In the corporate arena, team building has become a key element in improving collaboration, communication and cohesion among team members.
In this article we will explore the 5 reasons why team building in nature can be beneficial for companies
Corporate team building in nature – what does it consist of?
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of reconnecting with nature.
Therefore, team building in nature offers a unique opportunity to foster team growth and development in ways that the traditional corporate environment may not provide.
Through disconnecting from routine, stimulating creativity, enhancing communication, and promoting sustainability, companies can benefit from a lasting and effective team building experience in nature.
Why doing corporate team building in nature is better? Here are 5 reasons
- Disconnect from the Routine: Nature offers a unique opportunity to unplug from the hectic corporate routine. Away from the desk and meetings, team members can relax and rejuvenate in a peaceful and inspiring environment. This helps reduce stress and promote a positive mental attitude. After activities with OutBe, we found a 13% decrease in participants’ stress levels.
- Creativity and Innovation: Natural beauty stimulates creativity. When teams are in a natural environment, they are more likely to think innovatively and outside the box. Outdoor walks, brainstorming sessions under trees or along trails during a walkshop can lead to fresh ideas and creative solutions.
- Communication and Collaboration: Nature tests communication and collaboration skills. Crossing obstacles together such as uneven terrain or facing small challenges along the way requires a higher level of coordination and cooperation. These challenges strengthen the bonds between team members. In fact, 85 percent of participants feel much more cooperative toward their colleagues after activities in nature.
- Leadership and Role Management: The natural environment provides opportunities to develop leadership and role management in new ways. Participants may be asked to lead activities or assume responsibilities in unusual situations. This fosters personal development and awareness of one’s own abilities and trust in one’s colleagues.
- Awareness and Sustainability: Organizing team building activities in nature promotes a greater appreciation for the environment and sustainability. Participants become more aware of the importance of preserving nature and can bring these values into their business context, contributing to a culture of sustainability.
A few examples of teambuilding activities in nature
With OutBe we are in the business of bringing people and companies closer to nature, to experience it, learn about it, and thus protect it.
To give you some examples of what activities you can do with your team let us tell you about some experiences we have already carried out with proactive companies that wanted to get their hands dirty and get involved by involving their team.
Plastic Clean-up with Too Good To Go in Sestri Levante
Too Good To Go Italy decided to include, during the team building days in Sestri Levante, a beach clean-up activity through a scientific protocol relying on OutBe, to preserve first and foremost the natural beauty of this place, but in the meantime learn how to recognize and catalog the different wastes taking more awareness of the current situation of coastal areas.
The clean-up activity was led by a professional biologist to tell about the problems the sea is facing regarding plastic pollution. Following this, Too Good To Go staff divided into two groups: one part of the staff dedicated themselves to collecting the waste, equipped with gloves and bags, while the other part was responsible for cataloging and counting the waste that arrived.
At the end of the activity, 5052 pieces of waste totaling 18 kilograms of plastic were collected with 2830 plastic pellets in first place, 1949 cigarette butts and 74 pieces of glass in second place.
The clean-up activity as teambuilding in nature is interesting for you if you want to:
- Involve large numbers of people
- Contribute to environmental issues and SDGs such as 13, 14 and 15 in an active way
- Do sustainability training in a proactive and participatory way
Nature Game with Verallia in Finale Ligure
Verallia Italia decided to directly engage staff to talk about biodiversity and create a positive impact on the environment. It thus participated in a Nature Game, or a “biodiversity hunt,” implemented by OutBe, in partnership with zeroCO2.
The main goal is to create awareness about the species encountered and their importance to local biodiversity. The activity took place at Pian delle Pietre, in the Capo Noli-Manie-Val Ponci karst area, an area rich in biodiversity and for this reason included in the Savona provincial system of areas of naturalistic environmental interest.
OutBe’s terrestrial biologist opened the activity with a scientific briefing. Following this, participants were divided into 5 groups of 10 people who dispersed across the “playground” to explore and photograph local biodiversity, focusing in particular on pollinator species, which are increasingly rare in the area. At the end of the search, the teams met again for a scientific debriefing, and several insights gained during the activity emerged.
Nature Game activity as teambuilding in nature is interesting for you if you want to:
- Address the topic of biodiversity in a fun way through gamification aspects
- Contribute to environmental issues and SDGs such as 13, 14 and 15 in an active way
- Organize an innovative corporate event that is different from the usual teambuilding events
Organize your team building in nature with OutBe
If you are interested in finding out how OutBe can help your company organize team building activities in nature that promote sustainability and collaboration, book a call or contact us through the form.