EcoSeagate is an annual teambuilding retreat
where employees within a company called Seagate learn to work under uncertain
circumstances in unknown territories to come out better, stronger and more unified
as a team. Although this teambuilding challenge costs around two million dollars
the CEO of Seagate, Bill Watkins believes it “ helps build a more
collaborative, team-oriented company” which is critical to the company’s
success. After watching the videos and learning more about the team development
process I can see the value of organizing such an event because Watkins is
creating a team that learns to trust and depend on one another in the hardest
obstacles most have ever faced in their lives.
As I was watching the video and reading an
article regarding this event, the first thing that came to mind was Seagate
employees become a family when they leave this event. Watkins creates a Seagate
family where each member is becomes more engaged and connected with one another
so that they can continue to foster a strong relationship on trust and
accountability moving forward. On this trek they bike, hike and climb mountains
relying on one another and at each level of the development the group builds
trust, over comes conflicts, becomes more committed and this leads to
accountability which are all necessary traits of a highly functioning team. A
family is similar to the type of team Watkins creates because they see each
other at their worst, they struggle together, and provide support to accomplish
the impossible, which is what it appears the EcoSeagate does for the company
Seagate.
Something like this is necessary in a
high-performing organization because these employees are not your typical
employees it appears that they are the cream of the crop. In order to get them
out of their daily routines their CEO has to literally take them across the
world putting them in a world none of them are familiar with in order to make
them step outside their comfort zone, and critically think about everything. Stepping
out of the everyday grind into an ah inspiring life changing experiences not
only changes each person individually but it also allows them to recognize that
they can do anything they out their minds to. Watkins asks the employees "Are you doing what you want to do in
your life? Or are you just blowing through?" He then continues to empower
employees by saying “this week is about you doing what you want to do for every
week of the rest of your life." (O’Brian, 2008)
Every team no matter the size is going to have
issues they need to work on and develop in order to become stronger and using
this kind of experience creates a team with a solid foundation to grow on. This
retreat works to develop better problem solvers by putting them in life or
death situations. This experience also allows everyone to recognize each
member’s needs. For example if one of the employees struggles to read a map
they work to teach them to read it, or if one has an injury the group forms a
support system to get their member to the end. In Organizations Development
Brown points out the importance of avoiding groupthink because it creates a
need for “unanimity and overrides motivation to realistically appraise
alternative course actions” (Brown, 2010). Basically groupthink prevents people
from critically approaching each situation and narrows the thinking involved in
problem solving. Creating a teambuilding exercise at any organization should
focus on breaking the groupthink cycle to foster innovation and creativity
through conflict and healthy problem solving.
My organization would definitely benefit
from a similar activity if given the opportunity. Recently my organization has
gone through reorganization and everyone and everything has been affected by
the aftermath. My director changed in this process because he was promoted for
his abilities to lead a highly effective functioning team. Since our new leader
has taken over I feel the cohesiveness has shifted and we have become more
independent of one another. Prior to the change our old director empowered us
to step outside the box and work as a team no matter what circumstances
presented to us, but now we are partnered up. We have new rules that we have a
partner and we are to cover our partner when they are out such, where in the
past we all supported each other. The reason we were advised for the partners
was to make sure everyone was participating and one person was not doing all
the work for the entire team. I saw her point so we embraced the new roles with
open arms; however since the change we have become more territorial.
For example one partner is out more often
then any others and his partner has to cover his work load as well as her own.
One would think we would recognize her struggling and jump in to assist but we
have a new mentality in which we are advised the partner does the covering so
we are not really accountable. Having this freedom has created resentment,
tension and hostility among all members of the team, which I feel is a
combination of the entire reorganization. I have asked if we could have a
retreat to try to get us together for the first time since the changes outside
the office to work on teambuilding. I was assigned the task to work on this
retreat and after long hours creating a fun filled team bonding retreat I was
recently informed it might be delayed or even canceled to do uncontrollable
circumstances. I am sadden by the news because I know that the more time we
spend growing apart the longer it will take to get us back to the high function
team we once were.
An inside look
at extreme corporate bonding - May. 21, 2008. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/20/technology/obrien_seagate.fortune/
Brown, D. R.
(2011). An experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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