Why Team Building Needs to Go Deeper Again

Long before activities like escape rooms and axe-throwing became popular, team building training programs aimed to explore something deeper. They concentrated on how people communicate, lead, handle pressure, and team dynamics.

I know this firsthand. While many people know me for the Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl personality styles, I the early 90s I started one of the first team building companies in the United States. And we weren’t focused on games for the sake of fun experiences. We led activities to help groups improve their environment.

The Early Days of Team Building

When team building started, each activity had a specific purpose. Form a circle. Extend your hand. Grab a fifteen-foot rope, arranged like a spider web. Without letting go, shape it into a perfect square.

What happened next was more important than the square itself. Who took charge? Who stayed quiet? Who listened carefully? Who jumped in without a plan?

After each exercise, we debriefed. That conversation was the real work. Teams began to see themselves clearly.

“This is exactly what happens in our staff meetings.”

“This is how we handle deadlines.”

“This is why our projects stall.”

The activities revealed their communication styles, conflict approaches, leadership habits, and decision-making processes. That awareness led to team ground rules that shaped their behavior and the overall culture.

How Team Building Lost Its Depth

Over the past 30 years, team building has changed. Many events now mainly focus on fun—shared experiences, energy, laughter—and there’s nothing wrong with that.

My organization, Team Builders Plus, has created thousands of meaningful experiences for hundreds of thousands of people. Through our Wheels for the World program alone, we have donated over 8,000 bikes to children in underserved communities and through our SmileKits activity, more than 25,000 children checked into children’s hospitals and found a toy waiting for them on their bed.

Fun has its role. Yet something essential has faded in many team building events: the depth, reflection, and the connection between behavior during the activity and conduct in the workplace.

Why Team Dynamics Matter More Than Ever

When team building first began, most teams worked side by side in the same building, on the same floor, within shouting distance.

Today, teams are hybrid, remote, and spread across states and time zones. Misunderstandings occur more quickly than ever, and small tensions often hide behind screens. In this environment, understanding team dynamics is crucial. Without awareness, these differences can cause conflict. With awareness, they can create balance.

Modern team building training needs to emphasize these dynamics and help teams understand how personality styles influence communication, conflict, leadership, and collaboration. This is where transformation starts.

The Future of Team Building Training

The future of team building isn’t about going backwards; it’s about restoring what works and adapting it to today’s workplace. Challenge teams with meaningful problems, observe what happens, and debrief honestly. Raise awareness, establish small agreements, and turn insights into action.

When teams understand their dynamics, they lead more effective meetings, address conflict earlier, respect differences rather than react to them, and build lasting cultures.

If your team is ready to transform your culture, visit TeamBuilderPlus.com.

​About the Author
Merrick Rosenberg is the author of Personality Intelligence: Master the Art of Being You, The Chameleon, and many other books for adults, students, and kids. He is the creator of the Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl personality approach. As an award-winning speaker and President of Take Flight Learning, Merrick teaches people how to understand themselves and others through the lens of personality, because when you know your style, you unlock your path.