There is no parallel to teamwork in complex business environments today. If you have got all members in your boat rowing in the same direction, you have got a winner. The requirement of outperformance at all levels is making corporates create working environments that promote collaboration, communication and creativity. Regular reinforcement of such behavioural competencies through engagement and training is now a regular practice.
However, companies are finding conventional one-way training sessions outdated as the engagement rates are very low. Because of this, the search for engaging and impactful team building activities has intensified. Among the most vibrant and well-liked choices are escape rooms, which have proven to be more than just entertainment and engagement. The experience of the escape room, if processed effectively, can become a tactical instrument for fostering teamwork and enhancing problem-solving skills.
Suppose you want your team to get immersed in a challenging experience that unites them under pressure, where they need to communicate effectively and think out of the box. In that case, Escape Rooms are one of the best options for corporate team building. To increase engagement, all of the above is done with the help of an adventure-themed scenario within a ticking clock. Teams literally push their limits in thrilling ways with these types of challenges, whether it’s solving mysteries in a physical location or navigating challenges in a virtual escape room team building session.
Moreover, in fast-paced metro cities, the concept of organizing escape room corporate team building activities is becoming a trend for employee engagement. It has already gained momentum due to its popularity in the virtual format due to work-from-home practice during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. It has become one of the best team building activities in Mumbai. Companies that were early adopters of getting such sessions organized have already benefitted from engaging their employees in these interactive sessions, which give them much-needed refreshing breaks from day-to-day official duties and strategically build stronger, more cohesive teams.
This blog examines why escape rooms have emerged as the preferred option for corporate team building, breaking down their advantages, how they operate, and how to select the best kind of escape room activity to accomplish organizational goals successfully.
An escape room is an interactive adventure game where participants are locked in a room and must use elements within the space to solve a series of puzzles, discover clues, and complete objectives to escape within a set time limit. Originating as a digital game that later evolved into physical reality experiences, escape rooms have rapidly gained popularity worldwide for their thrilling and engaging nature.
An escape room is an experiential and interactive simulation where participants are locked in a room, and their objective is to find a key or exit code. Teams must use various elements present in the room to solve a series of logical puzzles, uncover clues and overcome obstacles and challenges to escape within a set time limit. There are physical escape room parlours around the world. Taking inspiration from the physical world, the digital version of escape rooms came into existence. Because of its captivating nature, escape rooms have quickly become well-known as a concept.
Escape rooms are becoming a more and more popular option for corporate team building because they provide a safe but tough environment where groups may examine their dynamics freshly and thrillingly.
In addition to being entertaining, escape rooms have become increasingly popular because of their significant advantages for team building in business settings. Below is a summary of the foremost benefits:
To complete the challenge of the escape room successfully, team members must communicate constantly and collaborate effectively to solve puzzles and collect clues in a limited timeframe. This activity naturally promotes a setting where all communication under critical, demanding situations becomes essential, and all voices need to be heard. The more team members share different ideas and perspectives, discuss strategies and work together, the easier it becomes for them to overcome challenges. All of this fosters communication and collaboration, which are vital for workplace success.
The intricacy of the riddles and the critical thinking needed to overcome them are what make escape rooms so special. Teams are frequently under pressure to think critically and creatively. This is similar to many working scenarios where individuals have to figure out how to address unforeseen issues or find effective ways to finish projects. By honing these abilities, escape room participation can help team members become more capable of managing obstacles in the real world.
Trust is at the foundation of every high-performance team, and escape rooms are one of the best channels to strengthen this trait within your team. Team members learn to accept each other’s opinions and rely on each other’s skills and abilities in high-stakes but safe situations and overall environments. This dependence builds mutual trust and respect, which are very important for a productive and harmonious workplace. On top of that, Escape Room is a shared experience that helps teams bond together, enhancing camaraderie and team spirit.
Solving an escape room successfully gives you a feeling of accomplishment and fulfilment. Especially if the escape room is part of a broader corporate training or team-building day, this success can increase team morale and motivation. Additionally, the activity’s excitement and distinctiveness can boost general employee engagement, which in turn can boost output and foster a more favourable working culture.
Escape rooms assess and develop a team’s adaptation and flexibility. When new puzzles appear, teams must adjust their strategies and rearrange roles within the group to be successful. Teams need to be responsive and adaptable in the corporate environment, where objectives and projects can change quickly.
Escape room activities are available to all types of teams working remotely or in the same office due to options for both physical and virtual escape room team building. For geographically distributed teams to emerge in meaningful conversations that promote teamwork and cooperation, virtual escape rooms, in particular, have become popular since there is no need for physical presence.
Escape rooms are adaptable and can be customized as per the requirements to suit any team size and dynamic. This makes them a perfect choice for organizations with cross-functional diverse teams. They can also be tailored as per learning outcomes, such as facets of leadership and communication skills.
Businesses can leverage these advantages to boost their team’s effectiveness, cohesiveness and overall job satisfaction by integrating escape rooms into their team building strategies.
Picking the correct escape room for corporate team building includes more than just selecting any available game. A very thoughtful consideration of your team’s specific needs, goals, learning objectives, and characteristics is required on your part. Let us help you with our guide for you to make the best choice:
Start by understanding and defining the overall objectives. List down what you would want to accomplish with the escape room experience. Is it just fun and engaging, or are you looking to enhance communication, foster teamwork, or maybe polish problem-solving skills? There are multiple escape rooms customized based on various learning outcomes. For example – for problem-solving as a major outcome, go with an escape room theme, which is around solving the mystery. A mission-based scenario could enhance leadership and decision-making. Horror and fiction themes are good for fun and engagement.
How diverse your team is and what the team size is – both of these play an important role in choosing an appropriate escape room. Physical escape rooms have various difficulty levels and also vary with the number of participants they can accommodate. Go through some of the physical and mental challenges involved to ensure the room is suitable for all team members. It’s also vital to check whether the theme and difficulty level is apt for the group dynamics.
One of the most important factors to consider when planning is the logistics. If your team is based out of a specific city then pick the physical escape room location which is nearby your workplace. This visit must be a smooth integration into your team’s schedule. For virtual teams, ensure that the virtual escape room team building platform you choose is accessible to everyone and easy to use.
Mostly, all rolls down to budget while considering any corporate team-building event. The investment for this experience varies significantly on various factors like location, difficulty level, exclusivity and your learning objectives. For both formats, processing the experience will bring out learning. Simply participating in the challenge will not work. It just falls under fun and engagement. This is where one of the best team building companies in India like, Corporate Compass, comes into the picture. You need an expert team-building facilitator, and such companies can assist you with the same end-to-end in both physical and virtual formats. Determine your budget prior to contacting team building organizers so that they can provide you with the best value without compromising on the experience.
Prior to making a final decision, go through the reviews and possibly ask for references to get first-hand feedback from other corporates that have participated in the escape room challenges via a team building company near you. You can get a lot of insights into how a particular team building organizer is at getting you the team development results you want to achieve through the escape room challenge. Positive testimonials can be a good indicator of a quality experience.
Most digital and some of the physical escape room providers offer customizations to align the experience with your organizational goals perfectly. This can be done by developing new themes, including your company products in the objects, tailoring puzzles to include elements related to your business or industry or simply managing the difficulty level suitable for your team. You can make this overall experience more relevant, engaging and impactful. Customizations may involve an additional investment as they are more personalized.
Get on a demo call with your team building activity provider for understanding the virtual escape room platform. If it’s physical then consider visiting the escape room yourself or sending a scout to experience it first-hand before booking it for the team. This ensures that the escape room is as per description, as per expectation and ensures quality and engagement.
By carefully weighing these variables, you can select an escape room that will not only be exciting and fun but also successfully support your corporate team-building objectives, making the experience both worthwhile and unforgettable.
The importance of effective team-building techniques becomes evident as businesses negotiate the complexity of contemporary corporate contexts. Escape rooms have become a top option for improving team dynamics and attaining significant developmental benefits because of their distinctive combination of challenge, teamwork, and enjoyment.
The many benefits of escape rooms have been discussed in this blog, with a focus on how they can improve business teams’ problem-solving abilities, communication, cooperation, and trust. Escape rooms offer a fun way for groups to push themselves and develop as a unit, whether they are tackling digital difficulties in a virtual environment or traversing physical puzzles in a room with a dark theme.
An escape room’s immersive experience pushes teams to interact meaningfully with one another under pressure, going beyond traditional team-building activities and making it a potent tool for business growth. Escape rooms are a useful, entertaining, and powerful option for teams looking to grow their behavioural competencies or increase their team bonding.
As we’ve seen, selecting the ideal escape room requires taking into account the goals, composition, financial constraints, and logistical requirements of your team. You may make the most of escape rooms not only to meet but also surpass your team-building objectives by choosing an activity that fits your company’s objectives and team dynamics.
In conclusion, escape rooms offer an alluring option if you want to add more originality, involvement, and efficacy to your team-building activities. They create enduring impressions that extend well beyond the gaming room by challenging teams and also celebrating their victories. You’re investing in the future of your team when you incorporate escape rooms into your repertoire of team-building initiatives.