Team Building Activities? (for work)

I am a consultant to a team that is asking for a team-building activity.

Everyone that I have researched are all so cheesy and way too physical.

Has anyone ever participated in or run a team-building activity at work that they actually liked?

Im talking, in a conference room, problem-solving kind of stuff?

TIA!

ETA: We are all Federal employees, mostly Economists and computer specialists. The budget is pretty much non-existent. Just things I can get from our supply room.

Message edited 7/18/2007 11:22:54 AM.

Re: Team Building Activities? (for work)

Do you have a budget?

Re: Team Building Activities? (for work)

What is the profession of the people you are working with?

Re: Team Building Activities? (for work)

No budget really, just using the supplies we have in our supply room.

Federal Economists would be the audience, and computer programmers.

Re: Team Building Activities? (for work)

not that this is what you're looking for, but several yrs ago we did a rock climbing team building event and it was SO awesome! I think it was in Plainview - indoors obviously

Message edited 7/18/2007 11:23:42 AM.

Re: Team Building Activities? (for work)

I used one for my students - they thought I was nuts in the beginning, but then loved it.

Basically, I handed each student a paper clip, and gave them a few minutes alone to come up with uses for a paperclip. Then broke them into teams and had them discuss other uses. Believe it or not, some groups came up with up to 50 uses for the paper clip.

The point: working together helps get results. No one had gotten that many on their own.

We then discussed how their brainstorming helped to motivate each other, etc.