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Costco Connection
Early in 2009, the marketing department
of Vancouver-based A&W Food Services
decided it needed a boost. Although it had a
tight, well-functioning team, motivation was
lacking. The leadership team sought renewed
energy, increased creativity, a sense of freshness
and an understanding of how different
people work. To achieve this, A&W turned to
Costco member Lee-Anne Ragan, president
and director of training at Rock.Paper.Scissors
(www.rpsinc.ca), to put together a customized
team-building event.
“Against the backdrop of dolphins, the
marketing pros focused on seven principles
through a workshop called ‘Working Better
Together,’ ” says Ragan of the half-day event
held at the Vancouver Aquarium. By removing
them from their daily grind, she was able
to encourage new trains of thought while fostering
co-operation amongst a diverse team. As the A&W staff found out, even the
best-run company can stand to improve in
some areas—whether the business needs to
work on team building, resolve internal conflicts,
improve communications or simply
share a renewed vision or new product or service
information with the staff. One good
option is a corporate event. Justified investment
With the economy stuck in neutral, it
may not seem wise to spend money on corporate
events. After all, as sales numbers drag,
layoffs become a reality and all expenditures
face scrutiny. On the other hand, in a poor economy,
employee morale often dips considerably, as
can productivity. That’s the last thing that
companies need today, says Murray Seward, a
Costco member and general manager of
North Vancouver, British Columbia–based
Canadian Outback Adventures. “Even during the best of times morale can
be difficult to maintain,” he says. “Companies
need to keep people engaged, which is where
activity-based events excel. People need to look
at events as investments in their team.” What to do? The goal is to select an event theme that
will yield cohesiveness while addressing the
organization’s immediate needs, explains
Seward, who notes that philanthropy and
sustainability are popular themes. Activities
that are both exciting and daunting, such as
sporting competitions and reality-TV-style
activities, work well. “Having a giving-back component works
wonders. For instance, you may have competing
employee teams design, build and formulate
marketing plans for something such as
children’s bikes,” he says. “Then, at the end of
the event, the winners present all of the bikes
to the local Boys & Girls Club. This allows you
to build new bonds and identify strengths
while serving as a powerful event for people
to boost morale.” Spherion took this route in March 2009
when it held a creative-thinking event for 300
of its North American managers. The various
Spherion employees joined together in
Coronado, California, for a half-day event to
construct 100 prosthetic hands for international
recipients in developing nations who
are in need of prosthetic limbs. By design, the
Spherion employees were placed with peers
they did not know to encourage them to work
outside their comfort zone. “It challenged me to think about what
each individual had to offer and served as an
excellent way to identify individual strengths
and how we could adjust to work as a solid
team,” says Jeff Goplin, Spherion’s Torontobased
vice president of sales and marketing,
Canada. “We were able to take this back to our
business environments, ask more questions
and recognize what different qualities those
around us can bring to the group.”
Seward recommends matching the event
to the abilities of the people participating—
after all, singling out anyone does not boost
morale. Activities need to be selected to pull
together rather than pull apart.
And it’s important to build the event
according to the assets in-house and the company’s
current needs. “Picking events is similar
to doing an informal needs assessment,”
says Ragan. “What is really going on in the
organization? Have layoffs or negotiations
changed the dynamics? Have you launched a
new product or service?” If you elect to work with a professional
planner, share your expectations up front
while creating a clear contract that outlines all
parties’ responsibilities. This helps keep the
budget intact, says Ragan. Plus, throughout
the planning it is crucial to remember that the
best events are challenging, different, novel
and unique, while not setting up the participants
for failure or disappointment. Category: Latest Coverage
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