By Luke Anami
Teamwork is the way to go for organisations that want great success. Bowling is one of these ways.
Many organisations including the Village Market, have embraced it.
"Corporate bowling is a concept that has been tested in several countries with great success," Mr John Muranda, the recreational Manager of Village Market says.
"It is particularly important when you want to develop a particular product for your organisation or improve teamwork and morale of your staff," he explains.
Banks are also keen on using it to foster teamwork.
"As a pastime, it is easy to build on the team aspect of bowling as a team building exercise for your organisation. A top manager, a supervisor and an attendant can make a good team," Muranda explains.
Most bowling alleys have league competitions for teams involving children or adults. While individual bowlers compare their scores against other individuals, bowling teams simply add their scores, and compare them against the other team’s.
Better teams
Team members need to work together during the sport to succeed.
However, Muranda cautions that before a manger takes staff for bowling, its important to identify the challenges that need to be addressed.
"No outsider knows your people or your company culture as well as you do," he said.
Muranda says that sometimes, firms select the venue and the menu, before identifying the purpose of the team building session. "I have come across instances where the budget has been set for an exclusive resort, yet the results driven agenda has been forgotten," he says.
Taking out your staff for team building and engaging in any sport is unlikely to lead to a better unit at the workplace, if certain aspects of work are not well thought out.
"Therefore identify what is ailing your people. Is it a communication or low morale among your staff?" he explains.
"Try to balance the teams. If you have a few good bowlers, make sure you distribute them among the teams. Make sure you balance athletes versus non-athletes across the teams as well," he explained.
Upbeat and Engaging
He says those with bowling experience will need to help their mates. "That’s what team building is all about; the people with a particular skill helping their team when it needs that skill," he says.
However, in the haste to meet deadlines, and complete the task at hand, though, many companies fail to allow sufficient time bonding.
He explains: "Team members who understand one another make the most effective collaborators and hence better profit at the end of your annual calendar." Picking better team techniques depends on the nature of your business and how the available jobs affect the morale of your employees.
While it is important for sessions to be upbeat and engaging, they should also be solidly grounded in helping the organisation improve its way of doing business.
Successful team building is not about getting perfect people around you. But he says it’s about using one’s wisdom and knowledge to lead a team to greater success.
"Through your actions, you as the leader can create a powerful team which can rise up and lead the business or organisation to much bigger things," he explains.
