Traditional team building vs experiential?

[Tizzy]

Not sure where to post this question!? I'm doing some background research on team building, i was aware that there are two methods known as experiential and traditional methods and as i understand one is team building through experience and the other is learning through discussion and being taught about t, respectively. However, i have noticed on some websites catered towards team building that some state for example 'we use 'traditional methods' such as blind folding colleages and guiding them thru mazes' etc .... surely this is experiential methods?! Although, others do claim traditional methods such as classroom based learning and others claim experiential such as assault courses .... help!? T x

[gilf]

This isnt much help but if you ask me blind folding people and taking them through mazes etc is a complete waste of time. I have been on loads of training days for various company's I have worked for (all american but in the UK)and the only thing I have gained from such experience is that the managment are either such idiots they cant actually understand how to explain team work or think all the workers are idiots and need to play little games to know what team work is. I think even if somebody has an IQ of 4 they could understand that putting somebody in a maze with a blinf fold is gonna be a bad idea and its better we all work together and guide them out. I know it sounds like I'm having a go but I would be seriously interested in discussing this with you, I'm amazed how much time and money companies waste on blind folding or tying up employees.

[Tizzy]

Hiya Gilf an thanx for ure answer! I posted the question in desperation, the night before i had to hand in my dissertation proposal form, in order to clarify what exeprential and traditional is. Fortunately my lecturer has explained it to me! With regards to your points tho i can say that i somewhat had a similar point of view to yours. So for my dissertation i will be focussing on experential learning and trying to evaluate whether it is actually beneficial to the employees and employers. In order to asses team building events such as maze tasks etc i will be using Donald Kirkpatrick's four level evaluation of outdoor adventure training. It will be interesting to see if people really do benefit from such courses! Sorry You've probably fallen asleep by now! T x

[gilf]

Far from it. I have always been interested in this subject, mainly because I have been on many of these training days and often wondered what other people felt about them. Certainly people I have worked closely with have similar ideas that they are either a waste of time or do not benefit team work to any great degree. I think its a very American thing and something we called the Mickey Mouse Syndrome and goes something like this. If your Ameriacan and your at Disney world etc and you see Mickey Mouse you say "hey look guys its Mickey Mouse" but if your British its much more a case of "hey look theres some idiot with a mouse suit on". They believe its mickey mouse we know its an idiot in a mouse suit. I'm not saying either is good or bad just thats the way in general it is. I think its just at the heart of the british society that we are extremely synical, the whole idea of "Have a nice day" seems so false to us, in short we just dont buy in to the whole thing. And the same goes for team building events I think the Americans go in head first with enthusiasm and the british are synical about the whole idea. I think most people have the intelligence (definatly in my line of work) and can understand a concept such as team work with out the need to be put into situations we dont particuarly like i.e. blindfold in a ton of string. In my experience activity out side of the work environment is a much more usefull team building tool than this approach in the UK.