In the corporate world, team building has become a key element for improving collaboration, communication, and cohesion among team members.

In this article, we explore the 5 reasons why team building in nature can be beneficial for companies.

Corporate team building in nature: what does it involve?

In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the importance of reconnecting with nature.

For this reason, team building in nature offers a unique opportunity to support team growth and development in ways that a traditional corporate environment may not provide.

By disconnecting from routine, stimulating creativity, strengthening communication, and promoting sustainability, companies can benefit from a long-lasting and effective team building experience in nature.

Why is corporate team building in nature better? Here are 5 reasons

1. Disconnecting from routine: Nature offers a unique opportunity to unplug from the hectic corporate routine. Away from desks and meetings, team members can relax and recharge in a calm and inspiring environment. This helps reduce stress and promote a positive mindset. After activities with WildSteps, we recorded a 13% decrease in participants’ stress levels.
2. Creativity and innovation: Natural beauty stimulates creativity. When teams are in a natural environment, they are more likely to think innovatively and outside the box. Outdoor walks, brainstorming sessions under the trees, or along the trails during a walkshop can lead to fresh ideas and creative solutions.
3. Communication and collaboration: Nature puts communication and collaboration skills to the test. Overcoming obstacles together, such as uneven terrain, or facing small challenges along the way requires a higher level of coordination and cooperation. These challenges strengthen the bonds between team members. In fact, 85% of participants feel much more collaborative toward their colleagues after activities carried out in nature.
4. Leadership and role management: The natural environment offers the opportunity to develop leadership and role management in new ways. Participants may be asked to lead activities or take on responsibilities in unusual situations. This supports personal development and awareness of one’s own abilities, as well as trust in colleagues.
5. Awareness and sustainability: Organizing team-building activities in nature promotes greater appreciation for the environment and sustainability. Participants become more aware of the importance of preserving nature and can bring these values into their corporate context, contributing to a culture of sustainability.

Some examples of team-building activities in nature

At WildSteps, we help bring people and companies closer to nature, so they can experience it, get to know it, and protect it.

To give you a few examples of activities you can do with your team, we’ll share some experiences we have already carried out with proactive companies that wanted to get their hands dirty and get involved by engaging their teams.

Clean-up with Too Good To Go in Sestri Levante

Too Good To Go Italia decided to include, during its team building days in Sestri Levante, a beach clean-up activity based on a scientific protocol and supported by OutBe, first and foremost to preserve the natural beauty of this place, while also learning to recognize and catalogue different types of waste and gaining greater awareness of the current situation in coastal areas.

The clean-up activity was led by a professional biologist, who explained the problems the sea is facing regarding plastic pollution. Afterwards, the Too Good To Go team split into two groups: one group collected waste using gloves and bags, while the other catalogued and counted the waste as it came in.

At the end of the activity, 5,052 items of waste were collected, for a total of 18 kg of plastic. The most common items were 2,830 plastic pellets, followed by 1,949 cigarette butts and 74 pieces of glass.

A clean-up activity as team building in nature is useful for:

• Engaging large numbers of people
• Actively contributing to environmental issues and SDGs such as 13, 14, and 15
• Providing sustainability training in a proactive and participatory way.

Forest Pirates with Verallia in Finale Ligure

Verallia Italia decided to directly involve its people to talk about biodiversity and create a positive impact on the environment. It therefore took part in a Nature Game, a “biodiversity hunt” created by WildSteps in partnership with zeroCO2.

The main goal was to raise awareness of the species encountered and their importance for local biodiversity. The activity took place in Pian delle Pietre, in the karst area of Capo Noli-Manie-Val Ponci, an area rich in biodiversity and therefore included in the Province of Savona’s system of areas of environmental and natural interest.

OutBe’s terrestrial biologist opened the activity with a scientific briefing. Afterwards, the participants were divided into 5 groups of 10 people, who spread out across the “playing field” to explore and photograph local biodiversity, focusing especially on pollinator species, which are becoming increasingly rare in the area. At the end of the search, the teams came together for a scientific debriefing, during which several insights gained during the activity emerged.

The Forest Pirates activity as team building in nature is useful for:

• Addressing biodiversity in a fun way through gamification
• Actively contributing to environmental issues and SDGs such as 13, 14, and 15
• Organizing an innovative corporate event that is different from the usual team-building activities

Organize a team building experience in nature with WildSteps!

Are you interested in discovering how WildSteps can help your company organize team-building activities in nature that promote sustainability and collaboration?