Teambuilding through Rituals & Gamification

Sometimes we think we are clear about the purpose of our team, our organisation, or our community. That everyone is rowing towards a shared vision. And that this collective energy will survive wind and tide forever. But this is not always the case… disconnection appears, disengagement settles in. That’s when “teambuilding” starts to resonate, and we think about organising an event here and there, a company lunch, a trip to the mountains…

All of that is fine. But building effective and lasting teams goes far beyond isolated events. It’s about continuously cultivating a shared culture. And that culture — the experience lived by the people sailing with us — is also designed.

Building relationships beyond the event: culture and leadership

What we are really seeking through “teambuilding” is to foster a sense of belonging beyond specific tasks, and to nurture a shared identity aligned with values and vision. For that, having worked on purpose is essential. The Harvard Business Review article “Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization” (Quinn & Thakor, 2018) explains how a shared narrative drives resilience, motivation, and commitment.

That’s why I place so much emphasis on purpose-building — besides the fact that, as I mentioned, purpose has long been the cornerstone of impact-driven (or at least responsible) businesses. And that’s also why I stress the importance of co-creating it with all stakeholders — starting with the people in our own teams, those who navigate with us day after day.

But beyond this overarching group or organisational purpose — which, mind you, can sometimes be a double-edged sword — there are many other factors that drive engagement among our comrades. A meme once said: “Today I didn’t feel like going to work, but then I remembered the company’s mission, vision and values — and suddenly I felt motivated.” Obviously, ironic. So what else should we take into account?

One of the five key factors for building successful teams, according to Google’s “Project Aristotle”, is psychological safety. Daniel Coyle also speaks about this in The Culture Code (2018), identifying it as the strongest predictor of high-performing teams. What does this mean? Essentially, creating a “safe space” where team members feel free to speak up, express opinions and doubts, take risks… and make mistakes. Without this, real collaboration simply won’t happen. And we already know that a culture of experimentation and learning from failure fuels innovation.

The second factor is dependability — grounded trust that everyone will deliver on their responsibilities. When we speak about dependability, we are really talking about interdependence: a key mindset we need in order to adapt to change and become resilient as organisations and as societies. The same logic that applies externally (the relationships we build with other organisations and teams) also applies internally.

The third factor is structure and clarity. Seeking horizontal ways of working does not mean roles and responsibilities become blurred — quite the opposite. To collaborate effectively and sustain team energy, clear roles, shared objectives, and well-defined plans are essential.

A brief aside on these two factors. In Reinventing Organizations (2014), Frederic Laloux presents examples of “TEAL” organisations with evolutionary structures, where leadership is distributed, fostering greater engagement and adaptability. This is about breaking rigid hierarchies, enabling leadership to emerge from individual expertise, and creating participatory decision-making processes.

The fourth factor is meaning. And here we return to organisational purpose — but going a little deeper. Beyond feeling part of a shared purpose aligned with their values, each person also needs to feel that their own personal sense of purpose is nurtured through their work. According to Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace 2023”, employees who experience purpose and growth opportunities show up to 60% lower turnover. I imagine this applies to any kind of group — from informal communities to structured teams and organisations. But in companies, where talent retention is such a challenge and so critical for long-term success, this is something well worth paying attention to.

The fifth and final factor identified by Google is impact: everyone needs to feel that their work matters, creates value, delivers tangible results, and contributes to the change being pursued. It’s about recognising individual contribution within the collective purpose. Once again, this speaks to intrinsic motivation and talent retention, as highlighted by Deloitte in “Global Human Capital Trends 2021”.

So — we now have some key ingredients for effective, sustained “teambuilding” well beyond isolated events. But do we have concrete tools to help us along the way?

Building strong groups day by day

One of the most powerful tools I’ve experienced for nurturing relationships and sustaining group energy is rituals.

When I attended Social Circle Summit in October 2024, I experienced firsthand how thoughtfully designed rituals helped everyone present immerse themselves in the philosophy of the gathering and engage fully. Examples: standing breakfasts in a relaxed networking format (which didn’t even feel like networking). Morning yoga. Or paper hearts where you could write something you appreciated about someone else — and to my surprise, people genuinely used them, so I ended up doing so too.

But organisational life goes far beyond a three-day gathering. At CDTM – Center for Digital Technology and Management, I take part week after week in running an innovation education programme, and I experience these challenges directly. Some key rituals that help maintain team cohesion include: weekly Operations Meetings every Wednesday at the same time. Regular sessions to share what worries or excites us — reinforcing psychological safety. Agreed rules for communicating in ways that are both non-invasive and effective. Above all, these are rituals embedded in daily work, rather than disconnected, one-off events.

At times, specific activities can also be crucial to break inertia, create new connections, and even build collective skills. I’ve had the opportunity to design experiences that generate these impulses — which you can find in Monnou’s Academy section. One of them is our Sustainability Escape Room, developed together with Bea Quintana Vega, which we’ve run with organisations such as BMW, Ens d’Abastament d’Aigua Ter-Llobregat, and the NGO Action Against Hunger. Another is BIO LAB — a much-anticipated annual gathering where, immersed in nature, we share connections and practical knowledge among professionals committed to sustainability, biomimicry, and regeneration.

💫 And you — how do you build organisational culture? How do you cultivate strong relationships with the people you work with every day?