There is a significant increase in demand for corporate team building solutions, which is an emerging trend driven by ongoing efforts by Middle East business organisations to boost their competitive advantage within the post-economic crisis business landscape. SKOPOS Consulting pointed out a recent survey indicating that 54 per cent of employers in the Middle East want their employees to be teamwork-oriented, as a related study revealed that regional companies can save up to 20 per cent in operating costs when teams are strong and aligned with business objectives.
SKOPOS Consulting, a leading global Organisation Development (OD) solutions firm in the Middle East and Africa, also emphasised the need to further raise awareness about the strategic importance and benefits of adopting corporate team building initiatives, citing a separate study suggesting that nearly 50 per cent of businesses in the Middle East fail to operate efficiently as a team and thus miss out on opportunities to boost productivity, employee capacity and profits. Moreover, teambuilding activities, which are implemented as part of an organisational development program, are increasingly seen as an excellent way of attracting and retaining top talent, enhancing personal job satisfaction and employee engagement.
Dr. Hussein El Kazzaz, Managing Director of SKOPOS Consulting, said: "Well executed corporate team building programs can benefit firms in the region through improving leadership skills, tackling barriers to efficiency, clearly defining objectives and goals, and enhancing members' engagement. These attributes are crucial as organisations consolidate their strengths and address vulnerabilities to enhance business performance in the post-economic crisis period."
"We have observed that newly formed teams go through predictable phases of development. As team members learn, they become better equipped to deal with emotional and group pressures. When individuals join teams, they typically engage in typical behaviours to gain inclusion, establish control, and achieve a level of closeness, which are ultimately mutually beneficial to individual employees and the organisation," added Dr. El Kazzaz.
"Organisational Development solutions offered by specialists help deliver greater productivity, competence and increased profit as they strengthen communication skills, engagement, decision-making and self-confidence, while helping employees to better cope with stress. An effective corporate team building plan likewise ensures more support to the company and project management efforts, faster and better conflict resolution, a sense of purpose and personal job satisfaction," he concluded.
SKOPOS Consulting uses both soft and hard management tools to implement organizational change with its clients in the Middle East and Africa. The company utilizes a mix of coaching, conflict management, team building, leadership development, communication, succession planning, performance management and other proven organisational development tools to help its clients become highly effective. Originally founded in 1991 in San Jose, CA, SKOPOS Consulting moved to establish its Middle East presence in 2002. It is now fully owned, managed and operated independently by the Middle East team. It currently offers its services across a range of industries, including technology, government and telecommunications. The company has offices in Dubai, Cairo and Bahrain.
