
& McCoy teams did just that, completing the hunt in just 3
hours! Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Teaching Communication Style with a Twist
Using our
What's My Communication Style? profile as a foundation,
190 sales professionals from adidas learned a bit more about
themselves and their approach to communicating. Then it was off
for a little fun, team development, and skill building, as 21
teams worked to solve the mystery of our
Mission Impossible Caper. Fifteen adidas sales
managers masterfully played some very unique characters as their people probed
for clues. In all, it was an energizing, yet informative
kick-off to their week's activities. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Anthem Blue Cross of New Hampshire Takes to the Water with
Gilligan's Island
Taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather, about 50
hearty souls approached team development using one of our newest
challenges. Gilligan's Island tests team problem solving skills
as teams attempt to "get off the island!" Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
Cleaning Up
Boeing - More Teamwork and Human Performance Will Play a Role
The March 13 issue of Business Week magazine talks about Boeing's
new CEO Jim McNerney and his plans to revamp the giant company's culture.
1. Top executives will lead teams responsible for standardizing and
streamlining production lines and R&D centers.
2. Previous CEO's would focus on the technical, the new CEO is focusing
on the human performance. Wants to create a culture where people
will speak up and take risks.
3. New pay system will reward living the Boeing values, including ethics,
collaboration, integrity, and avoiding abusive behavior.
Rite Aid Accounting Leaders Undergo "Out-of-the-Box"
Training Experiences
Nineteen leaders from Rite Aid's Accounting Group
undertook a new kind of learning experience when they set sail
in five boats on the Chesapeake Bay and lifted their team skills
a bit higher. Our
Boatworks team sailing activity teaches first how to
team sail a boat, then how to coordinate multiple boats through
a complicated zigzag course. The activity replicates the
coordination needed in today's fast-paced organizations.
According to the participants, it was a great day of learning. Click on the pictures to enlarge and enjoy!
But the learning didn't stop there. The next night they thought
they were going to dinner, and they did. They just didn't know
they would be preparing it...a 5-course gourmet dinner through
our Pressure
Cooker session. Under the tutelage of executive chef
and presenter extraordinaire,
Chef Jim White, the team did, in
fact, prepare a gourmet meal second to none...in two hours! The
high-pressure exercise demonstrated the excellent teamwork that
exists in the Rite Aid Accounting Team and their ability to
respond effectively to unknown, unforeseen circumstances.
Participants rated this session a Number "1" and
said..."Very effective"..."Super!"..."5 Stars!"..."A great
teamwork exercise!."
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