Are strategy and team-building sessions worth the effort?

Many organisations which invest in either hosting or planning top-level strategy sessions and team getaways to define business objectives as well as encourage alignment of employees across the firm, may end up asking themselves, whether or not corporate breaks actually add value? Or are they just an excuse for a 'jolly' away from the office?

If approached correctly and planned with clear objectives in mind, offsite get-togethers can bring immense benefits to an organisation – they can stimulate new thinking, remove barriers between people, facilitate a shared sense of values, vision and goals, and even steer the business in a new direction, says Leon Ayo, CEO of Odgers Berndtson Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to a McKinsey report on mastering the building block of strategy, there are two critical elements to a successful strategy. One is the need to gain agreement on the direction of the strategy — before creating the actual strategy. Another is to ensure that the company is prepared and willing to act on the strategy once it is adopted.

The report states too much of what passes for strategy development, consists of hurried efforts that skip the two essential elements stated above. The resulting strategies are often flawed from the start. By placing all decision makers in one location, and dedicating the session to the task of strategy development only, firms are more likely to deliver better results.

“It is important not to confuse strategy sessions with team-building, however. Strategy sessions are – as the name suggests – when your top leadership breaks away for a couple of days to develop a new strategy and set the direction of the company going forward. In short, to make the ‘big’ decisions. Team-building sessions, held at least two months after the strategy sessions, are an opportunity to communicate these top-level decisions to the whole team,” Ayo says.

Ayo offers the following tips to host a successful strategy session:

Be very clear about what you are aiming to achieve – state a measurable outcome for your gathering. It’s about deciding what needs to be done today that will benefit the company for years to come. And those decisions need to be formulated, considered and agreed on by the end of the session.
In the best strategy sessions, top executives are given the space to be innovative, and are challenged intellectually, physically and emotionally. It may be a good idea to bring in external experts to explore new ideas and trends in your industry or wider. You may even choose an individual who has done something exceptional to motivate your leadership team, for example, someone who has climbed Mount Everest.
External facilitation by an organisation offering business consultancy services, such an executive search firm, could ensure that the stated outcomes of the session are in fact achieved. An external facilitator will see to it that everyone gets a chance to participate, not just the CEO, and could approach the session from an industry rather than an organisational perspective.

“A team-building break-away is an opportunity for the executive team to communicate to employees in ways beyond email – sharing the agreed-upon direction of the business and strategies to achieve growth. Especially in a multi-site organisation, it is also a chance for employees to get to know each other beyond the workplace,” Ayo says.

When planning team-building getaways, consider the following:

The outcome of a corporate break-away should always be the alignment of the values of your employees to those of the organisation. It should enable people to network in an informal way and share their own personal vision with colleagues.
When communicating the broader vision and strategy of the company, ensure that each employee understands clearly his or her role in achieving these goals. This includes everyone from senior management to the receptionist.
Team-building can also be used to spoil teams for great work done, for example a spa-day getaway or a walk in the mountains.

“The bottom line is that company leaders should never miss an opportunity to inspire the people who make the organisation what it is. It should not be limited to excursions away from the office, however. Successful companies encourage people to contribute to strategy, and engage in team-building activities at work every day. In a high-performance environment that has agile leadership, both strategy development and team building form an integral part of the ingrained culture of the organisation,” Ayo concludes.