Grill and chill: How BBQ team building brings teams together
Why do we engage in team building? There are multiple possible answers to this question. Some companies contract us to arrange team-building activities aimed at fostering harmony within a team that collaborates daily on projects, others want to focus on reinforcing leadership, facilitating interaction amongst different teams within the same organisation, solving conflicts or relieving tension. Especially in our globalised age, where international companies operate across several countries, such initiatives hold a unique sway.
Working as a team and achieving mutual understanding and effective cooperation can be hard for eople who get to meet in person very rarely, if at all. No amount of Zoom time can make up for actual human interaction. Put simply, it’s easier to work with people you like, but it’s quite hard to like people you don’t know.
We were very aware of this, as we embarked on orchestrating a “tasty” team-building project for Canadian Solar, an international leader in solar panel manufacturing. With teams dispersed across various countries, the company often struggles with establishing authentic connection between its workers. Our mission was to arrange a non-professional setting where these global collaborators could meet, get acquainted with each other, connect on a human level, and spark a synergy benefiting the entire organisation.
BBQ team building: a recipe for connection
With years of devising team-building activities under our belt, we understand the subtle nuances of how different engagements bring about distinct effects. There is something universally connecting about food - its preparation and the act of sharing it. At the risk of sounding “too Italian”, you can’t really know someone, until you have cooked and eaten with them.
Culinary-based team-building activities not only foster interaction, but they set the tone for moments of authentic sharing. The moment in which we share food is the perfect arena where relationships can be built. Which is why we suggested a BBQ Team Building for the Canadian Solar team.
Making it competitive
Do we mean to say we just took the whole team on an outing with barbecue equipment? Of course not. We do believe in adding a gamified or competitive element to every activity we devise, in order to make it engaging and challenging for all participant. We therefore sought to create a dynamic experience beyond the simple pleasure of outdoor grilling. Cook-outs without a strategic goal often result in individuals grouping with known contacts and hindering the potential for new connections. Drawing inspiration from popular culinary shows, we came up with a 'Master Grill' cooking challenge.
The location we chose also had a major part to play. After all, an international company opting for a team-building event in Italy should be treated to the kind of unique experiences Italy can offer - culturally, naturally, and culinarily. The idyllic surroundings of Lake Iseo were chosen for our cooking challenge. We set up a mini-market on the lake's shore, reminiscent of the “storage” room in which contestants in cooking shows are to source their ingredients. Participants were to load up on locally-sourced, fresh and delicious meat and veggies, but they couldn’t just take them: they were required to “buy” them, using a pre-determined budget. The price negotiation, naturally, was part of the challenge. Our newly appointed “chefs” were evaluated by professional cooks, who also judged their team spirit and creative flair.
The result, of course, was a delicious and fun cook-out, in which interaction took place organically and developed in a natural and healthy way. During the day, we also scheduled chill-out sessions in the woods and volleyball tournaments, as well as allowing our client’s team to indulge in impromptu pedal-boat tours of the lake.