In this article, we shall discuss the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises. To skip our detailed analysis of the global human resource management sector in 2023 and the growing importance of organizational management, go directly and see 5 Best Corporate Team Building Activities and Exercises.

The global human resource technology market is valued at $156.98 billion as of 2022 and is projected to reach a significant valuation of $237.42 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.41%. This rapid growth is largely driven by the emergence of new technological solutions tailored to the requirements of the global human resource industry. Furthermore, the rising integration of automation in modern HR practices and the increasing prevalence of remote work significantly supplements the rampant growth of the market. However, as the human resource industry adapts to the changing global environment, the reliance on corporate team building activities and exercises remains more pronounced than ever. Some of the most prominent companies which provide coaching and sales training services are Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC), Stride Inc. (NYSE:LRN), and Learning Tree International (NASDAQ:LTRE). To read more about some of the biggest players in the human resource industry, check out our article on 11 Best Human Resource Stocks to Buy Today. 

People + Performance Winners: An Analysis

In a February 2023 report, McKinsey highlighted that in addition to upsides for employees, investment in human capital development actually contains competitive advantages for companies as well. Although business leaders often agree that such investments are the right thing to do, they are relatively unclear on how these investments relate to the company’s bottom line. In this effort, McKinsey analyzed more than 1800 large companies across sectors in more than 15 countries and categorized them into two primary factors, namely how much they invest in human capital development, and whether they financially outperform their peers.

According to the report, a subset of such companies that instantly stands out are what the report terms “People + Performance Winners”, who create opportunities for their workers to build on their existing skillset while consistently achieving high financial results. According to the report, P+P Winners distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack in two primary ways. Firstly, the results they are able to achieve are much more pronounced, consistent, and have greater earnings resilience, and secondly, they boast a superior ability to attract and retain talent, seriously minimizing their turnover expenditure. In turbulent microeconomic conditions, which entail economic headwinds and labor shortages, these are fundamentally important advantages which allow these companies to maintain resilience and continuously deliver strong growth.

How do P+P Winners manage to drive financial growth while increasingly investing in human capital? According to McKinsey, while investing in people is undoubtedly important, organizational capital is also a fundamental ingredient that cannot be ignored. Many of the companies that we covered in our article on the 10 Biggest Human Resource Consulting Companies in the World have begun to advise and consult on the increased importance of organizational capital in human resource management. As this concept entails corporate team building activities and exercises, workflows, employee communications, norms, and leadership, companies like Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC), Stride Inc. (NYSE:LRN), and Learning Tree International (NASDAQ:LTRE) are asserting themselves as industry leaders in organizational management. 

Emerging HR Operating Models: An Overview

According to an article by McKinsey and Company, traditional approaches to human resource management are rapidly evolving. For the last two decades, multinational enterprises usually adopted a diverse combination of conventional HR business partners, centers of excellence, and shared service centers, variating these three areas for a tailored approach to each company’s unique requirements. However, with the emergence of innovative companies like Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC), Stride Inc. (NYSE:LRN), and Learning Tree International (NASDAQ:LTRE) which focus on corporate team building activities and exercises, dynamism within the human resource industry is at an all-time high.

In a survey of more than 100 chief human resource officers and senior people leaders from multinational enterprises around the world, McKinsey identified five different HR operating-model archetypes which have been emerging in response to substantial transformations in the business environment, including but not limited to increased geopolitical turbulence, the popularity of hybrid and remote working models, and the rise of the millennial workforce.  The five emerging HR models are enabled by two primary drivers: a strong, consistent data backbone and a user-friendly service foundation. The models include the Ulrich+, Agile, Ex1-Driven, Leader-led, and Machine-powered models.

The Ulrich+ model is an adaptation of the classic Ulrich model, and it enables HRBPs (Human Resource Business Partners) to develop functional spikes and assume execution responsibilities. It also ensures that business services are global and operations are digitized.

The Agile model, on the other hand, reduces the number of HRBPs with increased focus on management and organizational development. Within this model, end-to-end responsibility largely manifests in two ways: flow-to-work pools, and task-to-team logic.

Furthermore, in the EX1-driven model, HR function largely focuses on excellence in selected moments, with other HR activities standardized across the board. There is end-to-end accountability for strategy, policy, and execution.

Within the Leader-led model, people leadership operations are delegated to line managers and policies are minimized, save for legal and compliance. Alternatively, in Machine-powered models, HR focuses on high-touch interaction with employees. Reskilled, new AI and analytics experts exist and operate within the HR function. All of the aforementioned models, however, do not discount the importance of organizational management, namely corporate team building activities and exercises, in effective human resource management. 

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises, we decided to use a consensus approach by acquiring data from a variety of different credible sources (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). We picked activities that appeared at least twice in these sources, assigning them a cumulative score based on the numbers at which they appeared on the lists. For example, if an activity was ranked at number 5 on one list and number 6 on another, we gave it a total score of 11. We then ranked all the entries from highest to lowest.

If you are interested in reading about how to optimize human resource management, you can check out our article on Top Useful Employee Salary Management Tips From The Pros.

Best Corporate Team Building Activities and Exercises

35. All The News

Average Score: 74

The first entry in our list of the 35 Best Corporate Team Building Activities and Exercises is All The News, which encourages employees to think about the future goals of the company. Each sub-group is required to create headlines of the company’s potential achievements, presented as a newspaper article. It can be played with 8-20 participants.

34. Community Service

Average Score: 70

Engaging in community service helps in building company culture and reinforcing the social responsibilities of the organization.

33. Pair Up

Average Score: 69

Pair Up is an activity used as an ice-breaker to enhance the communication skills of the employees. Participants are required to guess the word written on their colleagues’ backs.

32. Blind Retriever

Average Score: 65

Blind Retriever is a game designed to strengthen the communication and listening skills of the participants. The game requires the members of the group to help their blindfolded team member find a hidden object before the opponent team. It can be played with a minimum of four participants.

31. Stop Walk

Average Score: 64

Next on our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises is a game called Stop Walk, which can played with a minimum of four people, requiring them to follow the commands of one designated leader. The commands would include “stop” and “walk”. Later, the commands would be switched.

30. Ongoing Tournaments

Average Score: 62

Companies can have monthly or yearly tournaments of different activities or sports which would in turn create long-term relationships between employees and help in building a positive organizational culture.

29. Frostbite

Average Score: 61

Frostbite is a roleplaying game in which participants are stranded in the arctic and need to build a shelter using the equipment provided. The members of the group are blindfolded and follow the verbal cues of their chosen team leader. This inculcates supervisory ability, teamwork, and time management.

28. Plot Me Out

Average Score: 59

In Plot Me Out, participants are divided in groups and each group has to guess the name of a movie or television show with the help of a plot narration done by a moderator.

27. Sales Pitch

Average Score: 56

Sales Pitch, an activity played with at least eight participants, helps employees collaborate with each other and engage in quick reasoning. Each participant is required to pick an objects from the office and present a sales pitch. It is number 27 on our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises. 

26. Minefield

Average Score: 55

Minefield helps in team building and icebreaking. In this activity, objects are randomly placed on the floor. In pairs, one participant helps his blindfolded team member navigate the obstacles and collect all the objects.

25. Laser Tag

Average Score: 54

In Laser Tag, teams compete with each other to tag members of the opposing team using lasers.

24. Lightening Scavenger Hunts

Average Score: 52

Lightening Scavenger Hunts are played online with remote workers to encourage teamwork and break the ice. The participants are simply guided using riddles and limericks to find some specific items from their house.

23. A Penny For Your Thoughts

Average Score: 50

Penny For Your Thoughts creates rapport between employees and can be played with 5-7 people. Each participant picks a coin from a container and recounts an event that happened on the year inscribed on their coin. Through this, employees learn personal facts about their colleagues.

22. Field Day

Average Score: 49

Participants are taken on field trips and picnics where they can engage in competitive games. These games instill a competitive spirit in the participants, while also teaching them teamwork, leadership skills, and communication skills.

21. Team Vacations

Average Score: 46

Team vacations to different cities and/or countries are a vital tool that can be used for bonding, ice breaking and team building.

20. Team Lunches

Average Score: 44

A team lunch builds morale and partnership between colleagues. It provides an interesting opportunity for employees to unwind, relax and get to know each other better.

19. Compliment Circles

Average Score: 40

For this activity, the participants sit in a circle and turn-by-turn, each participant complements at least one member of the circle. This creates a positive work environment.

18. Murder Mystery Games

Average Score: 39

Murder mystery games generally include a hypothetical murder of one participant, while all the other participants work together to expose the “killer”. It is a great tool to inculcate team work, boost morale, and create a positive working environment, which is why it makes our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises. 

17. Spectrum Mapping

Average Score: 37

Spectrum Mapping is played with at least four participants and encourages employees to think critically and generate ideas. The participants have to write their opinion regarding a given theme on a sticky note and paste it on a whiteboard.

16. Memory Wall

Average Score: 35

Memory Wall is an activity that boosts the morale of the employees and creates positivity in the workplace. The participants are required to communicate a happy memory associated with a colleague. Then, they team up with the said colleague and make a drawing together. The drawings are then used to create a memory wall.

15. Water Balloon Dodgeball

Average Score: 33

Water Balloon Dodgeball lightens the mood, improves morale and encourages teamwork. The participants are divided into two teams who stand opposite to each other. Each team has to dodge the water balloon thrown by the opponent team. Any member who is hit is eliminated.

14. Corporate Castaways

Average Score: 32

Corporate Castaways is an enjoyable activity to help the employees learn problem solving and teamwork skills. It involves participants solving multiple mental puzzles and physical challenges in teams.

13. Office Debates

Average Score: 30

Office Debates are a great way to understand how to deal with conflicts by teaching employees public-speaking and communication skills. It involves having two employees engage in a debate on a topic assigned to them. Through voting, the audience decides the winner.

12. Guess Who

Average Score: 27

Guess Who can be played amongst groups of 3 to 4 people and builds rapport between team members.

11. The Marshmallow Challenge

Average Score: 25

The Marshmallow Challenge allows the participants to think creatively while collaborating with their team on a project. Using spaghetti, marshmallow, and string, the participants are required to create the tallest possible freestanding structure. The team with the tallest structure wins.

10. The Egg Drop

Average Score: 24

The Egg Drop can be played amongst groups of 5 to 6 participants, in which they are required to collaborate with each other and apply teamwork and communication skills. This activity requires each group to create a structure that can hold a fragile egg.

9. Perfect Square

Average Score: 22

Next on our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises is a game called Perfect Square, which encourages employees to work together in a team and enhance their listening and communication skills. The team is blindfolded and stands in a circle, holding a rope. Then, they have to move the rope in a way that it creates a perfect square, with the help of verbal cues by their team leader.

8. Scavenger Hunt

Average Score: 20

The goal in a Scavenger Hunt is to find the hidden objects around the office using clues provided. Each team works together to crack the code.  This encourages them to think critically and enhances their communication skills.

7. Blind Drawing

Average Score: 19

Blind Drawing encourages instruction-taking skills, communication skills, and team-work. Divided in pairs, one participant has an image and tries to describe the image to his or her teammate as clearly as possible. The other teammate is required to draw the image using the instructions given.

6. Shrinking Vessel

Average Score: 18

Shrinking Vessel tests the adaptability and the ability of the employees to work closely with each other. The participants pretend they are in a sinking ship and are required to stay close. Gradually, the boundary is restricted and the participants need to come up with strategies to stay within the boundary. Shrinking Vessel is number six on our list of the 35 best corporate team building activities and exercises.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Best Corporate Team Building Activities and Exercises.

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Disclosure: None. 35 Best Corporate Team Building Activities and Exercises is originally published on Insider Monkey.