We had an annual review and team building exercise done at Gopalpur, Ganjam. In this all Oxfam Bhubaneswar staff participated – this was done immediately after the 2000 flood relief and rehabilitation. Since this was done for all the staff including the relief and rehabilitation staff. In addition to individual introductions, sharing of experiences. This was needed as staff working day and night to meet and help the affected people.
After review of the work during the period by each unit including programme, grants, finance, HR,admin and logistics. there were brainstorming discussions, what achieved, what needs to achieve by when and by whom etc. etc.
The next day after the breakfast we had interactive games. One such game is tying of legs with one another. This game is a trust between and among staff members. It also reflects when things not going well how the staff member vent his/her frustration. Also second game was blind folding.
There will be two teams each having 10 or more staff and have their foot/ankle tied both sides.. so when the game start there will be a whistle sound.. the groups will have to walk/run/hop fast to reach the destination of 10 to 15 meters or so. If any one falls in between that team needs to wait and stabilise before proceeding further.
Team-building exercises rely on reflection to translate the fun into actual workplace value. After the activity, ask your staff these questions:
- “How did you establish a rhythm or pace with your partner?”
- “What happened when someone tried to rush ahead?”
- “How did you communicate when frustration set in?”
- “How does this exercise mirror our daily projects (e.g., relying on others, sharing the workload, moving at the same pace)?”
