From the Buffalo News;
The shirts are a fine tool for team building, said a "team building facilitator," Michael Cardus of the Buffalo consulting firm Create-Learning-Team Building.
"I think it’s a good idea, and I think it’s a positive step," he said. "But in order for the workplace to feel greater ownership and pride in their workplace, there must be things put in place for them to have pride in their work.
"For instance, let’s say you have a group of people and you want them to feel empowered to make decisions. But then the first time that someone makes a decision that doesn’t align with the boss’s decision, they are squelched. There must be correlating cultural shifts," he said.
to read the entire article: Erie County workers cool to county employee shirts
I believe in incentive based positive reinforcement models - as I mentioned in the article companies must also change more than their Facade to create camaraderie. Throwing a Picnic or having the team wear matching shirts is a start - you must work on the inside, the core, to cause a healthy team work shift. Additionally if someone is already unhappy with their job it is highly un-likely that shirts or a picnic are going to solve these individuals issues.
The simple solution is creating an environment of Transparency (speak the truth and share information) as well as measurable and achievable goals for team members to understand where they stand and what they are driving towards.
- Michael Cardus serves as an Adventure Consultant for Create-Learning Team Building. Mike facilitates, trains, and speaks to groups in a variety of settings including Fortune 500 Companies, small business, universities and classrooms. Currently he lives in Buffalo NY, he travels to serve your groups needs - where and when your group desires.
