Program outline

Team building activities are supposed to bring participants a better understanding of themselves and each other, increase team spirit, enhance employees’ awareness of their roles and much more besides. Thus, after taking part, the participants perform better as both individuals and as a part of a team.

There has been demand for team building in Vietnam for several years and now many more companies, both domestic and foreign, have a dedicated budget for it. The market looks set for continued expansion as ever more Vietnamese enterprises learn about the role of team building in human resources.

The spirit of Team building
According to Nguyen Thi Dai Loan, HR manager of Nuplex Resins (Vietnam) Pty. Ltd, the company usually has one team building outing a year: “After each trip, which usually lasts 2-3 days, the employees know about each other and they also learn to work together more effectively.”

“We prefer a domestic organiser to a foreign one since they know more about local culture and the price is more competitive and the fee is about VND5 million ($237) per person for a three day trip,” she added.

For Loan, team building is also a chance for the employers to uncover their excellent employees and also those who needs more training.

Tran Thanh Trong, CEO of Sang Ban Mai Joint Stock Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial SBMPower generators, also recognises the importance of team building. He says: “We are always aware of creating the best teams, finding the most appropriate employees and creating unity in the working environment. Thus, outdoor activities such as paint ball, soccer, and camping are usually organised.”

For years, Sang Ban Mai has chosen different team building organisers, expecting that they will offer a diverse range of activities. “Our employees really enjoy the trips, and we also see their effectiveness, so team building trips always have a place in our budget plan, ” Trong says.

Growing provision
Since Vietnamese enterprises have warmed to the concept, many tourism companies have begun providing team building services. However, whether team building is understood and organised correctly is not always certain.
VietMark, a team building, event and travel company, is among the best in the sector.

According to Do Tuan Anh, director of VietMark, with its experienced and well trained crew, the company brings its customers a variety of team building activities which are specifically designed based on each customers’ situation.

Anh says the activities are designed depending on the clients’ specific needs. Surveys are conducted first which means each and every team building event includes a dedicated message and a purpose.

However, after several years working for VietMark with the hope of giving customers the best services, Anh has learnt that many employers, especially Vietnamese ones, are not fully aware of this effective means of developing human resources.

Many of Anh’s customers as well as service providers think team building just comprises activities to help participants relax together. As a result, after a team building trip, participants learn very little.

He estimates an average of 80 per cent of team builders are providing team bonding, which focuses on physical, fun games only. However, relaxation is just the tip of the iceberg.

During each program, indoor and outdoor activities can be chosen depending on many types of team building aims. These include increasing skills and abilities, transforming groups into teams, enhancing the solidarity of teams, consolidation of the company’s culture, the communication of new leaders and employees, checking employees’ attitude through hypothetical situations, preparing for a new campaign, and enhancing people’s awareness of themselves.

Consequently, to design an effective team building program, the organisers have to work carefully to find a suitable message and appropriate games. “For each customer, VietMark usually works for 1-4 months on surveys to learn their problems and design feasible schemes to address them,” explains Anh.

“Understanding is always important to build an effective program. Therefore, when there is an order, our crew works with both employers and employees to give them the best solutions,” he adds.

Their way of working has brought VietMark has many clients, including both international and domestic enterprises. The business is now proud to work with prestigious companies, such as Abbott, Akzo Nobel, Ariston, BOSCH, Canon, FPT, Holcim, Honda, Mitsubishi, HSBC, Jotun, Lotte, Mobifone, Nike, Nestlé, Nokia, Masan Group, Samsung, MSD, Techcombank, Vinamilk and many more.

Anh and many other representatives of professional team building organisers share the hope that companies will gain more understanding of team building so that they are open to one of the most effective solutions to their human resource problems.
 
http://www.vir.com.vn/news/en/travel/in-it-together.html