In these gloomy times of recession, it is tempting to think that any edge your company can gain is worthwhile. One of the most funky ways to improve a team's cohesion and effectiveness and impact is to prepare a corporate team event. But do they really work? What are the features of attending such an event? Or is it all just a ruse to spend a day out of the office having a bit of fun to only boost morale?

Team Building actually has its roots not only in company but psychology also. A psychologist called Maslow in 1943 published his theory of motivation which remains one of the most convenient examples of models of motivation in the modern day.

Maslow argued there were 5 levels of need which ranged from the basic physiological need to survive, the need for air, food and water such as, right through to the final level of self actualisation which is the need for someone to achieve what they believe they are capable of achieving and it is this stage which is of most interests to company owners and managers. It's satisfying this final level of motivation of the self that will drive an own on to be fulfilled and productive in the work place.

Achieving that however can be tough. Studies have shown that the majority of the British workforce is de-motivated most of the time. This is where a team building event can be of particular benefit. The events themselves have been designed with specific purpose in mind, all linked strongly to sound psychological principles that will make sure an improvement amongst the working environment.

Key features of a team building event include, working relationships amongst a team will be improved and developed.

Newer members of the team will be more integrated and accepted, while longer standing members of the team, who may have been viewed in a negative way, can find that employees see them in a positive light from the experiences they have of their team building activity.

The importance of sharing a positive experience for your team can also not be underestimated as a motivational factor and will learn to stronger bonds between employees. Your team will also begin to recognise where their strengths and specific talents are, thus ensuring when a problem needs resolving, they can seek help from the person on the team ideally suited to resolving the issue.

The whole idea of working together as a team and teamwork is a primary focus of a company team building event. Your team will discover by working together, many times in ways they had never even contemplated previously, can have a positive, motivational effect and not only leads to the desired consequence, but an enormous sense of self satisfaction and contentment, and thus Maslow's fifth and regularly most tough level of motivation is attained.

New research is continually showing that innovative events such as corporate events can have a significant positive effectiveness and impact on company productivity.

In 2006 Babis Mainemalis, a London Business School professor, and her Doctorial candidate Sarah Ronson published a paper which showed how the greatest ideas for a company are born from the idea of play, and furthermore advocated that creativity needs to be actively encouraged as part of a notable company. Team building events such as these provide the ideal opportunity for this creativity to be utilised in a practical sense, which can then be utilised productively back in the company environment.

The features of company team building are vast. A successful event can drastically improve all aspects of your team's performance and the association between them. It may lead to a greater understanding between members of your workforce, come up with strong bonds between them and lead to a greater level of understanding, improved confidence and self esteem and higher motivation and aspirations, the net consequence being a happier, motivated and profitable workforce.