A one-off 'ice breaker' event evolved into an ongoing programme of mobile team building events, spread over three years and involving over 50 events.
The initial enquiry came through an independent training consultant, who we had previously worked with on a number of team building events at a local Management Training College (Ashorne Hill).
The requirement was for us to deliver a number of 'problem solving' activities at a hotel for a day of 'ice breaking' team activities. A straight forward request that we provide on a routine basis.
Suitable problem solving actives were discussed; mileage calculated and a cost agreed. Risk Assessments were drawn up, insurance policies checked, timetables agreed and booking confirmations exchanged.
The Mount Somerset Hotel in Taunton would be the venue for the activities - a great hotel with plenty of outdoor areas for team building tasks. Our team headed down the night before to ensure the kit was set and ready for an early start on the Monday morning.
The event took place on a cold winters day in February 2012 - tough conditions for any group - but the feedback during and after the session was extremely positive. The participants were all employees of EDF Energy, selected to take part in a Leadership Development programme, and the concept of mixing classroom based workshops with outdoor team activities worked really well for the group.
EDF's Nuclear Leadership Academy decided that the team activities matched their course requirements and booked a further six events. These sessions allowed several minor adjustments to be made to the tasks and allowed our instructors the chance to 'tune in' to the EDF nuclear power work principles - safety is the absolute priority in everything the EDF employees do both in and outside the workplace. This is no surprise considering the workplace environment involved (nuclear power stations across the UK)
The mindset required for the nuclear power station employees is driven by the environment they work in. For our instructors to visualise and empathise with the EDF employees a tour was arranged at Heysham Power Station. This allowed our instructors to really appreciate the scale and complexity of a nuclear power station and understand the working environment.
To ensure Adventure Sports operates to EDF's stringent business principles we needed to become an approved supplier by registering with the 'Utilities Vendor Database', operated by Achilles (http://www.achilles.com). This ensures we meet or exceed EDF's requirements for:
- Insurance
- Environmental Policy
- Risk Assessment
- Health & Safety Management
- Corporate Responsibility
- Carbon Management
- Financial Stability
Registering with the Achilles database has also 'opened doors' in to other utilities organisations such as National Grid and Scottish Power.
The series of events continued throughout 2012 and extended through into 2013 and again into 2014.
A Comment from Ian Moss - Head of the Nuclear Leadership Academy, EDF Energy
"Based on a strong recommendation from a trusted supplier, we introduced the outdoor team building activities provided by Adventure Sports to our Leading High Performing Teams Module to kick off our existing flagship Leadership Development Programme. The impact of these activities has seen stronger and more engaged teams develop more quickly within each cohort as well as providing an excellent framework upon which to explore, understand and practice the principles of effective teamworking in the context of our business"
Ian Moss Head of The Nuclear Leadership Academy, EDF Energy
