The importance of teambuilding

"A team is a group of people working together towards a common goal. And teambuilding is the process of enabling this group of people to reach their goals." This is how Jaja Erice Belir defined teambuilding after working in the training field for more than a decade and after giving countless of workshops to all types of professionals and to organizations such as Meralco, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Dumex, Lopez Group of Companies, and others.

Belir is currently the Meralco Management and Leadership Development Center’s (MMLDC) lead consultant for its teambuilding programs. On top of her experience as superintendent and head of the General Education Team for the Human Resources Department of Meralco, Jaja is a graduate of Ateneo Cord’s Strategic Training and Development Certificate Program and Organizational Development as well. As such, she heads the team of training facilitators based in MMLDC in Antipolo. Her team also handles the teambuilding workshops, as well as other seminars, given by MMLDC to both Meralco employees and external clients.

"We design the programs, and we also conduct or facilitate it– we handle everything from conceptualization to completion," Belir said. "My team customizes each teambuilding program to meet the individual needs of the client. We don’t have canned programs and that’s our advantage."

The contents of a teambuilding program vary depending on the size and objective(s) of the team, as well as the development stage where the team belongs. "Teambuilding allows the participants, on a personal level, to reassess, or rediscover themselves," she said.

There are activities that focus on communication and appreciation; others attempt to solve conflicts in the team, or break down barriers; while other activities promote creativity and problem solving skills. Teambuilding allows the participants to build on each other’s strengths. It also provides a venue for team members to get to know one another, understand each other and accept the differences.

Ideal venue

It is better to hold teambuilding seminars out of town because, according to Belir, the change in scenery is more welcome to the participants.

"If you’re near the office, it’s difficult to stay focused on the activities because you may be interrupted by work concerns," Belir said, "And besides, doing it out of town is something that everyone looks forward to– we build on that excitement."

MMLDC is a venue that is conducive to learning, teambuilding workshops in particular, because it offers complete and world-class amenities.

"It is very near Metro Manila, but when you’re inside, you’ll feel like you’re not in the city. The center has a hotel, function rooms, complete facilities, swimming pool, and nature parks where rare birds can be found, as well as plants and flowers, fish and other animals," she said. "The Center has a Creativity Hall, it’s like a world-class dormitory, and the Rainforest or Tribal Camp where we have areas specifically designed for teambuilding activities– ropes courses, rappelling sites."

MMLDC is not just excellent in terms of quality of amenities and physical structure. The programs itself have been developed with utmost consideration for effectiveness and suitability to individual needs.

If you want to have your company’s teambuilding at MMLDC, call 632-8111 loc. 302, 305, 306, 310 or fax 696-1027. You may also e-mail: [email protected] or visit: www.mmldc.com.