Experience team building refers to all those experiential activities in nature, aimed at companies, with the purpose of transforming a group into a team that shares a common goal.
Some examples are walking, trekking, mountain biking, kayaking activities, structured in such a way as to achieve a specific corporate goal and especially aligned with the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Reasons why to do an Experience Team Building?
Experience Team Buildings are accelerators of change. When done well and with purpose, they facilitate their sharing and consolidate the creation of a team that, unlike a group (a mere collection of people coordinating their efforts), has a common and shared goal.
These activities are a very powerful tool for doing corporate welfare (employee wellness) and employer branding while taking care of our planet. Companies that take this path have huge direct benefits (tax relief and lower cost of money) and indirect benefits (more productive and cohesive team).
Sustainability as a goal
Our planet is in danger. The economy is reorganizing around this challenge and the corporate world is adapting to these changes (those who do not are falling behind!).
Therefore, there has been a steady growth in investments in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategies in companies, as investors are looking for opportunities that support and promote sustainability to address issues such as climate change or biodiversity loss.
When a company decides to embark on such a transformational journey, it must have clear goals and a shared purpose. Team-building experiences are a very powerful tool for engaging and accompanying all stakeholders (first and foremost the employees, but not only…) in a process of major transformation.
Immersed in pristine environments, people learn the value of nature by “getting their hands dirty” and learn how to take care of it while having fun. Everyone makes the concept of sustainability their own, which then enters the company’s DNA and instead of being dropped from above as a mere bureaucratic process becomes a goal that everyone is passionate about.
Who are the Experience Team Buildings intended for?
To companies that are proactive, that are going through a period of transformation, that want a team instead of a group, a team that is really okay.
See one company’s experience during an activity immersed in nature.
Some examples of Experience Team Building:
OutBe, an innovative startup that promotes the well-being of people and nature, offers companies various team building experiences to engage corporate stakeholders, these are some examples:
Walking For Science
This is a trek during which an ecosystem, usually a forest, is monitored. First you learn the basics of ecology, all clearly through experience and while having fun.
Then, like real naturalists (using our scientific method, based on citizen science), actual surveys are conducted. Biodiversity is monitored by collecting information about the flora and fauna present, water quality is analyzed using a special kit, and CO2 subtracted from trees is calculated.
All this information is then passed on to scientists who study the environment and climate change, thus helping to understand and thus better protect our planet.
Kayaking For Science
The marine version of walking for science. Designed for everyone (safe, easy and stable kayaks are used), it is an activity that allows people to enter into a true symbiotic and attuned relationship with the marine environment.
During the experience, the mission is to collect as much plastic as possible, thus removing it from a place where it should not be. This plastic is then catalogued and monitored, and the data is sent to a European portal and then made accessible to decision makers.
Thanks to activities like these, for example, the problem of plastic pollution has been better understood and as a result laws have been made to protect the sea (but there is still a long way to go!).
Another engaging challenge proposed during Kayaking for Science Experiences is monitoring coastal biodiversity. We approach the coast in search of algae and small animals called bioindicators. These organisms are precisely indicators of a healthy coastline (high ecological quality) or not.
By counting their presence and abundance, and at the same time learning about them in their natural environment, one can tell whether that stretch of sea is threatened (and therefore needs help) or is doing well (and should therefore be enhanced and protected).
Biodiversity Trekking Challenge
A perfect activity for large groups, up to 100-150 people. One meets in a place with high naturalistic interest (a park, a protected area, an SCI). A team of environmental coaches and guides conduct a briefing during which some basics about the ecology of the place are given after which the participants, divided into teams, are assigned a mission.
Each team must identify as many animal and plant species as possible using a specially designed app. The challenge also helps to increase the motivation and involvement of the team through gamification aspects, thus the competition and rewarding of the most deserving participants.
The benefits of experience team building on people
These activities have an enormous benefit on the mental and physical health and productivity of people in the company:
- team dynamics: new and strong interactions and bonds are formed among participants
- increased well-being: activities in nature are good for the mind and body
- increased motivation: conducive to increased productivity and creativity
- development of a culture of sustainability: sharing a goal based on sustainability
According to molecular biologist John Medina, the human brain evolved to “solve problems related to survival in an unstable external environment, and to do so in near-constant motion.” We were not made to solve problems sitting at a desk!
OutBe organizes experience team building for companies that are proactive and concerned with the well-being of their teams. These activities align people toward the goal of sustainability. Through the experience in nature, participants understand and learn how to actively protect it by acquiring a true and deep culture of sustainability.