What makes working in a team so difficult?
Working seamlessly in teams is imperative in any workplace, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.
- Teams don’t have the time or space to understand each other’s strengths, motivations, and pressures
- The inability to strike the right balance between competition and collaboration which hampers team synergy and productivity
- Leadership is often misconstrued as having power over others instead of empowering others
- The purpose, timing, and content of traditional team building programmes don’t always align with specific needs of teams
What makes working in a team so difficult?
Working seamlessly in teams is imperative in any workplace, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.
- Teams don’t have the time or space to understand each other’s strengths, motivations, and pressures
- The inability to strike the right balance between competition and collaboration which hampers team synergy and productivity
- Leadership is often misconstrued as having power over others instead of empowering others
- The purpose, timing, and content of traditional team building programmes don’t always align with specific needs of teams
Why treks are better for team building than regular offsites
A shared goal
A trek is nothing like playing games at a resort. Scaling a mountain is exhilarating yet challenging for the mind and body. But you're not the only one. Everyone in the team experiences it. The levels of vulnerability and empathy are high.
More time to bond
The span of a multi-day trek makes it effective for team building. The extended period of time allows you to build trust as you face joys and challenges together.
More room to interact with people you don't know
You interact with people outside of your clique and get to know people who were only familiar by face or name before.
Nature and adventure are ideal backdrops to bond
People are themselves in the outdoors, dropping facades and no longer inhibited by formal structures.
Science confirms it
Research has consistently shown that spending time in nature breaks socially-constructed barriers and hierarchies.
Team bonding at a deeper, accelerated level
Being outdoors helps teams bond much faster and deeper, which isn't always possible during traditional offsites or over Zoom calls/meetings.
What participating teams have to say
Nao Ito - Operating Partner, BEENEXT
Benog Tibba
Shivaram - Team Manager, Palo Alto Networks
Channarayana Durga
Ankur Warikoo - Entrepreneur and Content Creator
Aditya Rao - Director, Supreem Pharmaceuticals
Channarayana Durga
How do teams benefit from trekking?
Away from formal structures and through the adventure of trekking, teams:
- Get to know each other beyond work
- See each other in a brand new light
- Return with deeper empathy, understanding, and renewed appreciation for one another
- Have a fun and meaningful shared experience with colleagues
- Learn to collaborate instead of compete which, in turn, can increase productivity
- Reconnect mindfully with nature, the larger web of life, and everyone's part in it
How do teams benefit from trekking?
Away from formal structures and through the adventure of trekking, teams:
- Get to know each other beyond work
- See each other in a brand new light
- Return with deeper empathy, understanding, and renewed appreciation for one another
- Have a fun and meaningful shared experience with colleagues
- Learn to collaborate instead of compete which, in turn, can increase productivity
- Reconnect mindfully with nature, the larger web of life, and everyone's part in it
The Impact Of Trekking On Teams
Our Programmes for Companies
Whether you want to bond with colleagues or push teams out of comfort zones, we design treks tailored to meet your goals
An adventurous day of trekking with colleagues to a scenic summit.
- Duration: 1 Day
- Location:
- Programme overview: A day hike that's the perfect blend of adventure and fun. The outdoors provide the ideal setting for teams to get to know each other better and embark on a meaningful, shared experience – hiking to a summit together.
Disconnect from boardrooms and screens for a night. Trek together, camp under open skies, and reconnect with your team.
- Duration: 2 days
- Location:
- Programme overview
- Teams trek to a stunning summit, spend a night in tents, and immerse themselves outdoors. Delve into discussions on nature's interconnectedness and our role within it. Gain invaluable insights into each other's strengths and weaknesses. The trek, activities, and sharing sessions bring teams together like never before.
A challenging leadership programme against the backdrop of a Himalayan trek
Duration: 2/4 days
Location: Uttarakhand
Programme overview:
Under the guidance of our team, participants plan and execute their own Himalayan trek - from strategy and planning to setting up campsites and cooking their own meals.
The goal is to get to a high summit together while braving the elements, unpredictable weather, and tackling specially-designed challenges. The mission is considered successful only when everyone summits.
The Collaborative Leadership Programme shakes up previously-held notions about leadership, collaboration, teamwork, and success.
How We Keep Participants Safe
Indiahikes is India's largest and safest trekking organisation
Our Trek Leaders are certified mountaineers with a Basic Mountaineering Course or Advanced Mountaineering Course. They are also Wilderness First Responders (WFR) and NOLS certified. We conduct regular refresher courses and specialised trainings year-round towards building capacity and mitigating risk.
Apart from Trek Leaders, our technical guides, trek guides, programme facilitators and assistants accompany students on the programmes. Each one is trained to handle emergency situations in the mountains. Read more about how we keep your students safe here.
Stringent safety processes are built into how we operate. There is a process for preparing team members, a process to monitor their health 3 times a day, a process for management of accidents, a process for managing altitude sickness, and a process for evacuation. We have processed for trekking and a separate process for difficult sections. Any potential risk is nipped in the bud.
Our extensive trek experience matters here. Trekking trails are not new to us. We have nurtured and developed these trails for many years. We have our own base camps on these trails. Safety of all team members is our responsibility, from the time the programme starts till it ends.
We draw up a Risk Assessment and Management plan before every trek - especially when it involves children. We prepare a risk assessment and management plan for each project we take with a school. You can download our sample safety plan here.
Most modern safety equipment used in the Indian trekking community has been introduced by us. This has fundamentally changed how trekking is done in our country.
In all of our treks, we carry a high-altitude medical kit, an evacuation kit, a technical kit, radio equipment, and oxygen cylinders (pulse oximeters and BP monitors are standard equipment carried by our Trek Leaders, including ropes and carabiners).
Team Building in the Mountains
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