Teambuilding in Gozo

It would seem, on the face of it, suspicious to organise a teambuilding experience for your staff in Gozo. The island is, after all, cherished by many for its get-away factor. Why spoil this pleasant illusion by ‘going to work’ in Gozo for a day or two? In Elisa Cuschieri’s experience, however, there is much to be gained from participating in such an event.

Cuschieri, executive housekeeper and chairman of the sports and social committee of a hotel, has often been to Gozo on a team-building event. She says Gozo is the perfect place for this type of activity because staff members are, so to speak, not “at home”.

Given the relative unfamiliarity of the location, team members have to join forces if they want to properly tackle the assigned task. This means that as each and every person pitches in, the group develops a sense of team spirit.

In A Dictionary of Business and Management (2009), teambuilding exercises are described as ‘various interventions designed to increase the extent to which a work group functions as a team’.

During such an endeavour, therefore, the emphasis is on the joint effort delivered by the group. As a rule, the task assigned is challenging and may take the form of an outdoor training experience during which employees are taken to a remote location. The purpose is to increase each person’s sense of worth both as an individual as well as a group member.

The first time Cuschieri co-organised such an event, she opted for a treasure hunt as the main team-building exercise and enlisted the help of

the Rabat scouts for guidance. They obliged by planning a treasure hunt that catered specifically for the requirements of her group.

On that day, staff members were split into groups as soon as they arrived in Gozo. As a general rule, Cuschieri points out, it is important for each group to include members from different departments. The idea is for colleagues to get to know one another better, especially if they do not cross paths that often when on the job.

As soon as each member is assigned to a group, each group heads off in search of the mystery location. When a group finds – or believes it has found – the right place, the obligatory photo is taken as evidence.

Sometimes, if the spot is so quiet or remote that no strangers are about to take the group photo, two photos are taken to ensure each member has made it to the site.

Subsequently, all the groups usually join up for lunch or dinner. The person in charge of the outing collects the answers to the questions given to each group and every person has the chance to give their own version of the day’s events.

Cuschieri says: “This year I had the opportunity to organise one such event. I specifically chose an itinerary of places in Gozo which Maltese don’t normally visit. Apart from the benefits in terms of building a stronger team, this also provided the added advantage of discovering a new side to Gozo many of us had never experienced.”

Little does it matter to employees, she believes, which group actually wins the competition. It is far more common, in fact, for people to sign up for the event to have fun and bond with their colleagues.

Over the years, Cuschieri has discovered that Gozo has a lot to offer in terms of natural and architectural beauty. While recalling the beautiful sites she visited – the temples, chapels, caves and valleys – she has fond memories of one day in particular.

This was the time she and her colleagues climbed up Tal-Merżuq, a hill on which rests a statue of the Risen Christ. Cuschieri and another two of her team mates were the only ones to make it. “It was well worth the effort,” she notes, “because it is such a peaceful place. We all felt a great sense of calm as we took in the surrounding views from such a good vantage point.”

Cuschieri strongly recommends teambuilding events, however small or large the company. While these events pave the way to better relations between members of staff, the visits to Gozo mean that something extra to people who, like her, work in a hotel. They give staff the opportunity to better understand what it is like to be a tourist visiting Malta.

“I am now more skilled at empathising with foreign clients,” she concludes, “and my colleagues and I definitely know more about Gozo. It is not the first time, in fact, that we have recommended sites when clients tell us they are crossing over for a visit.”