Dispelling the Myth Behind Team Building

Is the Kentucky Derby the best indicator of success for future thoroughbreds? On the surface most of us would answer of course, the best horses run in the Derby, so the best horse must win. But a close look at some simple statistic tells a different story.
If you ask ten people what they think team building is, chances are most of them will say that it's being made to build rafts, it's standing around feeling uncomfortable and being made to 'share' or even that it's a good reason to call in sick!

There are a number of good races that can indicate a quality race horse. Among these are the Kentucky Derby, the Travers Stakes, and the Breeders Cup Classic. Each of these races are run annually, several months apart from each other.
Myth 1: the only job that a degree in CS leads to is as a programmer. Not true. There are multiple applications of a CS background - you can apply computer science to multiple disciplines and industry and combine CS knowledge with other fields: art and multimedia, bio informatics, social change issues, health, etc. You name it, CS is there.
- Myth 2: the work of a computer professional is isolating. Again, not the case. Even for traditional programmer jobs, only 1/3 of a programmer’s time is spent alone at the desk. 2/3 of the time is about team design and team building - computer science is collaborative!
- Myth 3: there are no jobs in high tech since the economic downturn and all the new jobs are being offshore. Not the case! Ask any company or university that is trying to hire computer scientists, and they will tell you that they are hiring at an all time high. Ed says that Washington State’s hiring of computer professionals’ is at an all time high - only 8% of Microsoft’s workforce comes from Washington State and companies’ hiring is at an all time high.
- Myth 4: student interest in CS is lower than other science disciplines. That is not the case. Ed reports that student interest in CS is as high as the other science disciplines.
- Myth 5: you cannot make a difference in society through a computing career. Quite the opposite! Computing and technology in general is at the forefront of social change. If you attended the Tec Leaders for Social Innovators at the Grace Hopper Conference, you could see the myriad uses of technology to make a positive difference in the world. A Braille tutor technology, other assisted technologies for the disabled, a web 2.0 site connecting women in developing countries, a medical device that saves lives, a program that teaches autistic children…
These are the myths behind team building, they are outdated and they are wrong. The times, they have changed and now it's all about participation, interaction and fun while attending a team building event. The objectives of the team build are quite often covert, your participants will learn the lessons without it having to be spelt out, dissected and forced!