Team Bonding To Team Building To Team Culture
Some people use the terms “team bonding” and “team building” interchangeably. However, there are significant differences in their objectives and design. Most of what I see are team bonding activities, where the focus is on having fun and building relationships. No problem there! When I think about team building, I see it as being more focused on how my team can best accomplish shared objectives. The team-building activities I use closely correlate with what is needed for optimal performance on the court. Although they differ, both team bonding and team building have a place in developing championship squads.
Since most bonding activities focus on the social component of teams, I’ll focus on that part first. If you search online for team bonding activities, you’ll discover countless games and challenges designed to enhance the team experience. Players often enjoy activities such as trust falls, rope courses, or group problem-solving exercises. The relationships and communication skills fostered can be applied to team building, but they will not replace the importance of team building.
Regardless of the activity you are considering for team bonding, I think you should consider a few cautionary items.
Don’t assume that all the players enjoy team bonding exercises. First, I never assume that all my players will enjoy every team bonding exercise. I remember taking one of my Ohio State teams on a ropes course. Carrie Leonard, who was not only a great player but an even better person, spent the entire time hugging a tree because she was afraid of heights. While her teammates dashed around the course like billy goats and were having a great time, Carrie clearly didn’t find the experience enjoyable. I’ve learned not to assume that every player will enjoy every scenario.
Who are the leaders? I always ask myself: Who are the leaders here? If my goal is to facilitate effective communication, decision-making, and problem-solving, I ensure that I design activities that involve everyone in the decision-making process. Teams are made up of a diverse range of personalities. As Susan Cain points out in her book Quiet, “America had shifted from a Culture of Character to a Culture of Personality.” Too often, the loudest person in the group becomes the default leader, even if they’re steering the group in the wrong direction. Given the chance, quiet players can often prove to be excellent leaders. Not only do they have valuable opinions, but they’re also empathetic and willing to share leadership duties. As a coach, I need to be aware of how my team interacts and create activities that allow everyone to contribute to the decision-making process.
Some players will go along to get along. Solomon Asch’s famous Conformity Experiments from the 1950s demonstrated how easily a group can influence people’s opinions. In group problem-solving challenges, I try to pay close attention to who is making the decisions and who is simply following the group consensus, even if they disagree with it. There’s a classic example of this in an old “Candid Camera” video.
It’s important to be cautious of activities that might cause injury. Even though the activities are designed for fun, avoid activities that are risky and might result in an injury. The last thing a coach needs is the best player getting injured in a potato-sack race.
You can script some of the activities to ensure interaction. Teams going out to dinner under the banner of team bonding can be a great activity. However, if players sit next to their best friends and there is limited team interaction, the potential for communication and developing new relationships is reduced. A better idea might be a team dinner where the team is divided into groups, with each group responsible for a course.
Assign partners/teams. It’s natural for players to gravitate towards being with their friends. However, if the goal is interaction, I generally will assign teams or partners, for both practice and social activities, so that players must interact with teammates outside their immediate circle.
Team Building
When it comes to team building, my focus is on enhancing our on-court performance by fostering teamwork, embracing team goals and the behaviors that lead to success, and managing the stresses that accompany pursuing big dreams.
I’ve always believed that meaningful team building is most likely to occur when the group is truly challenged. The challenge can take many forms, but I prefer to put my players in situations where they must rely on each other for the group’s success. Creativity is key here—I design drills that are challenging but not impossible.
I remember former USA coach Toshi Yoshida putting the national team through a drill that tested everyone. Team A had to sideout twice in a row to rotate, and they had to do this in six consecutive rotations, meaning twelve straight sideouts. If they failed at any point, they had to start over from the first rotation. Team B’s job was to make it as hard as possible for Team A to finish the drill. This drill, which emphasized teamwork, execution, and consistency, took Team A two days to complete. Imagine the shared satisfaction of the players when they completed the final sideout.
Former national team libero Stacy Sykora once told me about a time in practice when she made a mistake passing a free ball and, as a result, was required to pass one thousand free balls to the target. It was a huge challenge, both physically and mentally, but her entire team came over to support her as she worked through it.
Whenever I present significant challenges to my team, there’s a lot of shared struggle and a genuine dependence on one another, and it requires all players to contribute, regardless of their role or status. That’s exactly what I want from a team-building activity. Studies show that task-related activities (on-court) are more likely to positively impact team cohesion than purely social activities (off-court).
Team Bonding and Team Building Will Build Team Culture
Ultimately, whether I’m focusing on team bonding or team building, my goal is to develop a culture that reflects my coaching values and aligns with our program’s goals. I want players who can communicate effectively, support one another, and handle the pressures of being part of a team. Building a strong team culture isn’t about a single activity at the start of the season—it takes daily effort.
To cultivate a positive culture, I emphasize effective communication every day, reward good behavior, provide players with leadership opportunities regardless of their personality or status, and challenge the group to achieve great things together. The best teams I’ve been part of are those where every member, regardless of their role, is committed to helping the team succeed.
I’ve never been one to focus on long-term goals. My primary focus was being good every day and making small steps toward a larger objective. In that regard, I will discuss at length how our daily actions would lead us to where we want to go. As the saying goes, “what we want is on the other side of hard.”
It is also essential to make time for social interaction. Free time before practice is perfect for a quick team bonding activity. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. Sometimes, I’ll do an “A/B” sharing activity where I pair everyone up (including coaches), and for thirty seconds, Player A shares something about their life. Then, they switch, and Player B will do the sharing. Ultimately, I ask a few players to present to the team what they discovered about their teammates. The topic can be anything—maybe their most embarrassing moment or something most people don’t know about them. I also enjoy introducing fun, competitive games on the court that allow players to compete in a light-hearted manner.
One key trait I’ve noticed in the best teams is their ability to hold each other accountable, appreciate individual differences, and stay focused on our goals. Well-designed team bonding and team building activities can foster the type of culture required for your team to perform at its highest levels.
