Ask HN: What do you think about the team building activities

[nandaja]

So we are a small start up of 10. Our boss is trying to push a Hackathon for a product we can potentially monetize as a team building activity. We did Marshmallow challenge last year as a team, and I thought it was the most wasteful mornings of my life. I think I agree with the person here: https://maskofreason.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/refuting-the-marshmallow-challenge/

What are your opinions about such activities? Do you folks do any?

[signalfish]

Teambuilding, when it works, is usually something that just happens, and isn't scripted. Watercooler interactions, discussions after work, even maybe a company barbeque. Actual company sponsored teambuilding events, in my experience, have been total shams, never taken seriously by the participants. This Archer episode kind of sums it up. S6E5 Vision Quest, sorry I don't have a link to the full episode.

[Mauricebranagh]

Teambuilding should not be directly company related - Ever

Personally that marshmallow challenge sounds kind of interesting (as some one coming from a mechanical background)