Enhancing Team Cohesion: Team Building on the Crest of the Wave
Twenty years ago, the contemporary world was already described as VUCA: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Today, this reflection has been joined by the framework captured in the acronym BANI: Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and at times incomprehensible.
Together, these theories point to a challenging outlook on the future, whether we look outward or within ourselves.
Organisations face an unpredictable and constantly shifting environment where complexity is such that mere simplification is not enough; instead, it requires a systemic perspective capable of discerning subtle signals and recurring patterns. This global landscape demands careful, strategic navigation through the fog, much like a sailor facing stormy seas, where every gust of wind can suddenly change the rules of the game and recalculating the course becomes essential.
The sailboat thus becomes a powerful metaphor for today’s businesses: only with resilience, agility, and a team moving in synergy as a single body toward a shared goal can we face and overcome the waves.
What strategies can we adopt, then, to strengthen these essential qualities within teams?
Here we present the case of a Research and Development team, whose mission is to steer their organisation toward a technological and sustainable future. They interact constantly with diverse environments and personalities, within an ever-shifting landscape where their ability to guide collaboratively is vital.
To steer and sustain the organisation’s future, every team member must share a common strategy and feel part of a single entity. We guided each of them through a sailing team building experience: an opportunity to strengthen team identity and foster collaboration.
Sailing as an Organisational Paradigm
The team chose to “Sail toward the future”. When seen as the microcosm of an organisation, rather than merely a vessel, a boat clearly demonstrates that each component has a defined role, and that the success of the mission depends on seamless harmony between these parts. The course can only be held if every crew member is able to perform their task in tune with the others.
Sailing on the open sea also encourages flexibility and the ability to embrace uncertainty, chaos, the absence of boundaries, and the horizon all at once. It is a continuous problem-solving exercise in dealing with the unexpected—a suspended space to cultivate a fresh, open, creative, and possibility-oriented outlook.
Competition and Collaboration: The Concept of “Cum-Petition”
The team building was founded on the principle of “cum-petition”, which brings together competition and collaboration while drawing attention back to the etymological root of “compete”: “to strive together” or “to seek together”. Both at sea and in business, challenges are continuous and unpredictable. Cum-petition guides people to inspire one another toward excellence, while always keeping the objective of advancing in unison in focus.
The Boat as a Metaphor for Team Building
In a fast-evolving corporate landscape, adaptability and collaboration are crucial. What better way to experience this than on a boat, where every decision, large or small, directly impacts the entire crew?
At sea, every sailor is essential. There is no room for isolation or division; every action and every decision has immediate consequences for the group. Sailing requires clear communication, unconditional trust, and a deep understanding of one’s teammates. Every wave, every shift in the wind, mirrors the unexpected challenges we encounter daily.
Just like in an organisation, on a boat you cannot simply “walk out” when the going gets tough.
You have to find a solution, work together, and navigate through the challenges.
During the crossing, participants were not mere passive observers. They had the freedom to choose and plan the course, adapting to shifting, unforeseen conditions. This fostered a genuine team mindset, where collaboration and dialogue proved essential.
Many decisions had to be made swiftly and under pressure; negotiating was not always easy, yet overcoming each obstacle was consistently followed by a moment of shared triumph.
By the end of the journey, participants had not only strengthened their bonds as a team, but also discovered renewed mutual trust, an original leadership style, a strong sense of courage, and a strategic problem-solving mindset.
A key element was the continuous rotation of roles within the crew, which allowed each participant to experience different responsibilities and step into one another’s shoes. This process encouraged flexibility and an awareness that every task has a profound impact, whether direct or indirect, on the wider system.
Objectives and Results
The team building programme aimed to strengthen relationships, promote a growth mindset, and develop collective, forward-looking leadership. Every activity and decision made during the journey was a tangible step toward achieving these goals, mirroring how the team operates.
Neuroscientific Benefits of Sailing
Sailing is not only a powerful metaphor for corporate dynamics, but also an activity that, according to neuroscience, offers tangible benefits. The marine environment stimulates the release of neurotransmitters that reduce stress and enhance well-being, focus, and openness to exploration, while the need to make swift decisions and adapt to continuously changing conditions sharpens cognitive abilities and promotes brain neuroplasticity.
Conclusion
The sailing team building experience proved to be not only a powerful exercise in team cohesion, but also an immersion into an environment that promotes mental well-being and personal growth. This adventure strengthened team identity and highlighted the importance of collaboration in steering the organisation’s future.
