There are two purposes for survivor team building: (1) to build camaraderie so that when things turn around, employees are bound by the group and (2) to keep morale up during difficult times. These can be “traditional,” organized by the company and professionally facilitated. I have found that when they are spontaneously developed by surviving employees themselves they can be much more fun and effective. Here are two examples:
A group of computer programmers formed “The Dead Career Society,” a take off of the film starring Robin Williams, “The Dead Poet Society.” They had regular meetings, shared rumors, “war stories,” and productively vented their survivor emotions. They are a tight group and, unless one has an exceptional opportunity, they will probably stay in the same firm when things improve.
A group of HR people in Minnesota who survived several rounds of layoffs found an old duckboat – they were, after all, in Minnesota. They took it to an offsite retreat, put it on the lawn of the conference center, and crammed six people at a time – all the boat would hold – inside. The remainder sat in a circle outside the boat. They all engaged in a spirited and sometimes physical – trying to pull people out of the boat – discussion. The result was a much stronger team and the birth of the “We are all in the same boat – don’t forget to ‘duck’” metaphor. Again, the group felt better and the members were able to be more productive in difficult times, and were also “bonded” so that they were attracted to the organization by their group affiliation and were less likely to leave.
