What is team building?
Team building is anything a group of coworkers does together on purpose to know each other better, trust each other more and work together more smoothly. It can be a five-minute game, a hosted hour or a two-day offsite.
The purpose of team building
Team building has three jobs. The games, workshops and offsites are only the way you get there.
- Know each other. People who know a colleague's kids' names ask for help sooner.
- Trust each other. Teams speak up about mistakes when they've already laughed together.
- Work together better. Clear roles and shared goals turn a group of people into a team.
Team building is planned and shared by the whole group. Team bonding is the looser, everyday version: lunch together, a chat channel for dog photos. Our team bonding activities list covers that side.
Types of team building
Most team building fits one of six shapes. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| Type | What it looks like | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick activities | An icebreaker or short game at the start of a meeting | 5 to 15 minutes | Weekly habits and new groups |
| Hosted events | A live host runs trivia, a game show or a mystery | About an hour | Whole teams, remote or in person |
| Hands-on workshops | Everyone makes something, often from a kit sent to each person | About an hour | Quieter teams and celebrations |
| Skills workshops | A facilitator runs a session on trust, feedback or communication | About an hour | Teams with a specific problem to work on |
| Offsites and retreats | Planning plus activities away from the usual workplace | Half a day to a few days | Resets, new strategy, merged teams |
| Volunteering | The team works on a cause together | Two hours to a day | Teams that bond over shared purpose |
Each type can happen in three places:
- Virtual: everyone joins one video call; kits can arrive at each home first.
- In person: at your office or a venue, with a host who comes to you.
- Hybrid: the office group and remote people share one activity on the same call.
See what works for each on our remote team building, hybrid team building and in-person events pages. Short on time? Start with icebreakers or our free team building activities.
What team building fixes, and what it doesn’t
The research is encouraging but modest. A 2009 meta-analysis of team building studies by Cameron Klein and colleagues found a positive, moderate effect on team outcomes, strongest on how members feel about their team and how they work together (Small Group Research, 2009 (opens in a new tab)). Google’s study of 180 of its own teams reached a related conclusion: how a team works together mattered more than who was on it, and psychological safety came first of five dynamics (Google re:Work, 2015 (opens in a new tab)).
So team building helps most where the problem is between people. It can’t fix problems that sit in the job itself. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| Team building helps with | It won't fix |
|---|---|
| Strangers on a new or merged team | A manager people don't trust |
| Remote coworkers who only meet in meetings | Workloads nobody can finish |
| Quiet people who rarely speak up | Pay or promotion problems |
| Roles and goals that need saying out loud | One person treating others badly |
| Celebrating a finished project or a year | A strategy nobody believes in |
For the numbers behind teamwork, see our teamwork statistics. If a team is new or just merged, the stages of team development explain why the first months feel rocky.
How to choose the right team building
- Name the one thing you want to change. Meet the new hires, thank the team, or fix how two groups hand off work.
- Count heads and map where people sit. All remote, all in one office, or a mix decides the format.
- Keep it in work hours. An hour on a weekday afternoon beats a Friday night people feel they must attend.
- Check it works for everyone. No drinking required, no physical tests, captions on if anyone needs them.
- Set the budget per person. Then compare like for like, with shipping and host fees included.
- Book far enough ahead. Hosted games need about two weeks; kits need about three weeks for US addresses.
Then match the goal to a format:
- Help new hires meet the teamNew hire onboarding activities
- Connect a remote teamHosted games on your video call
- Give people something to makeKit workshops sent to every desk
- Grow your managersLeadership workshops
- Bring a whole company togetherSeveral activities at once
- Close out 2026Virtual holiday parties
Want someone else to run it? Our team building companies and virtual team building companies guides compare the options.
What team building costs
Costs range from free to a big line in the budget. The KraftyLab rows come from our live catalog.
| Option | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Do-it-yourself games and icebreakers | Free, plus someone's prep time |
| Hosted virtual game (KraftyLab) | Most are one package for up to 25 guests, $850 to $975 |
| Kit workshop (KraftyLab) | A base fee plus a per-guest price, with continental US shipping included |
| Hosted game at your office (KraftyLab) | Feud Night from $1,750 for up to 50 guests |
| Offsite or retreat | Venue, travel and food, so it varies most of all |
Here are a hosted game, a kit workshop, a team challenge and a skills workshop, with prices that update live. Each runs about an hour with a live host on your video call: Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request.
Trivia with a Twist!Starting at $39 USD / person
Terrarium MakingStarting at $100 USD / person
Team Discovery ChallengeStarting at $35 USD / person
Psychological Safety in the WorkplaceStarting at $140 USD / person
Browse every format on our virtual team building hub, see how companies plan it on corporate team building, or get a free quote with your date and headcount for a full plan within 24 hours.
