Yorkshire Universities Team Development
Maximillion won a competitive tender to design and facilitate a one day team development offsite for Yorkshire Universities (YU) that took place at Swinton Park, North Yorkshire. The offsite was organised in response to a number of internal changes that included an expansion of the team, as well as the departure of some senior staff. Against this backdrop of transition, there was an identified need to engage staff in the change process and create a shared sense of direction; rebuilding the team, integrating new team members and getting to know each other, promoting team unity and boosting morale, encouraging knowledge transfer and retention and providing an opportunity to understand better and value each other’s workplace roles and contributions.
Event Detail
- Venue: Swinton Park, North Yorkshire
- Style: Facilitated team development
- Format: Morning: TeamWorks Programme – inter-related indoor and outdoor experiential team challenges. Afternoon: All-a-Board whole group activity
- Guests: 18 participants comprising the whole YU team from CEO to clerical staff, including new and established staff
- Duration: Full day
Objectives
To engage the whole group in selected indoor and outdoor activities and experiences that will:
- Bring the group together under a common goal and shared agenda to encourage and develop leadership, communication, collaboration, creative thinking, problem solving and personal influencing skills
- Create a platform for each team member to experiment, participate and develop in an enjoyable, shared experience that is aligned with the issues relating to the current agenda of change, team integration, identity & purpose.
What we did
The scope and content of the day centred on practical experiential activities and simulations from our TeamWorks programme portfolio. In TeamWorks, the group rotated around a number of fun experiential team-based challenges in the morning and a whole group ‘silo-busting’ business simulation – All-a-Board – in the afternoon. These were specially selected in consultation with YU to replicate and reflect a number of workplace issues and engage the whole group in an enjoyable but stretching experience. The Lead Facilitator was provided with opportunities to observe the participants in action and build in group and individual review and feedback that related to how participants contributed and performed, while identifying specific action points for them to take back to the whole group review at the end of the day.
Outcome
This was a highly relevant, fast-paced and enjoyable experience for the team and one which created maximum self generated awareness in the minds of all participants. This awareness centred on how they:
- Work individually and collectively towards shared goals,
- Improve cross-functional communication and knowledge sharing,
- Develop a greater flexibility to embrace change,
- Improve teamwork and build trust.
Feedback
“Very well prepared & led. Engaged everyone in a fun and challenging way. The brief was well done”,”Well put together & presented. I enjoyed the fast pace of the activities and challenges within them”,”It was a very enjoyable day and I found the activities very interesting & useful” , “Really enjoyed it” ,”Very useful and easy to see how the exercises/learning could be applied to our own team back at work”,”Very positive – good balance of activities – lots of learning points & opportunities for team building”
Yorkshire Universities CEO & Staff