Perceived effects of a group drumming teambuilding intervention on an organisational team in South Africa

Abstract

Teambuilding is a widely used practice that it is predominantly employed to improve the performance of functional work teams through which work tasks are completed. However, little research on the topic can be found in the South African context. In this study, the perceived effects of a group drumming teambuilding intervention as reported by ten pharmaceutical service team members was investigated. A qualitative research strategy using a single case research design was utilised. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was analysed using a directed content analysis. The research approach consisted of a review of the relevant team-, teambuilding- and group drumming literature, followed by a chapter on the research methodology employed, a chapter on the context of the teambuilding intervention and a chapter on the results and a description thereof. The effects experienced at an individual level were enjoyment, relaxation, excitement, anxiety, reflection and mutual personal understanding. While at a group level, improvements in communication, trust, team atmosphere, team learning, goal clarity and commitment, support from the organisation and delivering the goods were reported. Many of these effects are interpersonal in nature and while recognising the importance of building these effects in the early stages of group development, group drumming may particularly be suited to new teams and as an ice-breaker activity. Virtual teams may also benefit from the intervention due to the challenges involved in building interpersonal effects with limited face-to-face interaction. All team members perceived the intervention as positive. Further, it was found that group drumming is a good example of experiential learning and therefore suggests that as a teambuilding intervention, it offers value to organisational development practitioners and managers. Future research employing group drumming as a teambuilding intervention is therefore merited and encouraged.